AQA GCE Business Studies BUSS4-­‐ Managing a Business EXAM PAPER TOPIC TRACKER Keep track of which topics have been examined in the real papers for BUSS4 AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
June 2012
Jan 2013
Jun 2013
Jun 2014
CORPORATE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Understanding Mission Aims
and Objectives
• Mission statements
• Corporate aims and objectives
• Corporate strategies
• Differing stakeholder
perspectives.
Case Study:
Dominos Pizza
To what extent can
a recession
improve relations
between a
business and its
stakeholders?
Case Studies:
Novartis &
Google
To what extent is
diversification the
best strategy to
achieve profitable
growth?
Case Study:
Acer
Computers
Do you think that
businesses
should avoid
changing their
strategies
because of the
risks involved?
Case Study:
Bovis Homes
Given the high
levels of change in
economic and
political
environments, is
there any point in
corporate
planning?
Case Study:
Unilever
To what extent is
targeting
emerging
markets for sales
the best way for
businesses to
achieve a major
growth in their
profits?
ASSESSING CHANGES IN THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
Relationship between
Businesses & Economic
Environment
• assessing the effects of the
following factors on business
organisations:
- impact of economic factors
- trends in key economic
variables
- globalisation of markets
- developments in emerging
markets
• evaluating the strategies
businesses might deploy in
response to these changes
Case study:
Sony
Is a business
strategy of
targeting
emerging
markets a good
one?
To what extent is
low income per
person a barrier
to achieving
success through
expansion into
emerging
markets?
To what extent
have recent
changes in the
UK economy
damaged the
long-term
profitability of
businesses?
(Sect B)
www.tutor2u.net Case Study:
Motor Industry
To what extent do
you think that
cutting costs is the
best strategy for
businesses to
adopt in a
recession?
To what extent do
you think that the
UK motor industry
deserves
government
financial support
more than other
industries?
Case Study:
Dominos Pizza
To what extent do
you think that the
amount of profits
earned by a
business in a
recession depends
entirely on the
industry in which it
operates?
To what extent can
a recession
improve relations
between a
business and its
stakeholders?
Case studies:
Costa Coffee and
Dyson
Does the
increasingly global
nature of business
mean that all
organisations need
to change their
strategies
significantly to
achieve higher
profits?
Case Study:
UK Retailers:
To what
extent is the
external
environment
in the UK
favourable for
businesses at
the moment?
Case Studies:
JLR and
Symingtons
To what extent
does China still
represent a
significant
opportunity for
businesses
outside China?
Should
businesses from
outside of China
stop trading with
and operating in
China because
of the ethical and
environmental
issues involved?
Case Study:
Nokia
To what extent will
a “cautious”
business inevitably
experience further
falls in its market
share?
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Relationship between
Businesses & Political/Legal
Environment
• assessing the effects of:
- government intervention in the
economy
- government economic policies
- political decisions affecting
trade and access to markets
- the impact of legislation relating
to businesses
• evaluating responses of
businesses to a changing
political and legal environment
Relationship between
Businesses and the Social
Environment
• assessing the effects of:
- changes in the social
environment
- the changing nature of the
ethical environment
• evaluating responses of
businesses to a changing social
environment including corporate
social responsibility
Case study:
Demographic
change
To what extent
does demographic
change in the UK
represent more of
an opportunity than
a threat to UK
businesses?
Relationship between
Businesses and the
Technological Environment
• assessing the effects of
technological change
• evaluating the response of
businesses to technological
change
Case Study: EBusiness
To what extent do
you think that
increased internet
usage inevitably
reduces producers’
profits?
www.tutor2u.net Jan 2012
June 2012
Jan 2013
Case Study:
Bovis Homes
Given the high
levels of change in
economic and
political
environments, is
there any point in
corporate
planning?
Case Study: BAT
Group
To what extent do
you think that
social reporting is
now essential for
businesses?
Do you think that
the ability of a
business to act
successfully in a
socially
responsible
manner is mainly
determined by the
products it
produces?
Case Study:
Bharti Airtel
Do you think that
governments
should make
corporate social
responsibility
(CSR) compulsory
for businesses?
To what extent do
you think that
businesses now
need to make
behaving more
responsibly their
main corporate
objective?
Jun 2013
Jun 2014
Case Study:
Banks &
Supermarkets
Do the activities
of businesses
need to be more
regulated by the
Government in
the future?
Case Study:
Primark &
Nestle
Do you think it
is essential
for managers
to take ethics
into
consideration
when making
decisions
nowadays?
Case Study:
Wal-Mart
To what
extent has
managing
information
effectively
become the
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker Jan 2010
Relationship between
Businesses and the
Competitive Environment
• assessing the effects of
changes in competitive structure
• evaluating responses of
businesses to a changing
competitive environment
June 2010
Jan 2011
Case Studies:
Nestle, Danone,
Coca-Cola
What do you think
is the best strategy
for existing
businesses to
adopt in response
to the entry of a
new large
competitor?
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
June 2012
Jan 2013
key to being
market
leader?
Jun 2013
Jun 2014
Case Study:
Nokia
To what extent will
a “cautious”
business inevitably
experience further
falls in its market
share?
Case Study:
John Lewis
To what extent
do you think that
the culture of an
organisation
determines its
financial success
in a changing
external
environment?
Case Study:
Wal-Mart
To what
extent has
managing
information
effectively
become the
key to being
market
leader?
Case Studies:
Nestle, Exxon &
Toyota
Are existing large
global companies
likely to increase
in size further
over the next 20
years?
Case Studies:
GSK &
American
Airlines
To what extent
are the profits of
a business
determined by
the competitive
structure of the
industry in which
it operates?
Case Study: AT
&T
Do you think that
governments
should prevent
takeovers and
mergers?
Do you think that
takeovers and
mergers
inevitably
improve the
performance of
the businesses
involved
Case Study:
Thomas
Cook
Are
stakeholders
are always
worse off
following a
merger or
takeover?
Is the best
reason to
undertake a
merger or
takeover to
increase
efficiency?
MANAGING CHANGE
Case study:
Virgin &
leadership
succession
To what extent will
the performance of
a business such as
Virgin inevitably
decline after the
retirement of its
founder?
Internal Causes of Change
• change in organisational size
• new owners/leaders
• poor business performance
www.tutor2u.net Case Studies:
Royal Mail & BA
To what extent is
considerable
opposition from
stakeholders
inevitable when
change is being
introduced?
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
June 2012
Case study
Steve Jobs
(Apple)
How easy is it for
a Chief
Executive to
change a
struggling
business into a
more successful
one?
Case Study BP
How easy do you
think it is for a new
chief executive to
change the culture
of an organisation
quickly? (see also
culture & managing
change)
Influences on the Change
Process – Culture
• types of organisational culture
• reasons for and problems of
changing organisational culture
• assessing the importance of
organisational culture
Case study:
Intel
To what extent
can an
innovative
culture be relied
upon to
guarantee the
future success of
a business?
Case Study BP
How easy do you
think it is for a new
chief executive to
change the culture
of an organisation
quickly? (see also
leadership &
managing change)
Case Study:
John Lewis
To what extent
do you think that
the culture of an
organisation
determines its
financial success
in a changing
external
environment?
Case studies:
Microsoft / M&S
What do you think
are the main
reasons for big
businesses
sometimes making
Case Study:
Acer
Computers
Do you think that
businesses
should avoid
changing their
www.tutor2u.net Jun 2013
Jun 2014
Case Study:
Comet &
Thorntons
Is it possible for
businesses to
prepare
effectively for
changes in their
external
environment?
Influences on the Change
Process - Leadership
• the meaning of leadership
• the range of leadership styles
• assessing internal and external
factors influencing leadership
style
• the role of leadership in
managing change
• assessing the importance of
leadership
Making Strategic Decisions
• the significance of information
management
• the value of different
approaches to decision-making
• assessing influences on
Jan 2013
Case Study:
Bovis Homes
Given the high
levels of change in
economic and
political
environments, is
there any point in
corporate
planning?
Planning for Change
• purpose of corporate plans
• assessing internal and external
influences on corporate plans
• assessing the value of
corporate plans
Case studies:
Terry Leahy and
Philip Green
To what extent do
you think that a
leader can make a
significant
difference to the
long-term success
of an organisation?
Case Studies;
Nokia &
Thomas Cook
To what extent
does the
success of a new
strategy depend
on the leader?
Case Study:
Google
Are the cultures of
high performance
businesses
similar?
Will the culture of
a business
inevitably change
over time?
Case Study:
Primark &
Nestle
Do you think it
is essential
for managers
to take ethics
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker Jan 2010
corporate decision-making
Implementing and Managing
Change
• techniques to implement and
manage change successfully
• assessing the factors that
promote and resist change
June 2010
bad decisions?
Case Study BP
How easy do you
think it is for a new
chief executive to
change the culture
of an organisation
quickly? (see also
leadership and
culture)
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
June 2012
strategies
because of the
risks involved?
Jan 2013
into
consideration
when making
decisions
nowadays?
Jun 2013
Jun 2014
Case study:
Samsung
Electronics
Do you think that
resistance from
employees is likely
to be the biggest
problem for a
business that
wants to reinvent
itself?
Case Studies:
Royal Mail & BA
To what extent is
considerable
opposition from
stakeholders
inevitable when
change is being
introduced?
Shaded areas indicate questions based on the Section A Pre-­‐released Research Task www.tutor2u.net