Sem 2 Exam Flashcards
Types of business ownership
Sole trader, partnership, small proprietary company, not-for-profit organisation, franchise
Sole trader
= a business that is run and owned by an individual.
Positives:
- Owner has full control
- Owner keeps all profits
- Easy to set up
Negatives:
- Unlimited liability i.e. if the business goes broke, the owner could lose personal assets to pay off business debts
- No one to share the workload
Partnership
= when two to twenty people operate a business as co-owners and share income.
- Governed by the Partnership Act 1895
Positives:
- Partners can collectively raise more capital
- Can share workload and combine ideas
- Can take breaks at different times
Negatives:
- There can be disagreements between partners over decisions
- Rules must be set for partners leaving otherwise the partnership will end
- Unlimited liability i.e. partners may lose personal assets to pay off business debts
Small proprietary company
= a company that is registered to operate and is owned by a maximum of fifty shareholders who are invited to own shares in the company.
Positives:
- Limited liability i.e. personal assets are not taken to cover business debts
- A person can sell their shares if they want to leave the business
Negatives:
- Expensive to set up
- Less say in the running of the business because there are so many owners
- Profits are shared amongst more owners
Not-for-profit organisation
= organisations that do not operate for the profit or gain of its individual members.
Positives:
- Inexpensive to incorporate
- May be eligible for tax exemptions
- Few rules
Negatives:
- Not closely monitored so no clear guidelines for operation and resolving disputes
- Profit is not given to members
- Limited to operating in the state of incorporation
Franchise
= when a firm that already has a successful product or service (franchisor) licenses its trademark and method of doing business to another business or individual (franchisee) in exchange for a franchise fee and an ongoing royal payment.
Positives:
- Franchisor offers management training and assistance
- There are established operating procedures, manuals and management systems
- Obtaining finance may be easier due to established market presence
Negatives:
- Franchisees must operate according to the franchisor’s procedures
- Ongoing cost of payments to the franchisor
- Restricted territory for operation and promotion of the business
Impact of economic factors on business function
Inflation rate, interest rate, availability of skilled and unskilled labour, unemployment rate
Inflation rate
= buying fewer goods and services with each unit of currency.
- High inflation –> business must pay more for supplies, increase their prices and pay employees more in line with CPI
- Low inflation –> business will pay less for supplies, decrease their prices and maintain employee wages
Interest rate
= the cost of borrowing money, measured in percentages.
- High rate –> businesses borrow less money, customers pay more for mortgages, less money for discretionary spending
- Low rate –> businesses borrow more, customers pay less for mortgages, more money for discretionary spending
Availability of skilled and unskilled labour
- Shortage of skilled labour –> businesses will raise wages to secure their employees, restrict orders or days of operation, unskilled workers may fill vacancies
- Abundance of skilled labour –> businesses will decrease wages, employees will exceed demand
Unemployment rate
= the number of people who are willing and available to work at current wage rates, but are not currently employed.
- Increasing –> larger pool of workers for the business to recruit and select from, employed workers may feel threatened with losing their job, lower consumer spending
- Decreasing –> reduced pool of workers for businesses, more disposable income, higher demand for products and services
Methods of raising business public image
Corporate sponsorship, donation
Corporate sponsorship
= a large scale event where lots of people attend and gain brand awareness and recognition.
- Big corporate businesses pay a high sum of money to be associated with these events for publicity
- Visibility –> participants and spectators will see the logo and slogan of the company during the event and visibility will be high
- Positioning –> creates a positive public image as supporting an event with good intentions and community involvement are involved with the company
- Market research –> company will choose what to sponsor based on the demographics of the people involved
- Publicity –> corporate sponsors are mentioned and thanked during the event
Donation
= when businesses give resources to causes so that they can be seen as contributing back to society.
- Businesses do this to improve brand likeableness to the public
- Customers feel that they have supported a good cause
- May be one-off or ongoing
- Can include: money or products, or employees could provide time and expertise to assist
Positive and negative impacts on business image of environmental issues
Climate change, pollution, energy use, animal testing
Climate change
= the change in global climate patterns over an extended period of time.
- Caused by an increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere due to the use of fossil fuels in the production of goods and services
- Society expect businesses to be aware and to be managing their contribution to climate change
- A business can offer carbon offsets –> investments in planting trees and renewable energy, recycling when customers make a purchase
Pollution
= the presence of substances that can cause harm or damage to the natural environment.
- Businesses have the ability to control the amount of pollution caused in the manufacturing of their products
- Businesses can offer recycling alternatives where customers can bring in their used goods to re-use in creating new products or to be refurbished
- Businesses must buy their goods or raw materials from suppliers who share the same values on environmental issues
Energy use
= when a company operates in a way that reduces energy use, reduces waste and pollution, and is trying to avoid practices that add to climate change.
- Businesses who are seen to disregard climate change and use processes that add to pollution or fossil fuel energy use may have a negative business public image
Animal testing
- Businesses who take a public stance against animal testing will have a positive public image
- Businesses should also ensure that their suppliers are not engaging in practices that are harmful to animals
Key elements of a marketing plan
Market position, competitor analysis, target market analysis, marketing goals, marketing strategy, marketing mix
Market position
= how the product is designed to be perceived in the marketplace by the target market against its main competitors.
- Depending on the business’s goals, domestic and international competitors should be considered
- Businesses should increase profile and engage with potential customers
Competitor analysis
= the assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of current and potential customers.
- Businesses should establish what makes their product or service unique compared to others
Target market analysis
= the selection of potential customers.
- Involves segmenting the market and choosing segments of the market that are appropriate
Marketing goals
= goals that will be used in order to realise market objectives and properly target the market identified.
- Goals should specifically refer to the target market suggested and how the business is going to rise above competitors and improve market position
Marketing strategy
= the application of the marketing mix in order to realise marketing goals and objectives.
- It is the overarching strategy the business will use in order to improve market position and profit based on the market research undertaken
Characteristics of market segmentation
Demographic, geographic, psychographic
Demographic
= segmentation according to age, gender, race, religion, family size, ethnicity, income and education.
Geographic
= classification of market into geographical areas.
Psychographic (lifestyle and behaviour)
= lifestyle of the individuals; the individual’s attitude, interest and value help the marketers classify them into small groups.
Key features of the market research process
Collection of primary and secondary data, data analysis
Primary data
= data collected by the business itself directly from customers and consumers.
- E.g. face to face interviews, surveys
Secondary data
= data collected by another business or government agency and used for research purposes by a business.
Elements of the marketing mix
Product, price, place, promotion, people, processes, physical presence
Product
- Positioning –> strategies to differentiate the product from those of competitors, creating a unique impression in the minds of potential customers
- Features –> the way it is made, in an energy efficient and sustainable manner
- Branding –> the use of names or symbols to identify a product.
- Packaging –> the initial way a product is presented to the customers and hence can support the branding of a particular product
Price
- Price-skimming –> a product pricing strategy where a business changes the highest initial price that customers will pay and lowers it over time
- Penetration –> when a business sets a low price to gain market share
- Premium/prestige –> when the price of a product or service is significantly higher than similar competing products because the company either demonstrates that the product or service is of high quality, considered as luxurious or is particularly unique enough to justify its elevated price
Place
- Direct distribution –> when products are delivered directly from the producer to the customer without the use of intermediary businesses
- Indirect distribution –> when products go from the producer to the consumer via an intermediary business
- Location –> a business can lease a property and set up their business at a suitable location
Promotion
- Advertising –> any form of non-personal communication about a product or service
- Publicity –> the process of getting a high public profile and positive image
- Sales promotion –> when a business provides some short-term incentives to stimulate the sales of their products
- Viral marketing –> existing social networks that can be used to promote products
- Telemarketing –> a form of direct marketing where there is a solicitation of customers via phone to entice them to buy products and services
People (employees)
- Training and customer service
Processes
- Procedures to deliver a service or product –> businesses will build customer loyalty by fulfilling the needs and wants of customers and handling their complaints effectively
Physical presence
- Signage –> businesses should gain attention from customers and generate a degree of interest for potential follow up e.g. logo, slogan
- Webpage –> businesses should include updated information about employees, their values and links to other social media platforms
- Staff uniform –> businesses are seen as more professional and appealing and represents unity within the staff
Types of KPIs
Sales revenue, sales return, customer satisfaction
Sales revenue
= the number or percentage of sales over a period (financial).
- Figures are measured and compared to see how effective the marketing plan is
Sales return
= the return of goods due to dissatisfaction, faults or quality control (financial).
- A record of sales returns needs to be kept together with reasons why so that any repeat error or problems can be addressed
Customer satisfaction
= when businesses monitor customer satisfaction to keep sales increasing (non-financial).
- This can be done through a record of: complaints, return of goods, how long it takes to process and deliver an order
- Businesses can measure this using surveys and feedback forms
Customer profiling
= identification of relevant information regarding all the satisfied existing customers, which leads to targeting new prospects with matching profiles.
- Includes: age, gender, occupation
Competitor profiling
= determining a competitor’s product range, prices and marketing strategies.
- Includes: competitor name, establishment date, number of staff, market share, value to customers, strengths, weaknesses
Strategies for managing customer relationships
Customer loyalty, early adopter incentive, customer relationships
Customer loyalty
= profiling and understanding customers, personalising their experience, managing customer relations and communication methods, and monitoring business data.
- E.g. loyalty cards with discounts when a certain amount is spent, free postage over certain amounts spent, photos of customers wearing their clothing posted on social media
Early adopter incentive
= when an early adopter is likely to pay more for the product than later adopters.
- Businesses rely on early adopters to provide feedback about the product and to cover the cost of the product’s research and development