Mr Slattery Business Flashcards
Factors of production (definition)
The inputs available to supply goods and services to the economy
Factors of production
Land, Labour, capital, enterprise
What are the sectors of the economy?
Primary (raw materials)
Secondary (manufacturing)
Tertiary (service based)
Adding value
Additions or improvements to something which makes it worth more than the cost of doing it
How can value be added?
High quality, craftsmanship, prestige design, unique and different, convenience, branding
Why is adding value important?
It allows the entrepreneur to make a profit
This gives the entrepreneur the incentive to be creative
It allows the business to charge a higher price
Makes you different and better than the competition
Private sector
The part of a country’s economic system that is run by individuals and companies, rather than a government entity
Public sector
The proportion of the economy composed of all levels of government and government-controlled enterprises
Third sector
Voluntary and community group, charities, social enterprises, cooperatives
Advantages of operating as a sole trader
Keeping all profit
Make all decisions
Self satisfaction
Remain private
Disadvantages of operating as a sole trader
Unlimited liability
Hard work
Harder to raise finance
Can pay a higher % tax
Advantages of operating as a partnership
Shared skills/ideas/resources
Easier to raise finance
Shared workload
Disadvantages of operating as a partnership
Conflict over decision making
Shared profits
Unlimited liability
No continuity
How is a private limited company different (Ltd) from a public limited company (PLC)?
A private limited company only sells shares to family and friends whereas a public limited company sells shares to anyone from the public who wants to buy them
Advantages of operating as a limited company
Limited liability
Easier to raise finance
Separate legal entity
Continuity
Pays corporation tax rather than income tax
Disadvantages of operating as a limited company
Must be incorporated at Companies House (requires a fee)
You cannot set one up if you are bankrupt
Multinational corporations (MNC)
A business which operates in many countries
What do MNCs bring?
Job opportunities
Boosts the economy
Improves the skills of the workplace
Economies of scale
Improve local infrastructure
Better prices
What problems do MNCs cause?
Sweat-shop Labour
Local businesses can’t compete
Increase pollution
Import skilled labourers
Don’t always leave profits local
Can remove jobs from their own countries
Unethical
Franchise
A business based upon the name, logo and trading methods of an existing company
Franchisee
The person that buys into the franchise
Franchisor
The owner of the franchise
Advantages of franchises
The franchisee receives ongoing training and support
The franchisee is setting up a business that is already established
Allows for growth
The franchisor receives investment for marketing and growth
What are the costs involved in buying a franchise?
Initial franchise fee
Total investment
Royalties
Marketing fund
Building
Co operatives
It is owned and run by its members
Profits are shared among members (not a charity or not-for-profit organisation)
Advantages of cooperatives
It is legally straightforward
Cheap to set up
All involved are working towards a common goal (and so have motivation)
Limited liability for members
Disadvantages of cooperatives
Capital may be small (members)
Lenders may be reluctant to sell
Weak management is possible
Large amount of decision makers (members)
What are the function areas?
Marketing
Production/operations
Human Resources
Finance
Market segmentation
The process of dividing a broad consumer or business market into sub-groups based on some type of shared characteristics
Roles in the marketing function
Producing promotional materials
Monitoring and managing social media
Conducting customer and market research
Roles of the Human Resources department
Recruitment, training, administering employee benefits, firing employees, health and safety, onboarding, HR compliance
Retention
The ability to prevent employee turnover
Recruitment
The process of finding, screening, hiring and eventually onboarding qualified job candidates
Wages
Hourly or daily payments for work done during the day
Salary
A fixed, agreed sum, payable at regular intervals
What does the finance department do?
Estimate capital requirements, manage cash flow, analyse business performance, managing operations systems, preparing budgets, accounting, paying employee wages
What does the production/operations department do?
Ensuring good quality
Managing logistics
Managing stock
Logistics
Receiving deliveries and sending out finished goods
Stock control
Maintaining stock levels and ensuring that the cost of holding the stock is minimised
Ways of defining business size
Number of employees
Amount of capital invested
Sales turnover
Market share
Brand name and history
Assets
Profits
Horizontal integration
When firms in the same industry and at the same stage of production combine
Forward vertical integration
When you integrate with a business in front of you
Backward vertical integration
When you integrate with a business behind you
Vertical integration
Occurs when a firm expands by combining with an existing business in the same industry but at different stages of production
Advantages of vertical integration
Reducing your own costs
Controls the quality and delivery of raw materials
More powerful against competitors
Disadvantages of vertical integration
Increase in costs (ie may need to appoint staff to run the business)
Inexperience in the new business
Diversification (also called a conglomerate)
Integration with a totally unrelated industry
Why diversify?
To spread the risk
To obtain other sources of finance
To increase the range of products they make or sell
Joint venture
A business arrangement where two or more parties agree to pool their resources for the purpose of achieving a specific task. The businesses remain separate in legal terms.
Advantages of a joint venture
Shared investment
Shared expenses
New market penetration
New revenue streams
Improved economies of scale
Disadvantages of a joint venture
Risk of disagreements
The objectives of each partner may change, leading to conflict
There is likely to be an imbalance in levels of expertise, investment or assets
Strategic alliance
Where two or more businesses work together, but it’s not a legally enforceable contract
Benefits of strategic alliance
Reach a broader audience
Reduced costs
Provide a distribution system
Enter new markets
Share expertise and resources
Both grow market share
Aims
The overall long term goals of the business
Objectives
The specific and measurable results the business is trying to achieve
Strategic objectives
The longer term specific objectives
Tactical objectives
The short term specific objectives
Operational objectives
The objectives of each functional area
What does SMART stand for?
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Time-related
Mission statement
The overriding goal of the business and the reason for its existence
Why innovate (and invent)?
It grows your business
To adapt to change
To stay ahead of competition
To charge a higher price
Problems with innovation (and invention)?
Very costly
Time consuming
Can end up wasting resources developing something that doesn’t sell
Risk of failure
Resistance to change to new ways of thinking
Employees may not be motivated to innovate
Stakeholder
Anyone with an interest in the business
Internal stakeholder
Anyone within the business (eg employees)