BEX5601 The Business Environment - Portfolio of P.E.S.T. Issues Report - Assessment
Portfolio of PEST Issues Report
Weight: 40%
Length: 2,000 words (+/-10%).
Type: Individual assessment.
Learning Outcomes assessed: 1, 2 and 4.
This document must be read in conjunction with the “Portfolio of PEST Issues Report Format.pdf” document. (Available on Moodle under Assessment Briefings and instructions).
Task Outline: This assessment task requires you to prepare a simplified report (strictly follow the format available on Moodle) on the current and emerging nature of the business environment. This report will contain analysis of three selected newspapers articles, each identifying at least one, but preferably more PEST relevant issues that are influencing/shaping the business environment.
Very important things to consider (Failure to follow the instructions would result in fail or 0 marks)
1. The Portfolio will be your collection of three newspaper or trade articles that have been reported in reputable newspapers, business and trade publications or similar reputable and respected publications. Journal articles must not be used as a current business environment issue for analysis.
Some of possible source you might decide to use:
CNN, ABC, BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Economic Times and similar
2. No duplications of topic are allowed, i.e., no two (2) articles on the same issue can be analysed (for example two articles featuring inflation in Australia).
3. The articles in this portfolio must have been published in the mainstream media from 1st of May 2023 until 31st of July 2023 (inclusive). Any article published outside of the timeframe specified will score 0 marks.
4. The business news articles should be analysed as individual sections of your assignment (as per format available on Moodle). The news articles are part of your reference list for this assignment, along with any additional resources you cite in your analysis.
5. The articles sources for analysis must have originally been published in English.
Your report is an analysis of the PEST/macro business environment issues you have identified and how these issues, are changing the business (or industry) environment Therefore, you are analysing the impact of the issue on the industry/ies or business environment, not the company or institution affected by the issue. We are expecting to see the implications for one selected industry.
Your analysis must demonstrate your understanding of why it is essential for business to monitor and adapt to the business (macro) environment(s) they operate in. Your report will compliment your conceptual understanding with an in-depth analysis of the implications your Portfolio of PEST issues may have in terms of future strategy development and/or the operational and investment decisions that business will make into the future - both the short-term and the long-term. Therefore, the focus of this assessment is a demonstration that you have understood how to apply the PEST framework to an issue impacting the broader business environment, rather than your opinion on the issue being analysed.
Your Portfolio of PEST Issues report must include your own meaningful insights that are based on your own synthesis of the important macro/industry level issues, and your own analysis not purely descriptions. Simply agreeing with an author’s opinion on the issue is not original thought, nor is it your own original analysis. In simple terms, your report must address a 'so-what' question to what you have identified and analysed is happening in the wider business environment. In other words – the report is designed to help to understand the impact of the PEST on the business environment (industry level).
Industry (macro) Level
Organisation/Company (micro) Level
The impact of your PEST analysis takes place at this level.
We understand that not all PEST factors are necessarily relevant for every one of the three issues identified. For example, if there is no political impact related to the business issue you have identified, do not analyse the political impact. Some articles might call for analysis of P and E only or S and T, while others might require full PEST analysis. It is your task to determine what is relevant and what is not.
Submission Requirements: You must submit this assessment via the dedicated assignment drop box on Moodle on or before the due submission date. You MUST upload your report to Moodle in PDF format.
Please Note: ALL CARE must be taken when submitting this report onto Moodle. Draft submissions are not permitted. Multiple upload attempts are also not permitted. Therefore, it is imperative that the report uploaded onto the Moodle site, is the final version of that report.
You are required to use the Turnitin function on Moodle for this submission.