In this section of your analysis, you will: 1) assess the company's current situation within the industry using both SWOT and PESTEL analyses; 2) identify and discuss critical issues, and 3) discuss the major implications for the company in terms of future strategy.
Industry profiles offer an important context for your company's situation. Are the critical issues your company is facing unique to the company, or prevalent within the industry? Are there critical issues faced by your company's competitors that are not an issue for your company? Are there industry trends that are not reflected in your company's strategic directions or reports to investors? Industry profiles will give you a chance to gauge your company's situation against the larger industry.
Newspapers can be a good source of information about a company or industry. Most newspapers have a business section that focuses on local business as well as business news in general. A good source of information for:
The SWOT analysis is a snapshot in time of your company's situation. Any issue that arises for your company can affect the overall analysis, so your SWOT analysis should be as current as possible. The following sources may provide a SWOT analysis for your company, but remember:
Remember that a SWOT analysis is a snapshot of your company's current situation, and any existing SWOT analysis you find is only a foundation for your own analysis - you will almost certainly need to update it to reflect anything that has happened with your company since the SWOT analysis was created.
The following article can be a useful guide as you work on creating or updating your SWOT analysis:
Important! Be sure to research both your company and its competitors to ensure you have a full understanding of your company's position and the industry at large.
In addition to the databases listed above, you may find the following resources useful:
Use the following databases to find current and recent news about your company, its competitors, and the relevant industry.
A PESTEL analysis looks at the following elements or conditions in relation to your company:
Condition |
Primary Question |
|---|---|
| Political | How does the current political climate affect your company? |
| Economic | How does the current economic climate affect your company? |
| Social | What impacts do societal trends have on your company? |
| Technological | What impacts do technological changes have on your company? |
| Environmental | What impacts do environmental trends have on your company? |
| Legal | What impacts do legal trends have on your company? |
You won't find a ready-made PESTEL analysis in most of our databases; however, the following databases and web sites may provide examples of PEST or PESTEL analyses, which may be helpful in getting you started:
Use the following links to find the questions and resources that will help you complete your analysis.