Which of the following techniques are commonly used in business analysis to identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within an organization? (Select all that apply)

Business analysts often use SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, Porter’s Five Forces, Gap analysis, and benchmarking to uncover strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. SWOT analysis directly maps internal strengths and weaknesses against external opportunities and threats, while PESTLE looks at political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors that shape opportunities and threats. Porter’s Five Forces examines competitive forces that can reveal threats and opportunities, and Gap analysis compares current performance to desired goals, highlighting internal weaknesses. Benchmarking compares the organization to industry bests, exposing both strengths and gaps. For example, a retailer might use SWOT and PESTLE together to see how a new e‑commerce trend (an opportunity) could exploit its strong online presence (a strength) while also noting rising cybersecurity costs (a threat).