Changes and trends in the macroenvironment affect strategic decisions, and sound decisions are based on evidence. Where do you find evidence of the trends? One type of useful information sources is business magazine/trade publication articles contributed by industry experts and business analysts, as they share their views and analyses on macroenvironmental trends and changes. News articles are also equally useful in finding discussions about trends. Other reliable information sources include reports and updates from private research firms.
These sources can help you identify relevant trends and provide evidence of the changes in the demographic, economic, natural, technological, political, social and cultural forces. They are available through the article databases listed below.
Reports produced by private research firms normally are not freely available on the web. Fortunately, some research companies publish brief reports and offer some free content on consumer and industry trends in their press releases, blogs, newsletters, etc. They can be valuable information sources. For example:
