LibGuides: MARK 332: Promotion: External Environmental Analysis

Resources for Conducting an PESTLE Analysis

If you are doing an analysis within the United States, look for a city's tax policies and any incentives it may offer new businesses.

Outside the United States, possible political topics to explore include the stability of the country's government; the tax structure; trade regulations; and any trading agreements the country is involved in, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

Search for articles related to political issues using the city or country name and pertinent key words (for example, "Brazil" and "trade tariffs"). Try these databases:

Business Source Complete [academic database]
LexisNexis Academic [academic database]
Office of Legislative Research
Thomas.gov: Legislative Bills and the Congressional Record
GovTrack.us [tracks the US Congress and its activity]

When examining the economic climate, look at interest rates, inflationary trends, unemployment figures, and current exchange rates as well as for long-term forecasts for the city's or country’s economy. Here are some sources to try:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics
Business Source Complete [Use BSC to read business and trade journals for insights into regulatory and legislative issues that may impact your business or industry.]
Wall Street Journal (via LexisNexis)
Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) EDGAR Reports
For briefings on retail sales, durable goods, manufacturing, construction, new home sales, and more, Economicindicators.gov provides access to daily releases of key economic indicators from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Census Bureau. This is probably your best bet if you're looking for one site that says it all

For the sociocultural aspects of your analysis, look at demographics, the level of education and income, the dominant religion and its influence, and attitudes toward work and leisure time. Try these databases:

Opposing Viewpoints in Context
Academic Search Complete
Gallup Polls, Opinions, etc.
PEW Research Center
Roper Center Public Opinion Archives
CQ Researcher [from Congressional Quarterly]
U.S. Census Bureau - American FactFinder -- The American Community Survey is a nationwide survey designed to provide communities a fresh look at how they are changing; The Economic Census profiles the U.S. economy every 5 years, from the national to the local level and by detailed industry and business classification. The Population Estimates Program publishes estimated population totals for the previous year for cities and towns, metropolitan areas, counties, and states

Technological issues include intellectual property rights, government or industry funding for research, and the potential for disruptive technologies that might affect company operations. For information on these factors, try:

Legal factors include laws pertaining to trademarks and copyrights, zoning regulations, and laws regarding monopolies and private property. Also consider health and safety laws. For information, try these resources:

Business Source Complete
LexisNexis [Try clicking "Look up a Legal Case"! Contains full-text regional, national & international newspapers, state and federal court cases and statutes, law reviews, and company profiles.]
SocINDEX with Full Text [Peer-reviewed journal articles, books, conference papers, and other sources on sociology from 1895-current; some full-text; constructs bibliography in five different citation styles.]
GovTrack.us
U.S. Patent Database

For the environmental aspects of your analysis, research local environmental protection laws, any regulations regarding energy consumption or waste management, and any local environmental issues. Try these databases:

Business Source Complete
LexisNexis Academic
AgriCola [Agriculture plant & animal science, forestry, soil & water resources in journal articles, books, technical reports; some full-text.]
ScienceDirect [Index (with some full-text) to science, psychology, economics, medicine, and mathematics peer-reviewed journals.]
GreenFile [Covers the various aspects of human impact on the environment such as: global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling and more. Some full-text peer-reviewed articles from 1950-current.]
BioOne [Biological, ecological, and environmental sciences peer-reviewed articles; full-text from 1998-current.]