PESTLE Ref. Situation being analyzed: Date Raised: Other than the main headings, the questions and issues in the template below are examples and not exhaustive - add your own and amend these prompts to suit your situation, the experience and skill level of whoever is completing the analysis, and what you aim to produce from the analysis. The context upon which a PESTLE analysis is undertaken can help to determine how to interpret facts and information discovered. Criteria Examples Political Economic Criteria Examples Trading policies Funding, grants and initiatives Home market lobbying/pressure groups International pressure groups Wars and conflict Government policies Government term and change Elections Inter-country relationships/attitudes Terrorism Political trends Governmental leadership Government structures Internal political issues Shareholder needs/demands Political: who is in what position, their power, vision, goals and directions etc.? What is happening politically in the environment in which you operate, including areas such as tax policy, employment laws, environmental regulations, trade restrictions and reform, tariffs and political stability? Economic: financial implications, productivity etc. What is happening within the economy, for example; economic growth/ decline, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation rate, wage rates, minimum wage, working hours, unemployment (local and national), credit availability, cost of living etc. Home economy situation Home economy trends Overseas economies and trends General taxation issues Tax changes specific to products Seasonality/weather issues Market and trade cycles Specific industry factors Market routes & trends Customer/end-user drivers International trade Disposable income Job growth/unemployment Exchange rates Tariffs & Inflation Interest and exchange rates Consumer confidence index Import/export ratios Production level Internal finance Cash flow
Criteria Examples Social Technological Criteria Examples Consumer attitudes and opinions Media views Law changes & social factors Brand, company, technology Consumer buying patterns Major events and influences Buying access and trends Ethnic/religious factors Advertising and publicity Ethical issues, demographics Lifestyle changes Population shifts Education Trends, Fads Diversity Immigration/emigration Living standards Housing trends Fashion & role models Attitudes to work Attitudes to people Leisure activities Occupations Earning capacity Staff attitudes Management style Organizational culture Changes to education system Social: what is and is not acceptable within the culture? What is occurring socially in the markets in which you operate or expect to operate, cultural norms and expectations, health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes, emphasis on safety, global warming. Technological: new computer systems or other new technology? What is happening technology-wise which can impact what you do, technology is leaping every two years, how will this impact your products or services, things that were not possible five years ago are now mainstream. New technologies are continually being developed and the rate of change itself is increasing. There are also changes to barriers to entry in given markets, and changes to financial decisions like outsourcing and insourcing. Competing technology development Research funding Associated/dependent technology Replacement solutions Maturity of technology Manufacturing maturity/capacity Information and communications Consumer buying mechanisms/technology Technology legislation Innovation potential Technology access, licensing, Intellectual property issues Global communications Inventions & Innovations New discoveries & Research Energy uses/sources/fuels Communications Rate of obsolescence Manufacturing advances Information technology Internet Transportation Waste removal/recycling E-learning Collaboration tools Software changes
Criteria Examples Legal Environmental Criteria Examples Current legislation home market Future legislation European/international legislation Regulatory bodies and processes Environmental regulations Employment law Consumer protection Industry-specific regulations competitive regulations Legal: changes to employment law, recruitment, visas etc. What is happening with changes to legislation? This may impact employment, access to materials, quotas, resources, imports/ exports, taxation etc. Environmental: the space available, what can or cannot be moved where etc. What is happening with respect to ecological and environmental issues? Many of these factors will be economic or social in nature. Ecological Environmental issues International National Local Environmental regulations Customer values Market values Stakeholder/ investor values Staff attitudes Management style organizational culture Staff morale Staff engagement Global factors EU based factors