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
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AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker
Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
June 2012
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?
Jan 2013
Jun 2013
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?
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
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
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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 longterm profitability of
businesses? (Sect B)
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: Nokia
To what extent will a
“cautious” business
inevitably experience
further falls in its
market share?
Case Study: Bovis
Homes
Given the high levels
of change in economic
and political
environments, is there
any point in corporate
planning?
Case Study: UK
Retailers:
To what extent is
the external
environment in the
UK favourable for
businesses at the
moment?
Case Study:
Banks &
Supermarkets
Do the activities of
businesses need to
be more regulated
by the Government
in the future?
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker
Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
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?
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?
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?
June 2012
Jan 2013
Jun 2013
- the impact of legislation relating
to businesses
• evaluating responses of
businesses to a changing
political and legal environment
Relationship between
Businesses and the
Competitive Environment
• assessing the effects of
changes in competitive structure
• evaluating responses of
businesses to a changing
competitive environment
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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?
Case Study:
Primark & Nestle
Do you think it is
essential for
managers to take
ethics into
consideration when
making decisions
nowadays?
Case Study: WalMart
To what extent has
managing
information
effectively become
the key to being
market leader?
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: WalMart
To what extent has
managing
information
effectively become
the key to being
market leader?
Case Study:
Nestle, Exxon &
Toyota
Are existing large
global companies
likely to increase in
size further over
the next 20 years?
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker
Jan 2010
June 2010
Jan 2011
Jun 2011
Jan 2012
June 2012
Jan 2013
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?
Jun 2013
MANAGING CHANGE
Internal Causes of Change
• change in organisational size
• new owners/leaders
• poor business performance
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?
Planning for Change
• purpose of corporate plans
• assessing internal and external
influences on corporate plans
• assessing the value of
corporate plans
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
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
Case study: Intel
To what extent can an
innovative culture be
Case Study BP
How easy do you
think it is for a new
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Case Study:
Comet &
Thorntons
Is it possible for
businesses to
prepare effectively
for changes in their
external
environment?
Case Study: Bovis
Homes
Given the high levels
of change in economic
and political
environments, is there
any point in corporate
planning?
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 Study:
John Lewis
To what extent do
Case Study:
Google
Are the cultures of
AQA A2 Business Studies (BUSS4) – Topic Tracker
• reasons for and problems of
changing organisational culture
• assessing the importance of
organisational culture
Jan 2010
relied upon to
guarantee the future
success of a
business?
June 2010
chief executive to
change the culture of
an organisation
quickly? (see also
leadership &
managing change)
Making Strategic Decisions
• the significance of information
management
• the value of different
approaches to decision-making
• assessing influences on
corporate decision-making
Case studies:
Microsoft / M&S
What do you think are
the main reasons for
big businesses
sometimes making
bad decisions?
Implementing and Managing
Change
• techniques to implement and
manage change successfully
• assessing the factors that
promote and resist change
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
Shaded areas indicate questions based on the Section A Pre-released Research Task
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Jun 2011
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?
Jan 2012
June 2012
you think that the
culture of an
organisation
determines its
financial success
in a changing
external
environment?
Jan 2013
Case Study:
Acer Computers
Do you think that
businesses
should avoid
changing their
strategies
because of the
risks involved?
Case Study:
Primark & Nestle
Do you think it is
essential for
managers to take
ethics into
consideration when
making decisions
nowadays?
Jun 2013
high performance
businesses
similar?
Will the culture of a
business inevitably
change over time?