You are employed by Avocet Sports plc which is a fictitious sports company engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, worldwide marketing and sales of footwear

Student Name/ID Number

Unit Number and Title

Unit 1: The Contemporary Business Environment Issue 5

Academic Year

2025-2026

Unit Tutor

Assignment Title

Industry Analysis and Environmental Business Audit

Issue Date

1.9.2025

Submission Date

3.11.2025

Resubmission Date: 15.12.2025

IV Name

IV Date of Assignment Brief: 30.7.2025

Submission Format

PART A

The first part of the assignment submission is in the form of:

●three fact sheets should be written using comprehensive holistic writing that summarises and highlights key information and data. The recommended total word limit for the three factsheets is between 1000 and 2000 words, although you will not be penalised for going under or exceeding the total word limit.

●an organisational flow chart together with a written explanation of the organisational flow chart.

You are required to make use of headings, paragraphs, and subsections, as appropriate. All work must be supported with research and be referenced correctly using the Harvard referencing system. You will also need to provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing system (or alternative referencing system). Inaccurate use of referencing may lead to issues of plagiarism if not applied correctly.

Please ensure that all sources of information are appropriately cited. This includes acknowledging any AI-supported tools (ChatGPT or Grammarly, for example) that contributed to content generation, editing, or research assistance.

PART B

The second part of the assignment submission is in the form of:

a written report about macroenvironmental factors and internal strengths and weaknesses as part of an environmental business audit project.

This is to demonstrate the influence and impact of the macroenvironment on business operations, using contemporary examples, and to determine the internal strengths and weaknesses of the chosen business and their interrelationships with external macro factors.

You are required to make effective use of headings, paragraphs, and subsections, as appropriate. The recommended word limit for the report is 1500 words, although you will not be penalised for going under or exceeding the total word limit.

Your research should be referenced using the Harvard referencing system (or an alternative referencing system). Inaccurate use of referencing may lead to issues of plagiarism if not applied correctly. 

Unit Learning Outcomes

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

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

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

●Analytical skills to conduct own analysis to draw conclusions.

●Understand business development tools and approaches to continuous improvement

●The ability to provide information on collation, analysis and interpretation of data.

●Creative thinking to present information and data in a simplified and informative manner.

●Digital skills, using different software applications to visually present information and data concisely.

●Communicating effectively in all forms, written, visual and oral- to operate efficiently in the international business environment.

●Demonstrate commercial awareness to identify and shape new opportunities.

Vocational scenario

Organisation

You are employed by Avocet Sports plc which is a fictitious sports company engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories and services for a range of sports. Avocet have operated since 1975 and have developed a reputation for good quality sports products and services at competitive prices.

As of January 2025, the company employed more than 55,000 people worldwide and the company brand alone was valued in excess of £30 billion, making it one of the most valuable brands among sports businesses.

Strategic Planning teams keep the company moving in the right direction by leading the strategic business planning process and spearheading transformational projects across the businesses and geographies.  Strategic professionals are embedded in teams across the company to explore complex business issues; conduct consumer, competitive and market analyses; create financial models and develop action plans. 

Organisational flows are vital in keeping business operations smooth and the interrelationships between purchases, sales and inventory control are a vital part of this.  Marketing staff play a pivotal role in securing customers and they must ensure that they have an excellent understanding of the company’s products and how they can meet customers’ needs and well as identifying what customers want so the business is able to produce this to the quality and quantity require by the customer base. The communication of Marketing and Customer Experience Managers with Quality Controllers and Product Managers is essential. The Strategic Planning teams help write the future of sports by charting the company’s path forward.

Role

You are employed as a Junior Insights Strategist for the Strategic Planning team. The team acts as a key partner to senior leaders, the executive team and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). It provides thought leadership and an external perspective on the most critical strategic initiatives and pressing challenges facing the company.

Your key roles include the following:

• supporting data and business analyses to develop business plans

• measuring business performance to compare actual data to forecasted values

• executing market research projects and gathering intelligence on current industry, technology and consumer trends in relation to the sports goods and services industry.

In your role as a Junior Insights Strategist for Avocet Sports plc., you are required in Part A to create an industry insight analysis, and after you have done that your line manager has given you another project in Part B. In Part B you must complete critical research into the impact of the external and internal business environment on the company.

Avocet Sports plc is looking to expand its distribution channels to include both e-commerce (e.g. Google Shopping) and physical retailers (e.g. JD Sports).

You need to present a business case to the leadership team to enable the company to make any strategic decisions. 

If you prefer, you may base your work on a company of your choice with which you are familiar. 

Assignment activity and guidance

PART A

Critical analysis

You have been tasked with conducting a critical analysis that focuses on the sports industry to access industry perspectives, best practices from other high-performing companies and insight into high-growth sectors.

You will present your analysis to your line manager and to the management team in the form of a portfolio of three fact sheets/documents and a flow chart and a written explanation of the flow chart.

The critical analysis will involve the research and critical analysis of overall market size (international and national), different types of business from across different sub-sectors (public, private, voluntary), and the organisational mapping of one of the highest-performing businesses.

Organisations to be considered will include public (national and local sports organisations, local leisure centres, private (gyms, sporting goods, retailers, manufacturers) and voluntary (local clubs and teams).

Fact sheets

You will present a portfolio of ‘insights’ fact sheets, to analyse the market size and the growth of the sports and leisure industry, selecting an organisation from each sector. Each fact sheet will include background information about:

●the organisation’s vision, mission and business objectives

●its organisational and legal structure

●its stakeholders

to show how these link to the products and services it supplies.

Flow chart

For business modelling purposes, you will also need to examine the various business functions in one organisation and create an organisational chart to explore and illustrate the interrelationships between the different functions and then write an explanation about the organisational flow chart.

Discussion of findings

Your critical analysis of different organisations and structures will then be professionally discussed with your line manager, using the visual mapping across the flow chart to discuss how internal departments, for example. Finance and marketing, work together to meet business objectives and how these interrelationships are defined by the organisational and legal structure.

Conclusions should be drawn to show how different business structures and internal business functions can successfully fulfil overall business objectives.

PART B

Market analysis

The project will involve a PESTLE (political, economic, sociological, technological, legal, and environmental) analysis to analyse the sports retail market, develop insights and predict future growth potential in new markets.

The project will identify positive external factors that could provide a competitive edge and those that could harm the business. Consideration should be given to the level of competition, funding activity, legal complexity and investment opportunity.

The project will also involve a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis to determine the company’s position in the marketplace and explore the potential opportunities for distribution expansion both through online and face-to-face retailers while minimising risks and threats.

Conclusion and findings

You will provide an overall analysis of your findings written in a conclusion or recommendation paragraph. Try to critically evaluate impacts of external and internal factors on the organisation, so that you can advise whether the company should proceed with its expansion plans, explaining strengths and weaknesses to draw conclusions and recommendations that justify new opportunities for the business. 

Recommended Resources

Please note that the resources listed are examples for you to use as a starting point in your research – the list is not definitive.

Textbooks

Burns, J. and Needle, D. (2023) Business in Context: An Introduction to Business and its Environment. 8th Ed. Andover, Hants: Cengage Learning EMEA.

Morrison, J. (2023) The Global Business Environment: Sustainability in the Balance. 6th Ed. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Weatherly, P. and Otter, D. (2018) The Business Environment: Themes and Issues in a Globalizing World. 4th Ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Worthington, I., Thompson, E. and Britton. C. (2023) The Business Environment. 9th Ed. Harlow: Pearson.

Reports

Allied Market Research (2020) Sports Apparel Market by End User. Available at:

htpps://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/sports-apparel-market

Websites 

htpps://creative.com   

Creative- Sportswear industry analysis: key metrics to understand and conquer (Article)

htpps://blog.hubspot.com

Hubspot- 9 types of organizational structure every company should consider (Article)

https://extensio.com

Xtensio- How to create a fact sheet (Templates)

htpps://articles.bplans.com

Bplans

How to do a SWOT analysis for better strategic planning (Article)

htpps://bstrategyhub.com

Business Strategy Hub

Nike SWOT 2023 (Article)

www.businessballs.com

Business Balls

SWOT analysis (Article)

htpps://pestleanalysis.com

PESTLE Analysis

What is PESTLE Analysis? An important business analysis tool (Article)

HN Global

HN Global Reading Lists. Available at:

https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/learning-zone/reading-lists

HN Global Student Resource Library. Available at:

https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/subjects/resource-libraries

HN Global Textbooks. Available at:

https://hnglobal.highernationals.com/textbooks

Pass

Merit

Distinction

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

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 organisations.

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

LO1 and LO2

D1

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

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

D1

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

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. 

Pass

Merit

Distinction

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

LO3 and 4

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

M3 Apply appropriately the PESTLE model to support a detailed analysis of the macro environment in an organisation.

D2

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

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.