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PESTEL and SWOT Analysis - Bristol Port UK
Political Economical
Secured government approval for new terminal
This will provide a lot of new opportunities for
doing business with Bristol Port. It will also generate
a more positive reputation on the media since the
work being done is approved by the government
The single European market has been designed to
promote competition through free trade. Therefore
governments have to support the investment of
other international companies within the UK and
the EU in general. This creates more competition
and therefore the owners of Bristol Port have to
make sure that all the other markets and
competitors are constantly being monitored so they
can have a better understanding of who and what
theyre dealing with
Political parties need to make sure, especially in
todays world, to be aware of Green Legislation.
They need to promote a healthier way of doing
business hence companies such as Bristol Port are
affected due to issues related to water pollution,
smoke emissions, protection of wildlife and habitats
and waste regulations. Bristol Port is already
working towards a healthier more environmental
friendly approach, however, they need to make
sure that political stances on the previously
mentioned issues are constantly kept in mind
Bristol Port need to keep in mind that local
governments are very important stakeholders as
they take on urban planning and redevelopment
amongst other things.
Lobbyists can also be of great importance for a
company such as Bristol Port due to the fact that
they can influence legislation on behalf of a special
interest. They can also affect peoples opinions
through the media.
As an organization, Bristol Port has to abide by
various rules and regulations which can be altered
by a change in government. Regulations can affect
the company financially if standards are changed
and staff will in turn need to be trained accordingly
and to conform to legal requirements which can
result in a reduction of foreign competitiveness
The economic crisis has left an impact on the UK
economy. Therefore, until the economy is stable,
Bristol Port will not proceed with building the new
terminal. In the meantime Bristol Port should focus
on strengthening the services they already offer so as
to keep their clients satisfied
When the new terminal is built it will generate new
opportunities for employment and business within
the UK This will be economically beneficial for the
port itself and it will create a more stable reputation
for it within the UK
A lot of investment has been put into Bristol port and
there are plans to continue investing and expanding.
Also, growth and investment worldwide is taking
place within emerging markets By investing and
expanding, Bristol Port will be up to date with new
systems and can gain new clients. It could also gain
more recognition internationally
Globalisation,being the process through which the
world economy is now becoming a unified
interdependent system based on internationalisation
of companies and lowering of trade barriers is
making people need or want products which are not
locally made hence the need for efficient sea
transportation arises. The UK economy structure in
fact has changed from a manufacturing industry to a
service oriented one. If Bristol Port cant provide
products or services which are required by its
stakeholders, they will look elsewhere straightaway.
Due to the economic crisis in 2008, traffic in ports
decreased, and up to 2011 it hadnt gone over the
peak which was reached in 2005 Effect on Bristol
Port: a higher need to attract more clients so as to
catch up on previous years
Prospects related to global economic growth seem to
be flat in Europe and multinational companies are
looking for production closer to home
The proposed terminal can generate more than
114million in the local economy

Socio-Cultural Technological
The port provides jobs to approximately 8000 people
therefore it has a satisfied community which makes it
a better environment to work in. People also feel
safer using a company which is providing work to
many people as it demonstrates reliability
Since motor vehicles can be kept on the large quay
areas, travelling on public roads can be avoided
Bristol Port is recognised as one of the most
technically advanced ports Companies nationally
and internationally which have specific requirements
will take such a reputation into consideration when
choosing who to do business with. As a company
with such a status, Bristol Port has to take on 7
distinct stages to ensure successful development:
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Bristol Port will have less complaints related to traffic
congestion due to heavy vehicles and will cause less
harm to the environment
Prices, promotion and products offered, together
with the place (marketing mix) where the port is
located, are capable of providing services which meet
the needs and requirements of the ports
stakeholders i.e.direct customers, energy companies,
shipping customers, clients and the workforce itself
The result of this is a more harmonious working
environment and more possibility of growth
The multiplier effect takes place within Bristol Port
due to the fact that it is an expanding company.It
already offers a substantial amount of jobs for the
people in the community and since this company is
investing in further projects more jobs will be created
and the production level increases. As a result
employees spend their money and while demands
are increasing more jobs are created
Corporate Social Responsability (CSR) is an aspect
which Bristol Port is taking into consideration. They
are giving as much as they can back to society by
implementing healthier options for production and
taking care of the surrounding environment. The
community around the port will in turn appreciate the
work done in the port more
Knowledge of new technology, research and
invention which creates newer ideas, development
meaning how technology is applied to particular
products, innovation of the product, when profit
needs to start being made, diffusion is how the
targeted population or workforce adopt and
refinement is taking advantage of the complete
technological aspect
It is equipped with machinery used to lift heavy cargo
and has experienced workforce to use it The people
working within the company will feel more at ease
when doing their everyday work due to the fact that
they are trained to manouver the equipment
The need for facilities to handle much larger ships is
on the increase This should be an incentive for
Bristol Port to grow. Other ports which are already
equipped or are investing in such equipment will
have a competitive advantage
Consumerism, as in the culture of todays world in
which consumers ar emore enthusiastic and the
ethos that a consumer can be powerful enough to
cause change within an organisation, has been taking
place due to the amount of information we find
online and access to technology being facilitated.
Bristol Port need to make sure that their reputation
remains up to standards because once stakeholders
find better opportunities, they will take them
Environmental Legislative
The mission of Bristol Port is to bring containers to
important UK markets more quickly than ports in the
South and East of the UK This will help in preventing
carbon emissions which is a unique advantage over
other ports. By doing so it will also be abiding by laws
connected to air pollution
Two biomass power stations are being planned for
Bristol Port. This will help in creating a higher
reputation amongst the stakeholders due to the fact
that a lot of attention to the surrounding
environment is being given
Since Bristol Port have plans to rebuild new habitat
which will make up for any possible damage done to
the environment, people will feel much more at ease
when doing business with them. Green legislation is
also being taken into consideration in this aspect
because Bristol Port are making sure that land-use
planning and protection of wildlife and habitat is
being followed
The UK has a target which needs to be met by 2020.
This target includes the increase in incineration from
9% to 27% and the reduction of landfill from 72% to
25%. The EU also has targets related to recycling,
however, most private companies might not be very
responsive unless they have a market for recycled
Accredited with ISO9001:2000 which ensures
efficient handling with minimum damage risks
Companies working with Bristol Port as well as the
workforce within the port itself have a safer
environment to work in
Being a seperate legal entity and a Private Limited
Company (Ltd.) , Bristol Port owners can avoid losing
all private possessions should the company fail. As a
result the company can offer more security since
there can be no shares of the company within the
market.
Due to the heavy machinery and work done within
Bristol Port, Health and Safety Legislation which
protects the lives of employees needs to be
maintained. Also, other forms of legislation, such as
the employees right to a contract (described in
Employment Rights Act 1996), minimum wage and
equality need to be followed. If not, Bristol Port will
be breaking part of the employment law and apart
from creating chaos within the company, the
employees and any other people involved will lose
trust in the port
As an incorporated company Bristol port also has the
right to sue and also be sued should any contract be
breeched. By maintaining these contracts Bristol Port
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material. Bristol Port needs to analyse this situation
and try to make the most of it for the sake of the
environment as well as for its reputation. The Waste
Regulations 2011 will also have an effect on how
waste from comapnies like Bristol Port is collected,
transported, recovered and disposed of

will be keeping a healthier relationship with its
stakeholders and also following ethical behaviour at
work
Since contract law covers exchanges between buyers
and sellers, Bristol Port has to make sure that the
elemnts of a contract; offer,acceptance and intention
to enter into legal actions are being followed

Strengths Weaknesses
A lot of different services are offered in shipping,
logistics and distribution More businesses can make
use of this variety of services as it meets a lot of
different needs
It is Britains most central deep sea port therefore it can
be reached easily and society wont find it hard to do
business
Within a 300km radius Bristol Port has access to over
45million citizens
The port features strength in statistics due to excellent
motorway and rail access
Bristol Port is recognised amogst the most productive
ports in the UK
It is very well-equipped to serve different purposes such
as storage space and warehousing resulting in more
business deals being closed with companies which need
such sevices
Experienced workforce. This shows that money is being
invested in human resources and training is being given
to the employees. This results in a more motivated
workforce and higher confidence in the services
provided
It is one of six ports which forms part of 90% of car
imports and exports in the UK. It is also an extremely
important entry point for a quarter of the fuel imports
needed for aviation fuels
Rail and road links are not as congested as others. It is
also much closer to the population
Since Bristol Port forms part of the private sector,
resources and funds are managed more efficiently and
monitored more effictively. Apart from that,
management is more responsive towards market signals
and have increasingly enhanced initiative
Bristol Port, as a Limited company, can only offer shares
to family or friends hence decreasing the chance of
being take over by more powerful shareholders. This
automatically creates more security within the company
The effective protection of the environment and
cautious use of natural resources which Bristol Port is
maintaining will generate a more positive response
through the media
Since Bristol Ports privatisation, its owners have had a
clear vision of where their company should go. They
The Deep Sea Container is not available yet. This will
put Bristol Port at a disadvantage as other ports might
be more equipped and hence customers will choose
ports which meet their needs. A Marketing
Information System(MkIS) might be needed at this
point so that information related to Bristol Port and
other competitiors could be collected, analysed and
evaluated. This will give Bristol Port a better idea of
how to turn such weaknesses to strengths and
opportunities
When it comes to statistics, Bristol Port doesnt
feature strongly on lists of the largest liquid and dry
bulk handling ports in the UK. This can affect the port
since new customers might use statistics when
choosing who to work with
One of Bristol Ports largest customer unloaded its last
coal shipment in 2013. This will definitely create some
difficulty to the port due to the fact that no more
business will be done with this company and a
replacement needs to be found
As a company within the private sector, the owners
might feel the need to invest due to competition
coming from other companies or as a compensation
for losses such as the one mentioned in the previous
point. Investement might become very competitive
and exaggerated which will lead to a waste of money
and resources. Competition may also result in a
monopoly

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have changed that vision to a mission and it is now
defined by its uniqueness
Opportunities Threats
Creative and efficient management gives the
opportunity for innovation within the port. Being a
privately owned company, the people in charge can
have a better understanding of how the surrounding
market is functioning and act accordingly
Since there has been a shift in trends towards
containerisation, Bristol Port is planning to create a
container terminal which could increase the amount of
business significantly container ports are the busiest
when it comes to the intensity of activity within the
port itself
Multinational companies are now seeking production
closer to home therefore Bristol Port can take the
opportunity to expand within the UK and
internationally
The developing world is providing various
opportunities due to the fact that advanced cargo-
handling facilities are in demand. Bristol Port has the
chance to invest in the necessary equipment and
become one of the first ports within the market to
offer such services
Due to its important role within the redevelopment of
the south wests industrial centre, Bristol Port has a lot
of opportunities for further growth of new port
facilities
Globalisation offers an opportunity to Bristol Port as it
creates a more improved possibility for specialisation
and standardisation of production and distribution.
Reasearching such details can also be more cost-
effective as can the product design and promotion
The container ship Emma Maersk has come up with a
possible solution during Christmas. 11,000 containers
were brought to the UK from China full of good and
were returned full of rubbish from the UK. This was
done because most of the recycling of plastic has to be
done in China. Bristol Port can also start encouraging
such a system whereby rubbish which cant be
recycled in the UK is sent to other countries which can
do the job
International exposure can create more opportunities
for Bristol Port because people will expect diversity of
products

Changes in European and world markets might affect
the productivity in the Port due to the fact that it
hasnt been equipped with a Deep Sea Container
Terminal yet.
There is a strong element of competition in the world
of cargo. Many other ports in the UK are in line with
innovative technology and are in the process of
development . This means that Bristol Port needs to be
constantly aware of new trends and act upon
competition immediately
Pressure groups such as IFAW are likely to complain
due to the harm done to animal and fish habitats. The
environment needs to be constantly kept in mind even
though in such an industry it might be hard to please
everybody at times
Since the year 2000 the export industry of crude oil
has reduced steadily this has affected the amount of
outward traffic for Bristol Port and other seaports and
it creates a threat to the business because it might
result in the need for newer more advanced
equipment to meet more modern needs and
requirements
From the start of the economic crisis in 2008 one can
see much less predictability in the growth of container
traffic. Bristol Port will have to make sure that the
market is constantly being monitored so as to be able
to catch up with any other ports
World trade has become part of Bristol Ports everyday
reality and the fact that trading all around the world is
becoming increasingly possible, can create a threat to
such a company. Society in the UK and elsewhere
might find that doing direct business with international
companies is easier and more efficient. Bristol Port
have to keep in mind that people nowadays have
access to an infinite amount of information and can
therefore make comparisons
With regards to globalisation, Bristol Port has to bear
in mind that people are becoming more culturally
sensitive and therefore products or services offers
might need to change accordingly. When doing
business internationally, the language aspect can also
create issues between workers and the general public
As Bristol Port is within an export-oriented economy
any outside shocks are likely to affect the port. A lot of
monitoring needs to be constantly done so as to
prevent any sudden and extreme changes