pest assignment

Political

Political

· current legislation home market

· future legislation

· European/international legislation

· regulatory bodies and processes

· government policies

· government term and change

· trading policies

· funding, grants and initiatives

· home market lobbying/pressure groups

· international pressure groups

Government type and stability Freedom of press, rule of law and levels of bureaucracy and corruption Regulation and de-regulation trends Social and employment legislation Tax policy, and trade and tariff controls Environmental and consumer-protection legislation Likely changes in the political environment How stable is the political environment? Will government policy influence laws that regulate or tax your business? What is the government's position on marketing ethics? What is the government's policy on the economy? Does the government have a view on culture and religion? Is the government involved in trading agreements such ecological/environmental issues

Economics

Economics

· home economy situation

· home economy trends

· overseas economies and trends

· general taxation issues

· taxation specific to product/services

· seasonality/weather issues

· market and trade cycles

· specific industry factors

· market routes and distribution trends

· customer/end-user drivers

· interest and exchange rates

Economic growth trends (various countries), Taxation, Disposable income Job growth/unemployment Exchange rates Tariffs Inflation Consumer confidence Production levels.  

Social

Social

· lifestyle trends

· demographics

· consumer attitudes and opinions

· media views

· law changes affecting social factors

· brand, company, technology image

· consumer buying patterns

· fashion and role models

· major events and influences

· buying access and trends

· ethnic/religious factors

· advertising and publicity

Lifestyle changes Population shifts Trends, fads, diversity, immigration/emigration Living standards Attitudes to work and leisure activities Occupations, and earning capacity What is the dominant religion? What are attitudes to foreign products and services? Does language impact upon the diffusion of products onto markets? How much time do consumers have for leisure? What are the roles of men and women within society? How long are the population living? Are the older generations wealthy? Does the population have a strong/weak opinion on green issues?  

Technological

Technological

· competing technology development

· research funding

· associated/dependent technologies

· replacement technology/solutions

· maturity of technology

· manufacturing maturity and capacity

· information and communications

· consumer buying mechanisms/technology

· technology legislation

· innovation potential

· technology access, licensing, patents

· intellectual property issues

Technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Consider the following points: Does technology allow for products and services to be made more cheaply, and of a better quality? Do the technologies offer consumers and businesses more innovative products and services such as Internet banking, new generation mobile telephones, etc? Does technology offer companies a new way to communicate with consumers e.g. banners, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), etc