What is PEST Analysis?

何为PEST分析法

It is very important that an organization considers its environment before beginning the marketing process. In fact, environmental analysis should be continuous and feed all aspects of planning.

启动营销程序之前必须考虑公司的市场环境，这一点很重要。事实上，市场环境分析应该是一项长期的工程，并对营销计划产生全方位的影响。

The organization's marketing environment is made up of:

公司的市场营销环境包含以下几个方面：

1. The internal environment e.g. staff (or internal customers), office technology, wages and finance, etc.

1.  内部环境，例如公司员工（或者内部顾客）、办公科技、工资、财务等。

2. The micro-environment e.g. our external customers, agents and distributors, suppliers, our competitors, etc.

2.  微观环境，例如外部顾客、代理商与分销商、供货商、竞争对手等。

3. The macro-environment e.g. Political (and legal) forces, Economic forces, Sociocultural forces, and Technological forces. These are known as PEST factors.

3.  宏观环境：例如国家政策（或者法律），经济力量、社会与文化力量、科技力量。这些就是所谓的PEST要素。

Political Factors.

政治要素（Political Factors）：

The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. You must consider issues such as:

政治会对企业监管、消费能力以及其他与企业有关的活动产生十分重大的影响力。你必须牢记以下几点：

1.How stable is the political environment?

1.   政治环境是否稳定？

2.Will government policy influence laws that regulate or tax your business?

2.   国家政策是否会改变法律从而增强对企业的监管并收取更多的赋税？

3.What is the government's position on marketing ethics?

3.   政府所持的市场道德标准是什么？

4. What is the government's policy on the economy?

4.   政府的经济政策是什么？

5. Does the government have a view on culture and religion?

5.   政府是否关注文化与宗教？

6. Is the government involved in trading agreements such as EU, NAFTA, ASEAN, or others?

6.   政府是否与其他组织签订过贸易协定，例如欧盟（EU），北美自由贸易区（NAFTA），东盟（ASEAN）等？

Economic Factors.

经济要素（Economic Factors）：

Marketers need to consider the state of a trading economy in the short and long-terms. This is especially true when planning for international marketing. You need to look at:

市场营销人员需要从短期与长期两个方面来看待一个国家的经济与贸易，特别是在进行国际营销的时候。你可以参考以下几点：

1. Interest rates.

1.   利率。

2. The level of inflation Employment level per capita.

2.   通货膨胀率与人均就业率。

3. Long-term prospects for the economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, and so on.

3.   人均GDP的长远预期等。

Sociocultural Factors.

社会与文化要素（Sociocultural Fators）：

The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country. It is very important that such factors are considered. Factors include:

各国的社会与文化对于企业的影响不尽相同。社会与文化要素十分重要，包括以下几点：

1.What is the dominant religion?

1.   信奉人数最多的宗教是什么？

2.What are attitudes to foreign products and services?

2.   这个国家的人对于外国产品和服务的态度如何？

3.Does language impact upon the diffusion of products onto markets?

3.   语言障碍是否会影响产品的市场推广？

4.How much time do consumers have for leisure?

4.   消费者有多少空闲时间？

5.What are the roles of men and women within society?

5.   这个国家的男人和女人的角色分别是什么？

6.How long are the population living? Are the older generations wealthy?

6.   这个国家的人长寿吗？老年阶层富裕吗？

7.Do the population have a strong/weak opinion on green issues?

7.   这个国人的人对于环保问题是如何看待的？

Technological Factors.

科技要素（Technological Factors）：

Technology is vital for competitive advantage, and is a major driver of globalization. Consider the following points:

科技不仅是全球化的驱动力，也是企业的竞争优势所在。下面几点解释了何为科技要素：

1. Does technology allow for products and services to be made more cheaply and to a better standard of quality?

1.   科技是否降低了产品和服务的成本，并提高了质量？

2.Do the technologies offer consumers and businesses more innovative products and services such as Internet banking, new generation mobile telephones, etc?

2.   科技是否为消费者和企业提供了更多的创新产品与服务，例如网上银行、新一代手机等？

3.How is distribution changed by new technologies e.g. books via the Internet, flight tickets, auctions, etc?

3.   科技是如何改变分销渠道的，例如网络书店、机票、拍卖等？

4.Does technology offer companies a new way to communicate with consumers e.g. banners, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), etc?

4.   科技是否为企业提供了一种全新的与消费者进行沟通的渠道，例如Banner广告条、CRM软件等？