A written analysis of the external environment of your chosen industry sector, or type of organisation, and associated employment/ skills issues. This analysis is designed to be an up-to-date and informed aid to you in seeking your ideal job and tailoring your efforts to securing it. As such it will be assessed primarily on how useful it is likely to be to you as a summary of your knowledge and understanding of the sector in which you wish to work. You should aim to produce a 1,500 word analysis (a reasonable sized reference document that could be taken to interviews/easily consult when making applications). You should include a list of sources (not included in the word count). As this is not a piece of academic writing, you do not need to reference extensively throughout the text, although it will be useful to you if you attribute key facts e.g. ‘Fruit flavoured ciders experienced the strongest growth in the sector in 2014’ (Mintel, 2015) and you do need to use Harvard referencing style correctly.
Your undergraduate programme to date should have equipped you to undertake an effective external environment analysis. You should be assessing the current situation, developments, and likely future issues in relation to the sector’s structure, competitive make-up, and all relevant economic, technological, sociocultural, ethical, political, and legal elements that impact upon it. Although you may know that your ambition is to work for Sainsbury’s or Mercedes or M&C Saatchi, for example, your analysis should be of the sector in which they operate (multiple grocery retail, the luxury car market, advertising/marketing communications industry).
Having undertaken this analysis using a wide range of up-to-date source material, and in conjunction with the knowledge you have built-up about the graduate recruitment market, and the skills and knowledge being sought, you should include an assessment of the employer requirements of an ideal graduate recruit in the sector. You will see from the marking grid, it is important to make a link between the first part of this assignment (facts and trends) and the second part (skills and requirements needed).
