Which analysis compares internal strengths/weaknesses with external opportunities/threats, while SWOT vs PESTLE analyses?

Which analysis compares internal strengths/weaknesses with external opportunities/threats, while SWOT vs PESTLE analyses?

• A. SWOT analyzes internal strengths/weaknesses and external opportunities/threats; PESTLE analyzes external political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental factors.
• B. SWOT analyzes external factors only; PESTLE analyzes internal factors.
• C. SWOT and PESTLE are the same analysis with different names.
• D. PESTLE analyzes internal factors; SWOT analyzes external factors.

Answer: (A)

In strategic analysis, you assess internal attributes (strengths and weaknesses) alongside external possibilities (opportunities and threats) to see how a organization can leverage its positives and counter its risks. The description fits this approach exactly: SWOT is used to compare internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats, while PESTLE focuses on broad external macro-environmental factors—Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental—that can influence those opportunities and threats. These external forces shape the landscape in which the internal capabilities operate, but they aren’t internal characteristics themselves. The other options mix up internal versus external factors or treat the two tools as the same, which doesn’t align with how SWOT and PESTLE are used.

In strategic analysis, you assess internal attributes (strengths and weaknesses) alongside external possibilities (opportunities and threats) to see how a organization can leverage its positives and counter its risks. The description fits this approach exactly: SWOT is used to compare internal strengths and weaknesses with external opportunities and threats, while PESTLE focuses on broad external macro-environmental factors—Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, and Environmental—that can influence those opportunities and threats. These external forces shape the landscape in which the internal capabilities operate, but they aren’t internal characteristics themselves. The other options mix up internal versus external factors or treat the two tools as the same, which doesn’t align with how SWOT and PESTLE are used.