For this assignment you will analyze societal-level, industry-level, market-level and firm-level trends in your business environment. You will conduct research on these different aspects of your business environment and apply appropriate analysis tools to characterize your business operating environment at different levels. This analysis helps business owners to identify opportunities and develop strategies for business planning. Such analyses are becoming a regular, required component of business loan and grant applications (see for instance BDC - Business Development Bank of Canada recommendations and loan applications) and constitute essential research for preparing various sections of a formal business plan. Links to useful information sources for this research are provided in the Useful Resources for Business Planning item.

Complete the following business environment analyses (see Week 3 module for PESTEL, Porter's 5 Forces and SWOT templates):

1. societal-level - PESTEL
2. industry-level - Porter's 5 Forces
3. market-level - market profile analysis
4. firm-level SWOT plus Founder Fit or Core Competency