Business — Cambridge A-Level

identification of main features of a market: size, growth and competitors

3.2 Market Research – Purposes

the strengths and weaknesses of family businesses

1.3 Size of Business – Significance of Small Businesses

advertising promotion

Advertising Promotion

gearing ratio: calculation and interpretation

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Gearing Ratio 📊

the advantages and disadvantages of different types of structure: functional, hierarchical (flat and narrow) and matrix

7.1 Organisational Structure – Types of Structure

the changing role of Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in marketing

8.2 Marketing Strategy – Approaches to Marketing Strategy

the impact of competitors on business and business decisions

6.1 External Influences – Competitors and Suppliers

differences between job, batch, flow and mass customisation methods and the advantages and disadvantages of each

4.1 The Nature of Operations – Operations Methods

the classification of products

3.1 The Nature of Marketing – Consumer and Industrial Marketing

the impact of methods of quality assurance on a business

9.2 Quality Management – Quality Control & Assurance

the factors influencing the method of entry into international markets

8.2 Marketing Strategy – International Marketing

the advantages and disadvantages that a multinational might bring to a country

6.1 External Influences – International

Kaizen, quality circles, simultaneous engineering, cell production, JIT manufacturing and waste management as operational strategies to achieve lean production

9.3 Operations Strategy – Lean Production

using network diagrams for Critical Path Analysis (CPA), including identification of minimum project duration and the critical path

9.3 Operations Strategy – Operations Planning & CPA

quantitative results and their impact on investment decisions

10.3 Investment Appraisal – Investment Appraisal Decisions

the importance of business objectives

1.4 Business Objectives – Private vs Public Sectors

the application of motivation theories in practical situations

2.2 Motivation – Methods in Practice

the stages of the transformational process: inputs to outputs

4.1 The nature of operations – The transformational process

the meaning and importance of profitability

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Profitability Ratios 📊

the impact of globalisation on location and relocation decisions

9.1 Location and Scale – Location

ways in which employees can participate in the management and control of business activity

2.2 Motivation – Methods in Practice 🚀

the differences between local, national and international location decisions

9.1 Location and Scale – Location

the impact of debt or equity decisions on ratio results

10.4 Finance and Accounting Strategy – Accounting Data and Ratios

the benefits and limitations of marketing planning

📌 8.2 Marketing Strategy – Planning the Marketing Strategy

digital and physical distribution

3.3 The Marketing Mix – Place (Distribution)

the dynamic business environment

1.1 Enterprise – The nature of business activity

the changing role of Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in HRM

7.4 HRM Strategy – Approaches to HRM

the difficulties of valuing inventory

10.1 Financial Statements – Inventory Valuation 📦

the reasons for and role of a workforce plan

2.1 HRM – Workforce Planning 🎯

dividend cover: calculation and interpretation

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Investment Ratios

the impact of technological change on business and business decisions

6.1 External Influences – Technological 🚀

interpretation of simple inventory control charts

4.2 Inventory Management – Managing Inventory

the impact of centralisation and decentralisation on a business

7.1 Organisational Structure – Centralisation & Decentralisation

different types of costs: fixed, variable, direct and indirect

5.4 Costs – Cost Information

the implications of high and low labour turnover for a business

2.1 HRM – Workforce Planning

employee development to encourage multi-skilling and flexibility

2.1 HRM – Training and Development

the role of informal communications within a business

7.2 Business communication – Role of management

the limitations of operational strategies to achieve lean production

9.3 Operations Strategy – Lean Production 🚀

analysis of quantitative and qualitative data

📊 3.2 Market Research – Market Research Data

usefulness of data collected using primary research methods

3.2 Market Research – Primary & Secondary Research

how ethics may influence business objectives and activities

1.4 Business Objectives – Objectives and Business Decisions

the impact of business growth on ratio results

📈 10.4 Finance & Accounting Strategy – Accounting Data & Ratios

the impact of social and demographic change on business and business decisions

6.1 External Influences – Social and Demographic

methods of improving profitability

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Profitability Ratios

business risk and uncertainty

1.1 Enterprise – The role of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs

impact of product portfolio analysis on marketing decisions

3.3 The Marketing Mix – Product Portfolio Analysis 📊

how markets may differ: consumer and industrial markets; local, national and international markets

3.1 The Nature of Marketing – Markets

how costs can be used to monitor and improve business performance, including using cost information to calculate profits

5.4 Costs – Uses of Cost Information 📊

the role of business enterprise in the development of a country

1.1 Enterprise – The role of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs 🚀

calculation and interpretation of break-even level of output, contribution, margin of safety and level of profit in numeric and graphic form

5.4 Costs – Break‑even Analysis

the use of factors of production: land, labour, capital and enterprise

4.1 The nature of operations – The transformational process

calculation of total and free float and interpretation of CPA results

Operations Strategy – Operations Planning and Critical Path Analysis (CPA) 🚀

the benefits and limitations of CPA as a management tool

9.3 Operations Strategy – Operations Planning and CPA 🚦

return on capital employed (ROCE): calculation and interpretation

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Profitability Ratios

the importance of benchmarking in quality management

9.2 Quality Management – Benchmarking

the impact of accounting data including ratio results on business strategy

10.4 Finance and Accounting Strategy – Accounting Data and Ratios 📊

the management and control of strategic change

6.2 Business Strategy – Corporate Planning & Implementation

time series analysis using four period centred moving average to forecast sales

📊 8.1 Marketing Analysis – Sales Forecasting

the impact of a merger or takeover on stakeholders

1.3 Size of Business – Business Growth

how human needs may or may not be satisfied at work

2.2 Motivation – Human Needs

the costs and benefits of holding inventory

4.2 Inventory Management – Managing Inventory

the implications for marketing of increased globalisation and economic collaboration

8.2 Marketing Strategy – International Marketing

qualitative sales forecasting

8.1 Marketing Analysis – Sales Forecasting

corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the triple bottom line – economic (financial), social and environmental objectives

1.4 Business Objectives – Private & Public Sectors

the impact of training and development on a business

2.1 HRM – Training and Development: Impact on a Business

identification of customer and consumer characteristics, profiles, wants and needs

3.2 Market Research – Purposes

the main elements of a network diagram: activities, dummy activities and nodes

9.3 Operations Strategy – Operations Planning and CPA

the relationship between business objectives and organisational structure

7.1 Organisational Structure – Objectives and Structure 📊

flexible working contracts and the advantages and disadvantages of temporary or flexible contracts including zero hours, part-time, full-time, annualised hours, flexi-time, home working, shift working, job sharing, compressed hours and the gig econom

7.4 HRM Strategy – Approaches to HRM

the factors that influence the scale of a business

9.1 Location and Scale – Scale of Operations

interpretation of elasticity results

📊 8.1 Marketing Analysis – Elasticity

interpretation of information presented in tables, charts and graphs

3.2 Market Research – Market Research Data

the influence of human, marketing and finance resource availability on operations decisions

9.3 Operations Strategy – Operational Decisions

different methods of improving cash flow

5.3 Forecasting and Managing Cash Flows – Cash Flow Forecasts

the relationship between delegation and accountability

7.1 Organisational Structure – Delegation & Accountability

the reliability of the data collected

3.2 Market Research – Market Research Data

network diagrams as tools to plan operations

9.3 Operations Strategy – Operations Planning and CPA 🚀

the purpose of business activity

1.1 Enterprise – The Nature of Business Activity

the difference between redundancy (voluntary and involuntary) and dismissal (fair and unfair)

2.1 HRM – Redundancy and Dismissal

the problems of changing from one method of production to another

4.1 The nature of operations – Operations methods

calculation of price, income and promotional elasticity of demand

8.1 Marketing Analysis – Elasticity

why and how a business might grow internally (organic growth)

1.3 Size of Business – Business Growth 🌱

methods of improving liquidity

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Liquidity Ratios

the meaning and purpose of strategic management: analysis, choice and implementation

6.2 Business Strategy – Developing Business Strategy

internal stakeholders and external stakeholders

1.5 Stakeholders – Business stakeholders

the difference between contribution and profit

5.4 Costs – Approaches to Costing

individuals or groups with an interest in the activities of a business

1.5 Stakeholders – Business Stakeholders

the need to motivate employees to achieve the objectives of a business

2.2 Motivation – Motivation as a Tool

measurement of labour productivity

4.1 The nature of operations – Efficiency, effectiveness, productivity and sustainability

the ideas of the main content theories of motivation: Taylor, Mayo, Maslow, Herzberg and McClelland

2.2 Motivation – Motivation Theories 🚀

employment contracts

2.1 HRM – Recruitment and Selection

the aims and purposes of lean production

9.3 Operations Strategy – Lean Production 🚀

the importance of joint ventures and strategic alliances as methods of external growth

1.3 Size of Business – Business Growth

the meaning of adverse variances and favourable variances

5.5 Budgets – Variances 🎯

the differences between full costing and contribution costing

5.4 Costs – Approaches to Costing

the difference between hard and soft human resource management (HRM)

7.4 HRM Strategy – Approaches to HRM

the relationships between items in the statement of profit or loss and the statement of financial position

10.1 Financial Statements – Statement of Financial Position 📊

the meaning and use of incremental budgets, flexible budgets and zero budgeting

5.5 Budgets – Meaning and Purpose 📊

why a merger or takeover may or may not achieve objectives

1.3 Size of Business – Business Growth

the importance of small businesses and their role in the economy

1.3 Size of Business – Significance of Small Businesses

the importance of international marketing for a business

8.2 Marketing Strategy – International Marketing

the impact of suppliers on business and business decisions

6.1 External Influences – Competitors and Suppliers

problems associated with different channels of communication

7.2 Business Communication – Channels of Communication

the role of intrapreneurship in the ongoing success of a business

1.1 Enterprise – The role of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs 🚀

how and why a business needs to be accountable to its stakeholders

1.5 Stakeholders – Relative Importance and Influence

the ideas of Vroom's process theory of motivation

2.2 Motivation – Motivation Theories

the measurement of performance using budgets

5.5 Budgets – Meaning and Purpose of Budgets 📊

barriers to entrepreneurship

1.1 Enterprise – The role of entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs

dividend yield: calculation and interpretation

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Investment Ratios

how ERP can improve a business' efficiency in relation to inventory control, costing and pricing, capacity utilisation, responses to change, workforce flexibility and management information

9.3 Operations Strategy – Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

the concepts of unlimited liability and limited liability and their importance

1.2 Business Structure – Business Ownership

whether a business in a given situation should use pan-global marketing or maintain local differences

8.2 Marketing Strategy – International Marketing

the meaning and importance of corporate planning

6.2 Business Strategy – Corporate Planning and Implementation 🚀

reasons why businesses need finance to start up, to grow and to survive

5.1 Business finance – The need for business finance 🚀

the difference between product orientation and customer (market) orientation

3.1 The nature of marketing – Markets

the changing role of Information Technology (IT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in operations management

Operations Strategy – Operational Decisions

how government might intervene to constrain business activity

6.1 External Influences – Economic

trade receivables turnover (days): calculation and interpretation

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Financial Efficiency Ratios

the nature of the technique of contribution costing

5.4 Costs – Approaches to Costing

the relationship between mission statement, aims, objectives, strategy and tactics

1.4 Business Objectives – Private & Public Sectors

cost information for decision-making purposes, e.g. average, marginal and total costs

5.4 Costs – Uses of Cost Information

the contents of a statement of profit or loss: revenue, cost of sales, gross profit, expenses, profit from operations (operating profit), taxation, profit for the year, dividends and retained earnings

📊 Statement of Profit or Loss (SPL)

measurement of market share and market growth

3.1 The nature of marketing – Markets

current ratio: calculation and interpretation

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Liquidity Ratios

the factors influencing the choice of sources of finance in a given situation: cost, flexibility, need to retain control, the use to which it is put and level of existing debt

5.2 Sources of Finance – Factors Affecting Choice

the strengths and weaknesses of different methods of communication

7.2 Business Communication – Methods of Communication

the need to forecast sales

8.1 Marketing Analysis – Sales Forecasting 📈

the benefits and limitations of business plans

1.1 Enterprise – Business Plans

why businesses succeed or fail

1.1 Enterprise – The nature of business activity

a simple explanation of human need

2.2 Motivation – Human Needs

the meaning and importance of financial efficiency

10.2 Analysis of Published Accounts – Financial Efficiency Ratios

the impact of sales forecasting on business decisions

Marketing Analysis – Sales Forecasting 📈

the importance of product development

3.3 The Marketing Mix – Product

the uses of budgets for measuring performance, allocating resources, controlling and monitoring a business

5.5 Budgets – Meaning and Purpose

process innovation, including changing current processes or adopting new ways of producing products or delivering services

Operations Strategy – Flexibility & Innovation

the objectives of businesses in the private sector, public sector and social enterprises

1.4 Business Objectives – Private, Public & Social Enterprises

the nature of economic activity, the problem of choice and opportunity cost

1.1 Enterprise – The nature of business activity

the advantages and disadvantages of being a small business

1.3 Size of Business – Significance of Small Businesses

how minimum duration and floats might be used in project management

the meaning and purpose of business plans

1.1 Enterprise – Business Plans

internal and external recruitment

2.1 HRM – Recruitment and Selection

how international trade agreements might have an impact on businesses

📚 6.1 External Influences – International

the impact of Total Quality Management (TQM) on a business

9.2 Quality Management – Quality Control & Assurance

different types of training: induction, on-the-job and off-the-job