External Environment: Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

A. Natural Physical Environment: Sustainability Issues

1. What forces from the natural physical environment are currently affecting ARAMCO and the industries in which it competes? How would you categorize current or future threats OF ARAMCO ? Opportunities?

• Climate, including global temperature, sea level, and fresh water availability
• Weather-related events, such as severe storms, floods, and droughts
• Solar phenomena, such as sunspots and solar wind

1. Do these forces have different effects in other regions of the world?

B. Societal Environment

1. What general environmental forces are currently affecting both ARAMCO and the industries in which it competes? Which present current or future threats? Opportunities?

a. Economic

b. Technological

c. Political-legal d. Sociocultural

2. Are these forces different in other regions of the world?

C. Task Environment

1. What forces drive ARAMCO competition? Are these forces the same globally or do they vary from country to country? Rate each force as high, medium, or low.

• Threat of new entrants OF ARAMCO
• Bargaining power of buyers OF ARAMCO
• Threat of substitute products or services OF ARAMCO
• Bargaining power of suppliers OF ARAMCO
• Rivalry among competing firms OF ARAMCO
• Relative power of unions, governments, special interest groups, etc.

2. What key factors in the immediate environment (that is, customers, competitors, suppliers, creditors, labor unions, governments, trade associations, interest groups, local communities, and shareholders) are currently affecting ARAMCO ? Which are current or future threats? Opportunities?