business unit 4 aos 1 Flashcards
Business change
The adoption of a new idea or behaviour by business
all businesses need to undergo change to remain competitive.
it is the moving of a business from one state to a new state of operation.
business change can involve trasitionsing these:
employees
corporate culture
products and services
change
Any alteration in the internal or external environments
Competitive advantage
occurs when a firm, industry or economy has a lower cost price structure then its rivals. in this situation, goods and services can be sold more cheaply, undercutting competitors, and expanding domestic and forge in sales. the concept can also be extended to product quality range and flexibility in adapting to new trends in the market
Driving forces
Those forces that support a change
effectiveness
The degree to which a business has achieved it stated objectives
efficiency
How well a business uses resources to achieve Objectives
Force Field analysis
Outlines the process of determining which force drives and which forces resist a proposed change
psychologist Kurt Lewin developed this model for understanding factors and forces that will influence a given situation.
driving and restraining forces work against each other making change hard.
a force field analysis requires an action plan
globalisation
The movement across nations of trade, investment, technology, finance and labor brought about by the removal of trade barriers
innovation
A process that occurs when something already establish is improved upon
Key performance indicators
kpis are criteria used as a measure of the success or the efficiency and effectiveness of a particular area of a business performance
KPIs are useful because they help management understand whether they’re taking the right path to achieving business objectives or whether something is going wrong and needs to be changed.
Level of wastage
The amount of unwonted or unusual materials created by the production process of the business
The biggest problem with waste, apart from the fact it costs money, is its potential detrimental impact on the environment. e. g Storage is insufficient or inappropriate.
Consider conducting a quality assurance assessment to identify incorrect storage procedures?
Adopt materials strategies such as JIT.
Net profit figures
The measurement of a companies profit once operating costs, taxes, interest and depreciation have all been subtracted from its total revenue
Niche market
Narrowly selected market segment within a larger market
Organisational inertia
The unenthusiastic response from a business to propose change
Percentage of market share
The business is share of total industry sales for a particular good or service, often expressed in a percentage
If a businesses percentage of market share figure reduces over time, and the industry is stable, the firm is shrinking and it indicates a problem.
e.g Customers are no longer happy with the product
so = Quality strategies could be implemented?
Staff training might be needed?
proactive
Initiating change rather than simply reacting to events
Product differentiation
The use of factors such as brand names, delivery methods and advertising to establish differences between substitutable products
productivity
A measure of performance that indicates how many inputs it takes to produce an output
Rate of productivity growth
The change in productivity in one year compared to the previous year
Rate of staff absenteeism
The number of workers who do not turn up for work when they are scheduled to do so
e.g Employees are dissatisfied and not engaged with their jobs
Bigger commitment to employee motivation strategies or Investment in staff support, such as counselling?
reactive
Waiting for a change to occur and then responding to it