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[science_expat]

I've just run across this in Senate documents relating to the development of our university strategy.

Through Google, I'm to the point of realizing that it stands for "Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal analysis".

Has anyone ever performed such an analysis in an academic context?

[wegie]

I've seen it done at departmental, faculty and university level (and seen WH do a similar thing for introducing a new financial product), just never heard the acronym before (your admin really love their acronyms, don't they?). Think of it as an extension and codification at the macro level of the kind of analysis and infighting that goes on in the run-up to introducing a new programme on campus.

[new_bus_prof]

It's usually done if anyone has a clue about policy planning, strategy, or market research. It's almost always part of the strategic plan of the university. It's called all sorts of things -- environmental part of SWOT, PEST, STEP, PESTLE, GDPEST, SLEPT, STEEPLE, STEER, etc.

It simply involves addressing items in the environment you believe can and will impact the college. A Google search returned a website with a school example.
http://rapidbi.com/pestle/schools-education-and-the-PESTLE-analysis-tool.html

What opportunities and threats from the environment (everything beyond the university's control) should the university be aware of?