Critical Thinking : What is PESTLE analasis?

Mae pob agwedd o’r dechneg hon yn hanfodol ar gyfer

unrhyw ddiwydiant y gallai busnes fod ynddo. Mae mwy na dim ond deall y farchnad mewn busnes mae’r fframwaith hwn yn cynrychioli ac yn diffinio beth y dylai cwmni ei wneud.

PEST is an acronym for Political, Economic, Social and Technological. This analysis is used to assess these four external factors in relation to your business situation.

A PEST analysis helps you determine how these factors will affect the performance and activities of your business in the long-term

Sustrans policy advisor Matt Hemsley has spoken to ITV News about the effect 'transport poverty' could have on the Welsh economy.

It comes as Department for Transport figures reveal Wales is the worst-hit part of the UK for fare increases - while also seeing the biggest fall in passenger journeys.

New tram technology from China has been hailed as a potential solution to one of the key problems preventing the introduction of trams in Welsh towns and cities.

Electric trams traditionally draw power from cables suspended above the streets.

The cables, with their supporting masts and wires, add to construction and maintenance costs plus complicate the planning process and could provoke public opposition.

However, the Chinese city of Guangzhou has now developed trams which will run on supercapacitor batteries without the need for overhead cables.

A supercapacitor does not rely on chemical changes which means there is virtually no limit to the number of times it can be recharged and discharged but it can store only a relatively small amount of power, making it unsuitable for cars.

The Guangzhou trams will need 10 to 30 seconds to recharge at each stop after which they will be able to run for almost three miles before needing a top-up.

Mobile power-supply vehicles will be on standby in case of problems with the ground-level power supply at the stops.

The trams are being built by CSR Zhuzhou with electrical equipment developed by Siemens. Each tram can carry up to 386 passengers.

The tram’s floor will be just a foot above ground level throughout, providing level access from low platforms in streets.

Swansea-based transport consultant John Davies said Cardiff Bay could be a good place for a tram route to try out the latest Chinese technology.

Professor Stuart Cole, from the University of South Wales, said the infrastructure for Swansea’s Metro bus service, linking Singleton to the city centre and Morriston, was designed so that a tram system could be installed alongside it at a later date.

“If the Chinese are trying it out, there’s an opportunity to see if it’s reliable. That’s the key issue,” said Prof Cole. “It sounds good, in that it would appear to reduce costs significantly.”

Another area which could benefit from trams is northern Flintshire, suggested Prof Cole, where many people commute to the Airbus factory and other large employment sites.

“There’s a series of small towns there which could be linked,” he added.

“There’s no reason why medium-sized towns shouldn’t have trams again.”

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