2.1 - Growing the Business (2.1.1 Business growth only set 1 of 4) Flashcards
2.1.1 - Business growth
2.1.1 - Define internal growth.
Internal growth is when a business grows through selling more; expanding on its own without mergers or takeovers from other businesses.
2.1.1 - Explain three methods of internal (organic) growth.
- New products; by innovating and developing an existing idea or improving an existing product or by conducting research and development to develop brand new products that are not currently available.
- New markets; changing the marketing mix to find new markets/segments, or by expanding overseas. This may need the marketing mix to be adapted for local customer needs. This could also include the use of an extension strategy for example.
- New technology; large organisations can benefit from investing in the latest technology to improve operations and help to increase sales or by developing new technology themselves.
2.1.1 - Define external (inorganic) growth.
When a business combines with another to grow. This occurs via either a takeover or merger.
2.1.1 - Define the term takeover.
Where one business buys the majority share in another, one business will take complete control of the other, following a takeover one business will no longer exist.
2.1.1 - Define the term merger.
Where two or more businesses voluntarily agree to join together and operate as a combined business.
2.1.1 - Explain the 4 ways in which mergers or takeovers can occur.
Mergers and takeovers can occur when firms join at different stages of production; forward vertical, backwards vertical, horizontal integration and conglomerate mergers and takeovers,
2.1.1 - What are the key advantages of business growth?
+ Increase sales and provided costs rise less than the increase in revenue, then an increase in profit, which may then provide a better return on investment for shareholders.
+ Increase in market share; in the case of a merger or takeover an increase in market share can happen overnight as two businesses (or more) are now one, so their combined sales within the market will be higher. This may also increase the value of the share price (if as plc).
+ Economies of scale; as size increases, the potential to negotiate lower prices or bulk buy in order to lower costs becomes possible or by being more efficient as you grow, producing more in the same amount of time
2.1.1 - What are the advantages of a business growing organically (rather than inorganically)?
+ A business that grows from within can retain their own company culture, and as such it’s easier to mange and control
+ Higher production means the business can benefit from economies of scale and lower average costs as such it can potentially positively impact the gross profit margins due to lower cost of sales.
+ More influence comes with more market share, the business can start setting prices for the industry
+ Organic growth is often funded internally from retained profits and as such tends to be a cheaper source of growth than a takeover or merger.
2.1.1 - What are the disadvantages of a business going through organic (rather than inorganic) growth?
- This is a very high risk strategy, opening lots of stores or taking on new staff is very risky especially in markets where the business may have less experience as the business may not understand the local customers needs and wants.
- Often there is a long period between investment and return on investment and so return on investment may take some time
- Growth may be limited and is dependent on reliability of sales forecasts
- Potentially diseconomies of scale; if inefficiencies occur during the growth/set up in the new market period, where average costs rise this could in fact negatively affect profit margins. This could be thorugh co-ordination or communication difficulties
2.1.1 - What are the advantages of a business going through inorganic (external, rather than organic) growth?
+ Increase in market share; in the case of a merger or takeover increase an in market share can happen overnight, this may also increase the value of the share price
+ Economies of scale; as size increases the potential to negotiate lower prices or bulk buy in order to lower your costs becomes possible or by being more efficient as you grow, producing more in the same amount of time
of scale
+ Competition can be reduced; meaning your position as a market leader is achieved quicker and play a more dominant role in setting market prices, potentially raising your ability to charge premium prices.
2.1.1 - What are the disadvantages of a business going through inorganic (external, rather than organic) growth?
- External growth can be expensive; as costs to merge or takeover can be high, especially legal costs and the paying of professionals to manage the process.
- Staff morale and motivation can be negatively affected as uncertainty over new culture, new processes and fear of redundancies can affect staff and cause efficiency to drop, which increases unit costs. This can lead to diseconomies of scale as the businesses reorganise.
2.1.1 - Describe how economies of scale work.
When your costs decrease due to larger levels of production, this is because more products are being produced which means more materials are being ordered more regulalrly which means bulk orders reduce the price you pay and as such variable costs per unit are therefore reduced.
2.1.1 - What are the advantages of business mergers?
+ Economies of scale. Better deals because of the increased order size, bulk-buying discounts etc.
+ Increased revenue and market share. Increased size of the combined company increases market power and the ability to set higher prices
+ Buying technology. Sometimes it’s simply impossible for a company to create the technology it needs to sustain its growth. It can be a lot simpler to just buy it, and if you merge with a company who has it then this will potentially work out more cost efficient.
+ International Expansion. Buying a business in another country helps with cultural issues, foreign laws or language barriers for example.
2.1.1 - What are the disadvantages of business mergers?
- Clash of cultures, all businesses have a slightly different culture and they may not work well together
- Possible communication problems as the business gets bigger, or if there are now too many employees
- Unreliable merger partners, a good merger will depend on trust between the businesses
- Diseconomies of scale; As a business gets larger costs will go up with problems of motivation, communication and co-ordination
2.1.1 - Why might a private limited (ltd) company float on the stock exchange to become a public limited company (plc)?
Becoming a plc may enable a business to grow into a multinational corporation and operate in more than one country and as anyone can buy shares in a plc the ability to raise large amounts of capital may mean it can expand.