Unit Number and Title

Unit 1: The Contemporary Business Environment

Academic Term

Sep 2025 – Dec 2025

Issue Date

15/09/2025

Formative Feedback

20/10/2025 – 16/11/2025

Submission Date

01/12/2025

Submission Format

The submission is in the form of an individual report. 

• All your work must be appropriately referenced using the Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using this system.

• The report should be in a formal business style using 1.5 pt spacing.

• Use formal fonts such as Times New Roman, Arial, and Open Sans. The font size must be at least 12pt, and all the content must be appropriately aligned. 

• All figures, graphs, and tables must be numbered. 

• The recommended word limit is 4000 words, +-10%. 

• Turnitin similarities should not exceed 20%.

• Avoid the use of AI-generated content in your report.

• Try incorporating a good mix of academic and web-based sources into your write-up. Online sites such as Wikipedia, MindTools, CourseHero, etc., are unsuitable academic writing sources.

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO1 Explain the different types, sizes and scope of organisations.

LO2 Discuss the interrelationship of the various functions in an organisation and how they link to organisational structure.

Transferable skills and competencies developed

• Communication skills

• Research skills

• Interpersonal skills

• Organisation skills

• Technical skills

• Strategic thinking skills

• Leadership skills

Vocational scenario 

LO1 Explain the different types, sizes and scope of organisations.

Any economy is shaped by the range and number of organisations operating within it. In the UK, enterprises span the public, private and voluntary sectors, each with distinct ownership and legal arrangements, yet often pursuing overlapping societal and commercial purposes.

An example of a public sector organisation is Network Rail, which owns and manages much of Britain’s rail infrastructure and operates as a public-interest, not-for-profit body accountable for a safe and reliable network. Its role illustrates how state-owned entities can deliver essential national services while partnering with private suppliers.

An example of a private sector organisation is the John Lewis Partnership, an employee-owned retailer trading through John Lewis and Waitrose, showing how privately owned firms can align commercial performance with participatory governance and long-term stakeholder commitments. Its partnership model highlights how ownership and control influence objectives, culture and stakeholder relationships.

An example of a voluntary sector organisation is the British Red Cross, a UK charity within the global Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement that mobilises volunteers and donations to support people in crisis across communities at home and internationally. It demonstrates how purpose-driven organisations pursue public benefit without distributing profits to owners.

Despite sectoral differences, organisations undertake common functions—marketing, finance, human resource management, operations and service delivery, and governance/compliance. These must align with objectives and be reflected in structure and processes to ensure performance, accountability, and stakeholder value.

You have been hired as a trainee consultant at Northbridge Advisory Ltd, a firm that supports young entrepreneurs to launch new ventures, including advice on business form, size and scope. A new client intends to enter the manufacturing sector, and before any recommendation your manager requires an up-to-date briefing on sector characteristics, legal or ownership forms, size and scope at start-up, and the organisational functions and structure needed to deliver compliant production. Your briefing should also consider regulatory expectations for UK manufacturing, supplier and distribution partnership options, and how core functions—operations, quality, finance, HR, and marketing—map onto a lean start-up structure during the first twelve months. 

Assignment activity and guidance

LO2 Discuss the interrelationship of the various functions in an organisation and how they link to organisational structure.

You are required to conduct industry analysis in the manufacturing sector (or any other sector of your choice) and write a report that focuses on the following areas. 

• Explain the different types (public, private and voluntary) and purposes of three different organisations operating in the manufacturing sector in the UK (or any other sector of your choice). Also, explain different types of legal structures with examples from different organisations(i) 

• Using a table, provide an explanation about the size and scope of each of the three different organisations (use examples for small, medium and large organisations). (ii) Conduct further analyses of how different organisations` legal structure, size, and scope relate to their business objectives, products and services.

• Discussthe relationship between different organisational functions and how they link to organisational objectives and structure.(iii); also, provide an analysis of these interrelationships and their impact on organisational structure. 

• Critically analyse the complexities of different organisations and structures.  

Unit Learning Outcomes

LO3 Use contemporary examples to demonstrate both the positive and negative influence/impact the macroenvironment has on business operations.

LO4 Determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of a specific business and their interrelationship with external macro factors.

Transferable skills and competencies developed

• Communication skills

• Research skills

• Analytical skills

• Interpersonal skills

• Organisation skills

• Technical skills

• Strategic thinking skills

• Leadership skills

Vocational scenario 

Your CEO at Northbridge Advisory Ltd plc requires sector intelligence to underpin comprehensive, evidence-based advice for the new client. Apply internal and external analytical frameworks—specifically PESTLE and SWOT—to structure your assessment and justify recommendations. As the business case study, analyse Rolls-Royce plc and use this case to illustrate implications for market-entry strategy, choice of legal/ownership form, intended size and scope at start-up, and the alignment of core organisational functions (operations, quality, finance, HR, and marketing) over the first twelve months.

Assignment activity and guidance

• You are required to assess the impact of macroenvironment by conducting a detailed PESTLE analysis to identify positive and negative impacts on the business operations of Rolls-Royce plc (or any organisation of your choice) supported by specific examples. (iv)   

• Additionally, you could provide a detailed analysis on the macroenvironment in Roll-Royce plc (or any organisation of your choice) supported through the application of PESTLE model.

• Then, you are required to apply the SWOT framework to Rolls-Royce plc to identify   strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, (v) and explain how these strengths and weaknesses interrelate with external macro factors. (vi). After identifying strengths, weaknesses (internal factors) and opportunities/threats (external factors), you can also develop a TOWS matrix to justify the influence on decision-making appropriately. 

• You may also consider providing a critical evaluation of both micro and macro factors` impacts on business objectives and decision-making. 

Pass

Merit

Distinction

LO1 Explain the different types, sizes and scope of organisations

LO1 and LO2

D1 Provide critical analysis of the complexities of different organisations and structures.

P1 Explain different types and purposes of organisations; public, private and voluntary sectors and legal structures.

P2 Explain the size and scope of a range of different types of organisation.

M1 Analyse how the structure, size and scope of different organisations link to the business objectives and products and services offered by the organisations.

LO2 Discuss the interrelationship of the various functions in an organisation and how they link to organisational structure

P3 Discuss the relationship between different organisational functions and how they link to organisational objectives and structure

M2 Analyse the interrelationships between organisational functions and the impact these can have on organisational structure.

LO3 Use contemporary examples to demonstrate both the positive and negative influence/impact the macroenvironment has on business operations

LO3 and LO4

D2 Critically evaluate the impacts that both macro factors and micro factors have on business objectives and decision-making.

P4 Identify the positive and negative impacts the macroenvironment has on business operations, supported by specific examples.

M3 Apply appropriately the PESTLE model to support

a detailed analysis of the macroenvironment in an organisation.

LO4 Determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of a specific business and their interrelationship with external macro factors

P5 Conduct internal and external analysis of a specific organisation to identify strengths and weaknesses.

P6 Explain how strengths and weaknesses interrelate with external macro factors.

M4 Apply appropriately SWOT/TOWS analyses and justify how they influence decision-making.