1.3 Understanding that businesses operate within an external environment PESTLE Analysis
Learning outcomes Understanding the nature and purpose of business What you need to know: How the external environment can affect costs and demand.
The external environment: Starter The external environment is the factors that can influence a business's activities and can determine its success or failure. Task: With a partner, try to list as many factors outside of the business’s control that may influence its activities and performance. External factors ?
How the external environment can affect cost and demand The external environment comprises those external forces that can influence a business's activities. Factors influencing costs and demand include the effect of: Market conditions and competition Incomes Interest rates Demographic factors Environmental issues and fair trade.
Market conditions and competition Market conditions are the features of a market, such as the level of sales, sales growth, price levels, the number and strength of rivals, their market position and market share, etc. Demand is the amount of a particular good or service that consumers or organisations want and are able to afford to purchase. It is a good determinant of how desirable a market is for firms. Task: What are the ideal market conditions for success? Consider the following features and describe the best situation for a firm to grow and make high profits. Sales figures and level of demand Price levels Level of competition including the number of competitors, size and market share Barriers to entry – How difficult is it for new entrants to the market? Consumer incomes GDP and economic growth - Gross domestic product (GDP) is the total value of a country's total output of all goods and services over time.