Intro To Business Flashcards
What is profit maximising?
making as much profit as possible
What is profit satisficing?
making enough profit to maintain your interest in the business
Why might entrepreneurs set up their own business?
-ethical reasons
-independence
-to work from home
-financial motives
What are the roles of an entrepreneur?
-creating and setting up a business
-running and expanding/developing a business
-business innovation (improving products through R+D or enhancing customer service)
Describe the skills of an entrepreneur
-communication
-teamwork
–problem solving
-organisation
-numeracy
-information technology
Describe the characteristics of an entrepreneur
-creativity
-hard working
-resilience
-initiative
-self confidence
-risk taking
Write a LOA for why expanding a business is the most important role of an entrepreneur (7)
-expanding the business is the most important role of an entrepreneur
-(example- Nike opening more stores)
-entrepreneur can increase the capacity
-increase output
-increased sales volume
-increased sales revenue
-increased gross profit
Write a LOA for why creativity is the most important characteristic of an entrepreneur (9)
-creativity is one of the most important characteristics of an entrepreneur
-this will help them innovate and come up with unique product ideas
-differentiate them from competitors
-build a strong brand
-more loyal customers
-increase prices without a significant fall in demand
-increase in revenue
-increase in gross profit
-increase in retained profit to reinvest/use for dividends
What is intrapreneurship?
Once the business is up and running, entrepreneurs can encourage workers to be innovative and come up with unique product ideas. This is called intrapreneurship
Why might some businesses fail?
-being risk averse
-fear of failure
-legal barriers
-lack of entrepreneurial capacity
What is the equation for sales revenue?
units sold x selling price
What is the variable cost/cost of sales?
Costs that change when sales volume or output changes
Give some examples of variable costs
-cost of stock
-cost of raw materials
-cost of packaging
–work in progress
-finished/completed goods
What is the equation for total variable costs?
variable cost for one unit x number of units
What is a fixed cost/expense?
A cost that can change with time but doesn’t change with output
Give some examples of expenses/fixed costs
-salaries
-rent
-electricity for the lights
-insurance
What is the equation for calculating gross profit?
sales revenue- cost of sales
What is the equation for calculating operating profit?
gross profit - expenses
Describe the income statement headings (8)
Sales Revenue
Cost Of Sales
Gross Profit
Expenses
Operating Profit
Exceptional Items
Tax/Expenses
Net Profit
What can retained profit be used for?
Reinvesting profit back into the business for growth or to distribute to shareholders as dividends
Write a LOA about how an increase in sales can help a company grow (9)
-an increase in sales
-increase in sales revenue
-increased gross profit
-increased operating profit
-increased net profit
-potential increase in dividend payments
-increased incentive to the business
-attract more investment
-increased capital for growth
Define the term ‘Market Research’
Gathering information on how consumer’s purchase goods and services. Finding out what their wants and needs are and if they are currently satisfied by other organisations.
Give some examples of how market research can be conducted
-focus groups
-questionnaires
-observations
-company reports
-test marketing
What is market research used for?
-identify and anticipate customer wants and needs
-quantify demand (how much)
gain an insight into customer behaviour
What are the stages in the market research process?
-set your objectives
-find out what already exists
-choose your methods
What is Primary Market Research?
Market Research that does not already exist so you need to carry out/hire someone to carry out in order to find out new information.
What is Secondary Market Research?
Secondary Research is when research already exists so you can analyse the existing research to meet your goals.
Give some examples of Primary Research Methods
-focus groups
-surveys
-test marketing
-observations
Give some examples of Secondary Research Methods
-records of past advertising
-sales statistics
-loyalty card reports
-company reports
What is quantitative data?
data that is collected in statistical form, usually less detailed
What is qualitative data?
data that results in discussion/word form, usually more detailed
What is a focus group?
Groups of potential customers that are brought together to discuss their feelings about a product or market. Focus groups are a good way of getting detailed information about customer tastes and preferences, such as design.
What is test marketing?
selling a new product in a small section of the market in order to assess customers reactions.
What are questionnaires in market research?
consists of a list of questions, can be done by specialist researchers or done independently, on paper or online
What are observations in market research?
Watching how consumers behave to provide insights into what products consumers tend to select.
What is sampling?
Gathering an appropriate sample size to be representatives of the test market, usually a minmum of 100 (estimated cost-£10,000)and on average 1000 (estimated cost-£30,000) people.
Where may a business find bias within market research?
The researchers existing opinions (designing the research to favour one outcome)
OR
The participants/sample (the participants may not give their true opinions to:
-be accepted or liked
-may have pre existing opinions on the brand already- really like them or dislike them)
Give a LOA about primary research that links to the income statement (10)
-Primary market research involves collecting new data
-which is up to date and specific to the business
-e.g questionnaires and focus groups
–allows the business to effectively identify customer wants and needs
-develop a product that meets these wants and needs
-increased sales volume
-increased revenue
-increased gross profit
-increased operating profit
-increased retained profit
Give a LOA for the drawback of primary market research that links to the income statement (8)
-however, primary market research can be expensive
-may need to hire specialist researchers to conduct research
-e.g questionnaires and focus groups using a larger sample size
-in order to find out customer wants and needs
-increased expenses
-increased fixed cost wages
-lower operating profit
-less retained profit to reinvest
Give a LOA to describe the benefit of secondary market research that links to the income statement (10)
-the research presented in report format for example
-has already been completed
-therefore researchers do not need to be recruited
-as there will not be a requirement to do focus groups for example
-this lowers/reduces fixed costs
-can lower prices in your business
-increased demand
-increased sales volume
-increased revenue
-increased gross profit
Give a LOA for the drawback of secondary market research that links to the income statement (9)
-seondary research has already been collected
-e.g from the government or other businesses
-may not be specific to the business or may be out of date information
-business may not effectively identify customer wants and needs
-business may not adapt a product correctly so it is less likely to meet customer wants and needs
-reduces customer loyalty
-decrease in sales volume and revenue
-decrease in gross and operating profit
-less retained profit to reinvest
Give a LOA for the benefit of quantitative data (11)
-data is collected in statistical form
-using closed questions
-these can be completed independently
-and easily analysed
-therefore specialist researchers are unlikely to be needed
-reducing the cost of wages for conducting the research
-cash can instead be invested into using a larger sample size
-leading to more reliable data collected
-more likely to produce a product that meets customer needs
-increased revenue
-increased gross and operating profit
Give the LOA for the drawback of quantitaive data (6)
-data is presented in statistical form
-resulting in limited depth
-respondents cant explain why they made certain choices
-making it difficult to develop new ideas
-limiting innovation
-less likely to develop unique and competitive products
Give the LOA for the benefit of qualitative data (8)
-it invited participants to give a more detailed response
-this can lead to a deeper understanding of customer wants and needs
-resulting in the business being able to produce a product that more effectively meets their needs
-increasing customer loyalty
-able to increase prices without a significant fall in demand
-increased revenue
-increased profit margins
-more retained profit to reinvest
Give a LOA for the key drawback of qualitative data (5)
-gathering a large volume of detailed responses will require a significant number of researchers
-this will significantly increase fixed costs
-this may mean that a lower volume of data is collected as a business may not have the cash to pay for researchers
-resulting in unreliable results as less people are asked
-resulting in the wrong product being produced or the wrong price being charged
What is product orientation?
doing research and devlopment to improve a product or create a unique one.
What is market orientation?
doing market research to find out customer wants and needs within the target market
Give the LOA for the benefit of product orientation (10)
-product orientation involves focusing on developing the product
-lots of investment into R&D of the function of the product
-improved innovation by having unique features
-differentiate from competitors
-customers willing to pay higher prices
-increase prices without a significant fall in demand
-increased revenue
-higher gross profit margins
-increased retained profit
-able to invest in further R&D to continue innovating
Give a LOA for the drawback of product orientation (9)
-however product orientation can be expensive
-lots of investment is needed into R&D to innovate
-increased fixed costs
-e.g paying high wages to engineers or scientists
-leading to lower operating profit margins
-reducing retained profit
-less capital to reinvest into R&D
-may be unable to effectively differentiate
-lower sales in the long term
give a LOA for the benefit of market orientation (9)
-market orientation involves focusing on customer wants and needs
-this allows a business to create a product based on customer trends
-and use market research to quantify demand
-allowing them to produce products which are likely to have high sales volume
-increasing sales revenue
-increasing gross profit
-increasing operating profit
-increasing retained profit
–able to reinvest into conducting further market research
Give a LOA for the drawback of market orientation (10)
-however, market research is needed to find out customer wants and needs
-high amount of investment needed into market research
-e.g questionnaires and focus groups using a larger sample size
-in order to find out customer wants and needs
-leads to increased cash outflows on wages for specialist researchers
-lower net cash flow
-reduced cash reserves
-may be unable to pay day to day bills
-forced to sell non current assets in order to cover payments
-business is unable to operate
What is product differentation?
making the product or service different from competitors
What are the 5 examples of differentation and give a brand that links with each?
-distinctive design (iphone)
-branding (nike)
-performance (mercedes)
-exceptional customer service
-ethical product/service
What is a market map?
a visual illustration of how current businesses are perceived in the market from a customers point of view
What can a market map help to do?
can help spot a gap in the market that could lead to differentiation if exploited properly or can help them identify where their competitors are
What is a problem with using a market map?
it is based entirely on opinions from customers so it may not be fully accurate
Give the LOA for the benefit of using a market map (7)
-market maps can help businesses identify gaps in the market
-once identified businesses can conduct R&D
-and design a product that matches its characteristics
–the product is likely to be unique
-lack of direct competition
-businesses can increase selling price without experiencing a significant fall in demand
-increased sales revenue and gross profit