Introduction

Corus makes metals such as steel. It also earns almost a third of its income from metals for construction. It is keen to try and develop new products. Corus is also concerned that it should produce 'sustainable' buildings. Builders should try to produce what people need today without having a bad effect on what people may need in the future. This is called 'sustainability'. Some ways to achieve this are to make buildings:

• which use less fuel to build

• which use less fuel to heat and maintain

• that can easily be re-used once the first use is ended.

PEST analysis

Corus tries to find out what factors will affect its new products and markets. It does this through a technique called PEST analysis. PEST is made up of the first letters of the four key factors which affect demand for property.

Each of these factors is called 'external' as it is outside Corus' control. The factors are:

• Political - government rules such as on planning

• Economic - the health of the economy and how likely people are to be able to afford property

• Social - such as changes in population trends

• Technology - new techniques that mean, for instance, that more construction can take place in factories rather than on-site.

Two other factors can be added to turn 'PEST' into 'PESTLE'. These are:

• Legislation - changes in the law

• Environmental - especially dealing with pollution and waste.

Results

The results show that:

• a sustainable building is one that limits energy use both when it is being built and when it is being used

• laws will make builders be more environmentally friendly

• new buildings will be mostly in cities and on sites where industry had been before. These are called brownfield sites

• more houses will be needed due to population changes

• there will be a shortage of land

• there will be a 50% increase in car journeys.

Planning

Corus takes account of these factors in its planning for the future. For example it has developed steel framed homes which are easier to build, reduce waste and use less energy. For business property it builds so that customers can:

• easily extend the useful life of a building

• keep fuel costs low

• create better working spaces.

Conclusion

PEST-LE is a useful tool for Corus to use. It makes sure that factors which may affect it in the future have been taken into account. It helps Corus plan more sustainable buildings.