From an organizational strategy perspective, attributing changes to sweeping environmental triggers or long-term strategic planning means taking either an ecological or strategic viewpoint. The ecological-versus-strategic debate centers on the issue of environmental determinism versus strategic choice. Marketing research, as an industry, is faced with having to adapt to environmental changes (mostly technology-driven) with autonomous processes that vary from one company to another. Marketing research paves the way to customer relationship building, through which the marketing function introduces the customer to the firm. There is an increasing body of both academic and trade literature that addresses the strategic role of marketing and how marketing contributes to a firm\u27s performance. Marketing researchers will have to adapt beyond adjusting their skills and highlighting the newly gained powers to senior leaders
