90 ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Scanning and monitoring lifestyle changes are relatively easy because many diverse
sources of data are available. Much of this data is aggregated and therefore suggests
trends. There are both public and private sources for demographic data. The national
government, through its agencies, bureaus, and regulatory bodies, collects vast amounts
of data. Trade publications and specialist magazines and newspapers contribute demo-
graphic analysis. Consumer reports and the annual reports of corporations furnish ad-
ditional details. One publication, American Demographics, is specifically designed to fer-
ret out unusual and important trends.
Social values and social change together form an important component of socio-
demographic analysis. “A value is a conception, explicit or implicit, distinctive of an
individual or characteristic of a group, of the desirable, which influences the selection of
available means and ends of action.”^20 Simply stated, this statement means that the
choices we make reflect our values. The values that individuals and groups hold cluster
around the dimensions of the macroenvironment discussed earlier in this chapter. People
hold political values relating to the role of government, political participation, and dis-
tributive justice.^21 They hold regulatory values concerning issues such as consumerism
and energy policy. Their social values reflect their beliefs about work, the relationship be-
tween races, and the significance of gender. Their economic values are reflected in the
choices they make about growth and taxation. Some of these values are at the core of an
individual’s belief systems, and others are on the periphery.
Of course, people within the same country may have diametrically opposite values.
For example, the United States is one of the largest church-going countries in the world.
We could make the case that Americans are a religious and pious people, devoted to serv-
ing a higher power. But then what do we make of the mass media, which occasionally
borders on the libertine, our vast consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and our high
divorce rate? To avoid wrongly characterizing a value held by a group, an analyst must
be sure that he or she is investigating the right subgroup.ECOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Ecological analysis is the study of the current state of the ecology. The ecology pertains
to such issues as pollution and waste disposal, recycling of usable materials, protection
of wildlife and wilderness preserve areas, workplace safety and hazards, and overall qual-
ity of life. Ecological analysis cuts across all the other areas already discussed: politics and
government, the macroeconomy, technology, and lifestyle. Ecological issues are bottom-
line concerns; the entrepreneur must be as accountable for them as any other busi-
nessperson or citizen. Ecological awareness goes beyond simply addressing the manu-
facturing issues of pollution and waste.
The entrepreneur is part of the world movement toward sustainable development,
that is, meeting the needs of the current generation without compromising the needs of
future generations.^22 Future economic progress must be guided by ecological conserva-
tion. The ecosystem and its protection enter into all major entrepreneurial and business-
development decisions. For example, product development and design issues take into
account the rate of usage and transformation of natural resources and the disposal of waste
products. Entrepreneurs should make decisions about these matters in the planning stage