PESTLEAnalysen

PESTLEAnalysen, often written as PESTLE analysis, is a framework used in strategic management to examine the external macro-environmental factors that can affect an organization or project. The acronym stands for Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors, with some variants adding Ethical as an additional dimension. The purpose is to identify opportunities and threats arising from the broader environment and to inform strategic planning, market research, risk assessment, and scenario development. Each dimension covers a range of factors: Political factors include government stability, policy changes, regulation and trade barriers; Economic factors cover growth rates, inflation, exchange rates, and consumer spending; Social factors address demographics, culture, lifestyle, and social norms; Technological factors consider innovations, automation, and access to technology; Legal factors encompass laws, labor regulation, contract enforcement; Environmental factors relate to sustainability, climate policy, resource availability and ecological concerns. Together, PESTLE provides a structured, comprehensive overview of external drivers that could influence objectives and performance.

Methodologically, analysts define the scope, gather relevant data, evaluate the potential impact and likelihood of each factor, and prioritize them to derive implications for strategy. The results are often used in conjunction with internal analyses such as SWOT and in scenario planning. Critics note that the approach can be time-consuming and subjective, and requires regular updates to remain relevant.