Getting Started with Research for External Environment Analysis
External environment analyses make use of many data sources, both subscription (like databases offered through the library) and online (like government websites). This page provides recommended resources - with notes about how to use them - organized using the categories of a PESTEL analysis. This structure will help you think about the types of information you can access as you prepare for your search, and the resources can be used for all kinds of analysis - not just PESTEL!
Find information to analyze the impact of:
Political Trends: governmental leadership and change; monetary, defense, tax, energy, and trade policy; tariffs; regulation trends; pressure from lobbying and political action groups; political stability and corruption
Economic trends: GDP and economic growth (current and forecasted); unemployment rates; interest and inflation rates; stock and bond markets; income stability
Social (or Social-Cultural) Trends: demographics and consumer attitudes, values, opinions, and preferences
Technological Trends: methods of producing and distributing goods and services; new innovations in products; methods of communicating with the market
Ecological (or Environmental) Trends: climate and climate change; availability or scarcity of raw materials and natural resources; pollution and carbon regulations; environmental disasters; sustainability trends
Legal Trends: federal and state laws; consumer protections; banking, product, health, tax, and safety regulations; antitrust and monopolization laws; product labeling
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
Find relevant articles from trade journals, scholarly journals, and magazines by combining company or industry names with keywords like "regulation", "regulatory", or "policy" - IBISWorld This link opens in a new window
Regulatory information can be found in the "Operating Conditions" sections of industry reports. - Mergent Online This link opens in a new window
Especially useful when looking to expand operations to another country. Click on the Country Insights tab, then choose a country and date range and limit to "DnB Country Risk Profiles". - NetAdvantage This link opens in a new window
Broader coverage than IBIS World. Most Industry Surveys include a section called "Regulatory and Legal Environment" which are searchable using 'Find' commands.
- Pew Research Center Global Indicators DatabaseSummarizes results of public opinion polls about aspects of life in countries around the world.
- Beige BookThe Summary of Commentary on Current Economic Conditions; provides context to Federal Reserve statistics and economic conditions by district.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic AnalysisExtensive data on GDP, personal income, and corporate profits, with statistics available at the national, regional, and industry levels.
- U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO)Budget and economic data, including economic forecasts, budget reviews, Social Security projections, and analysis of federal debt.
- U.S. Economy at a Glance: BLSNational and state-level data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, including unemployment, payroll and earnings information, and price indices.
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowView economic profiles at the state and county levels and find economic information by industry in the Products & Market sections of industry reports.
- Census QuickFacts
Social and demographic information for U.S. households, states, cities, and counties with a population of 5,000 or more. - Ohio County Trends and ProfilesProvides detailed demographics for each of Ohio's 88 counties. Dayton is in Montgomery County.
- Pew Research Center Social & Demographic Trends
Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan organization that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, and content analysis.
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowLook at the U.S. Business Environment Profiles for various social and demographic factors affecting industry performance.
- Mintel Academic Access This link opens in a new window
Analyzes market drivers, sizes & trends, market segmentation, and consumer attitudes & purchasing habits for the US and European marketplaces.
- IBISWorld This link opens in a new windowTechnology information can be found in the Operating Conditions section of individual industry reports. U.S. Specialized Industry Reports go into much more depth about specific types of technology.
- Pew Internet and American Life ProjectMany of studies and statistics on how different age groups use the Internet. Try looking under the topic "Generations"
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowSearch for articles using a company or industry name and terms like "environmental impact," "sustainability," etc.
- Environment Complete This link opens in a new window
Provides coverage of interdisciplinary environmental journals including ecology, energy, natural resources, & pollution. Search by company or industry name. - GreenFILE This link opens in a new window
Resource for scholarly, government and general-interest titles on environmental issues. Search by company or industry name.
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Regulatory information for selected business sectors.
- HeinOnline This link opens in a new window
Online searchable, legal research collection including legal and Congressional records, statutes, and laws, Search by company name. - Legal Collection This link opens in a new window
A source for information on current issues, studies, thoughts and trends of the legal world. Search by company name or industry keyword.
