Assignment brief
Unit number and title
UNIT 1: The Business Environment

Qualification
BTEC LEVEL 3: BUSINESS
Start date
SEPTEMBER 2012
Deadline
DECEMBER 2012
Assessor
C.GILL

Assignment title
Two Businesses on our Doorstep; Similar Businesses in Different worlds
The purpose of this assignment is to:
Give learners the fundamental knowledge of a range of business organisations, and the many factors that shape the nature of organisations operating in an increasingly complex business world.
Scenario
You have been appointed as the sales director with the objective to achieve a year on year sales growth of 15%. In order to create your strategic business plan, you would need to understand the impacts of all the areas of business activity. You are required to select 2 contrasting business in order to explore the following activities
Task 1 [P1]
Letchworth, like any town or city, has a range of different businesses and they take part in a range of different business activities. Can you produce a document looking at 2 contrasting businesses?

For each organisation, describe:
a) the type of business
b) the purpose of the organisation
c) the form of ownership

DUE DATE: ……COMPLETED – CORRECTIONS DUE IST LESSON BACK AFTER XMAS

TASK 2 [P2, M1, D1]

Looking at your chosen 2 organisations you need to describe the stakeholders who have an influence on the purpose of the organisation. P2

Explain the points of view from different stakeholders who are seeking to influence the strategic aims and objectives of the two organisations. M1

Furthermore you have to evaluate the influence that the different stakeholders exert in one organisation. [You need to provide an in-depth evaluation of the influence that the stakeholders have. E.g. do some stakeholders work together? What common interests do they have? What differences do they have? How are these differences resolved? D1

DUE DATE: ……COMPLETED – CORRECTIONS DUE IST LESSON BACK AFTER XMAS

TASK 3 [P3, P4]
In each organisation you will find many departments/areas which will all have functional activities within them. For your chosen 2 organisations describe their organisational structure (include a diagram) with functional areas, and how the organisation makes strategic plans. P3

You should also describe how the organisational structure and strategic planning help the business to achieve their purpose and aims. P4
DUE DATE: …Tuesday 27th November 2012 end of lesson (period 5)………………………………………
TASK 4 [P5, M2]

Businesses operate in different economic environments, whether it is two different phases in the economic cycle or perhaps in different parts of the world.

Describe the influence of two contrasting economic environments on business activities within a selected organisation. Remember to use different economic environments, e.g. one organisation and two different phases in the economic cycle or using two organisations operating in different economic environments, perhaps in different