Business Paper 1 Flashcards
What effect does changing technology have on business products and services?
-makes them faster
-makes them smaller
-makes them cheaper
-makes them easier to use
-makes them safr
What causes changes in consumer needs and wants?
-changes in technology
-changes in lifestyle
-changes in demographics
-changes in trends
-changes in economy
What are some possible rewards of starting a business?
-business success
-profit
-independence
What are some possible risks of starting a business?
-business failure
-financial loss
-lack of security
How can risk be reduced?
-market research
-producing a business plan
-sufficient start-up finance
-ensure the business is competitive
What are the 6 ways to add value to a product or service?
-increased convenience
-increased speed of service
-improved quality
-better design
-introducing a unique selling point
-branding
What is an entrepreneur?
An entrepreneur is a person who runs and owns their own business. They are risk takers who have an initial idea and a confidence to see it through.
What percentage of business fail within their first four years of trading?
40 percent
What 2 methods do entrepreneurs do to create new products?
Invention and innovation
What are the 4 customer needs?
-price
-choice
-convenience
-quality
What are the purposes of market research?
-identify gaps in the market
-understand competitors
-understand trends
-informing business decisions
-viewing customer opinions
-identifying customer needs
What is primary market research?
Primary research is collecting information that did not exist before.
What are examples of primary market research?
-surveys
-focus groups
-observations
-experiments
-questionnaires
-social media
What are the advantages and disadvantages of primary market research?
-accurate
-up to date
-specific to customer needs
-may be biased
-effective for qualitative data
What are the advantages and disadvantages of secondary market research?
-more general
-less time consuming
-effective at collecting quantitative data
What is secondary market research?
Secondary research is gathering data/information which already exists.
What are examples of secondary market research?
-sales data
-government reports
-internet sites
-newspapers
-market reports
What is qualitative data?
Information about peoples opinions, judgments and attitudes.
What is quantitative data?
Data that can be expressed as numbers.
What is a market segment?
A market segment is a group of buyers with similar characteristics and buying habits.
How can a business segment a market?
-age
-demographics
-lifestyle
-location
-income
-gender
What are the benefits of market segmentation?
-meet specific customer needs
-differentiate its products
-focus on a specific group
-develop a unique brand image
-build close customer relationships
What are the limitations of market segmentation?
-targeting a range of customers with different products or services can be costly.
-focusing on one group can cause a business to miss another opportunity.
-customer characteristics can change over time.
What is a market map?
A market map is a diagram that can be used to position and compare products in a market.
What are the benefits of market mapping?
-identity gaps in the market
-view saturated markets
-supports market segmentation
-helps to identify closest rivals
What are the limitations of market mapping?
-based on opinions rather than data
-compares businesses on only 2 variables
-can be difficult to identify most appropriate variables.
When does head-to-head competition work?
-if there is enough demand in the market.
-if the business is able to meet customer needs better than its competitors.
How can businesses compete?
-better designs
-lower prices
-wider product range
-better customer service
-stronger brand image
-higher quality
-more convenient location
What is product differentiation?
Product differentiation is about making a product different from others in some way. It helps businesses to target different market segments and gain a competitive advantage.
What decisions may a business make in a highly competitive market?
-improving efficiency
-differentiating products or services
-lowering prices
-cutting costs
What are the drawbacks of a highly competitive market?
-lower prices to compete
-cut back on expenditure
-accept lower profit margins
What is a business aim?
Aims are the general goals that a business sets. An aim can be the purpose for a businesses existence.
What are business objectives?
Objectives are more specific than aims but they contribute to a business achieving its aims. Objectives can be either financial or non financial.
What are examples of financial objectives?
-survival
-sales and revenue
-profit
-market share
-financial security
What are examples of non-financial objectives?
-personal satisfaction
-independence and control
-challenge
-social benefits
-customer satisfaction
What is revenue?
Revenue is the amount of income received from selling goods or service.
How do you calculate revenue?
Revenue=price x quantity
What is a fixed cost?
Fixed costs do not vary with business output.
What is a variable cost?
Variable costs change directly with the number of products made.
How do you calculate variable costs?
Variable costs = cost of one unit x quantity produced
What are total costs?
Total costs are all the costs of a business.
How do you calculate total costs?
Total costs = total fixed costs + total variable costs
What is profit?
Profit is when business revenue is greater than its total costs.
How do you calculate profit?
Profit = sales revenue - cost of sales
What does profit allow a business to do?
-survive
-expand
-reinvest
-provide security
-reward employees
How do you calculate interest on loans?
(Total repayment - borrowed amount) divided by borrowed amount) x 100
What is an interest rate?
The cost % of borrowing but the % reward of saving.
What is break-even?
Break-even is the level of output at which a businesses revenue covers its total costs. At this point, the business is making neither a loss or a profit.
What is the break-even point on a graph?
Where total costs and revenue meet.
How do you calculate the break-even point in units?
Fixed costs divided by (sales price-variable costs)
How do you calculate the break-even point in revenue/costs?
Break-even point in units x sales price
How do you calculate the margin of safety?
Margin of safety = actual/budgeted sales - break-even sales
What is cash flow?
Cash flow is the money flowing into and out of a business on a day-to-day basis.
What is a cash flow forecast?
A cash-flow forecast predicts how cash will flow through a business over time. A business can use it to identify times when there may be a cash flow problem.