1. What is Business?

1.1 The Nature and Purpose of Business

Why Businesses Exist

Business Objectives

The Importance of Profit

1.2 Forms of Business

Private Sector Businesses: Sole Traders

Private Sector Businesses: Companies

The Public Sector

Non-Profit Organisations and Social Enterprises

Shares and Shareholders

1.3 The External Environment

Competition and Market Conditions

Household Incomes

Interest Rates

Demographic Factors

Environmental Issues and Fair Trade

2. Managers, Leadership and Decision Making

2.1 Management and Leadership

Managers versus Leaders

Leadership Styles

Comparing Leadership Styles

2.2 Management Decision Making

Management and Decision-making

Scientific Decision Making

Decision Trees

Influences on Decision Making

2.3 The Role and Importance of Stakeholders

Stakeholder Needs

Stakeholder Mapping

Managing Stakeholder Relationships

3. Marketing Management

3.1 Marketing Objectives

Setting Marketing Objectives

3.2 Understanding Markets and Customers

The Importance of Marketing Research

Primary Market Research

Secondary Market Research

Interpreting Marketing Data

Elasticity of Demand

3.3 Making Marketing Decisions

Segmentation

Targeting and Positioning

3.4 The Marketing MIx

Elements of the Marketing MIx

Product Decisions

Pricing Decisions

Promotional Decisions

Distribution Decisions

People, Process and the Physical Environment

An Integrated Marketing Mix

4. Operational Management

4.1 Operational Objectives

The value of setting operational objectives

Setting Operational Objectives

4.2 Operational Performance

Operations Data

4.3 Efficiency and Productivity

The Importance of Capacity, Efficiency and Productivity

Lean Production

Technology and Efficiency

4.4 Quality

Improving Quality

4.5 Inventory and Supply Chain Management

Matching Supply and Demand

Inventory Control

The Supply Chain

5. Financial Management

5.1 Financial Objectives

Setting Financial Objectives

Cash, Profit and Types of Profit

5.2 Financial Performance

Budgeting

Cash Flow Forecasts

Analysing Timings of Cash Flow

Break-even Analysis

Calculating Break-even

Analysing Profitability

5.3 Sources of Finance

The need for Finance

Internal Sources of Finance

External Sources of Finance

5.4 Cash Flow and Profit

Improving Cash Flow, Profits and Profitability

6. Human Resource Management

6.1 Human Resource Objectives

Setting Human Resource Objectives

6.2 Human Resource Performance

Calculating and Interpreting Human Resource data

6.3 Organisational Design

Principles of Organisational Design

Models of Organisational Design

The Value of Changing Organisational Design

6.4 Human Resource Planning

The Human Resource Plan

Recruitment

Training

Redeployment, Dismissal and Redundancy

6.5 Motivation

Motivation and Motivation Theories

6.6 Improving Employer-Employee Relations

The Value of Good Working Relations

Trade Unions and Work Councils

Exam boards

• Cambridge (CIE) AS Business

Study tools

• AQA AS Business · Past Papers

Related links

• AS Business · Revision Notes
• AS Business · Past Papers
• AQA AS Business · Exam specification