In this unit you will: 

A Explore the features of different businesses and analyse what makes them successful 

B Investigate how businesses are organised 

C Examine the environment in which businesses operate

D Examine business markets 

E Investigate the role and contribution of innovation and enterprise to business success. 

Learning aim A: Explore the features of different businesses and analyse what makes them successful 

A1 Features of businesses 

• Ownership and liability: 

o private, e.g. sole trader, partnership, private limited company, public limited company, cooperative, limited and unlimited liability 

o public, e.g. government department 

o not-for-profit, e.g. charitable trust, voluntary. 

• Purposes, e.g. supply of products or services, difference between for-profit and not-for-profit businesses. 

• Sectors: primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary.

• Scope of business activities: local, national, international.

• Size: micro – up to nine staff; Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs); small – between 10 and 49 staff; medium – between 50 and 249 staff; large – more than 250 staff. 

• Reasons for success: how these differ depending on the type of business (profit or non-profit), and its aims and objectives, e.g. clarity of vision, innovative products or processes. 

A2 Stakeholders and their influence 

• Stakeholders: 

o internal, e.g. managers, employees, owners 

o external, e.g. suppliers, lenders, competitors, debtors, creditors, customers, government agencies and departments (local, national, international), communities (local, national, international), pressure groups, interest groups. 

• The influence of stakeholders on business success, e.g. shareholder value; customers as long-term assets (strong customer service enables customer loyalty and retention); employee involvement, corporate social responsibility (community groups and interest groups). 

A3 Effective business communications Appropriate presentation and delivery of information to a given audience: 

• written presentations, e.g. financial, non-financial, formal and informal reports 

• oral presentations, e.g. computer projection/PowerPoint with speaker notes, video conferencing platforms 

• importance of communication to aid business success, e.g. social media, virtual communities.

 Learning aim B: Investigate how businesses are organised

B1 Structure and organisation 

• Organisational structure, e.g. hierarchical, flat, matrix, holacratic. 

• Functional/operational areas, e.g. human resources, research and development, sales, marketing, purchasing, production and quality, finance, customer service, IT, administration. 

B2 Aims and objectives 

• Aims of businesses in different sectors – mission, vision and values: 

o private, e.g. making profits, profit maximisation, break-even, survival, growth, market leadership 

o public, e.g. service provision, cost control, value for money, service quality, meeting government standards 

o not-for-profit, e.g. education, housing, alleviating poverty, healthcare. 

• SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time constrained) objectives. 

Learning aim C: Examine the environment in which businesses operate 

C1 External environment 

• Political, e.g. government support, trading partners with other countries. 

• Economic, fiscal, monetary and other government policies, e.g. supply side policy, economic growth, exchange rates.

• Social attitudes to saving, spending and debt; social responsibility requirements; change, e.g. to demographic trends, consumers’ tastes/preferences. 

• Technological change, e.g. automation, improved communications. 

• Environmental factors and ethical trends, e.g. carbon emissions, waste, recycling, pollution. 

• Legal environment, e.g. partnership legislation, companies acts, charities legislation, competition legislation, UK Corporate Governance Code, financial services regulation, industry regulators, government departments. (Statutes and regulations current at the time of teaching should be used. Outline understanding only is expected.)

 C2 Internal environment 

• Corporate culture.

 • Corporate social responsibility (CSR), ethics.

C3 Competitive environment 

• Competition (local, national and international). 

• Factors influencing competitive advantage, e.g. differentiation, pricing policies, market leadership, reputation, market share, cost control, technology relationships with customers, suppliers, employees. 

• Benefits and importance of establishing and maintaining a competitive advantage. 

C4 Situational analysis

 • Assessment of the business environment using various techniques, e.g. PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) analysis, SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis, 5Cs (Company, Competitors, Customers, Collaborators, Climate) analysis, Porter’s Five Forces.

Learning aim D: Examine business markets 

D1 Different market structures 

• Market structures: perfect competition, imperfect competition. 

• Features of different market structures: number of firms, freedom of entry, nature of product. 

D2 Relationship between demand, supply and price 

• Influences on demand, e.g. affordability, competition, availability of substitutes, level of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), needs and aspirations of consumers. 

• Influences on supply, e.g. availability of raw materials and labour, logistics, ability to produce profitably, competition for raw materials, government support. 

• Elasticity: price elasticity of demand. D3 Pricing and output decisions 

• Impact on pricing and output decisions in different market structures. 

• Reponses by business to pricing and output decisions of competitors in different market structures. 

Learning aim E: Investigate the role and contribution of innovation and enterprise to business success 

E1 Role of innovation and enterprise 

• Innovation, e.g. creative process, product or service development, new ways of increasing business efficiency or improving profitability, successfully exploiting a new idea, adding value to products, services or markets to differentiate the business from the competitors. 

• Enterprise: identifying opportunities to develop business activities through, e.g. creative, lateral (approaching subjects from alternative perspectives) and ‘blue sky’ thinking (approaching subjects with no restrictions on perspectives); chance and serendipity, intuition. 

E2 Benefits and risks associated with innovation and enterprise 

• Benefits: improvements to products, processes, services and customer experience, business growth, development of new and niche markets, offering unique selling points, improved recognition and reputation, smarter working. 

• Risks: failing to meet operational and commercial requirements, failing to achieve a return on investment, cultural problems (resistance to change, unsupportive systems and processes, insufficient support from leadership and management). 

Essential Information

It is expected that learners in a cohort will individually select and research their choice of businesses. Throughout the unit, learners will show individuality of thought, independent collection, collation and judgement of evidence. The businesses selected by the learner in Learning aims A and B should be contrasting in terms of their features, e.g. ownership and liability, purpose, sector, scope and/or size. It is recommended the learner's own centre is not used for this unit. 

Learning aims A and B 

For distinction standard, learners will produce relevant evidence of how differing features and the complex relationship and communications with its internal and external stakeholders make businesses successful to support the evaluation given.

For merit standard, learners will present a careful consideration of each of the businesses relationship and communication with its stakeholders, and arrive at conclusions about how well each business communication impacts on its relationship with stakeholders. Learners will give a breakdown of the organisational structure including the different functional areas within the structure, what each does and how the areas interrelate or work together to contribute to each business’s aims and objectives. 

For pass standard, learners will carry out research that allows them to clearly link familiar and obvious features of the businesses and the stakeholder influence to success factors. 

Learning aims C and D 

For distinction standard, learners will carry out in-depth research on the extent to which the business environment affects a given business, and how it could affect the business in the future. Learners will be able to utilise a variety of situational analysis techniques to support their evaluation. 

For merit standard, learners will select and apply relevant knowledge of the effects of the business environment on a given business and how it has responded to changes in the market. 

For pass standard, learners will carry out research that allows them to discuss the effect of the internal, external and competitive environment on a given business. Learners will show an understanding of situational analysis techniques that can be used to analyse the business environment.

Learning aim E 

For distinction standard, learners will prepare and present an individual assessment and analysis of the use of innovation and enterprise in an existing business. Learners will weigh up risks versus advantages and come to a justified conclusion, supported by relevant evidence that clearly explains the importance of innovation and enterprise.

For merit standard, learners will carry out adequate research to allow them to demonstrate how the use of innovation and enterprise has affected a business, and to analyse how this has affected the success of this business. 

For pass standard, learners will carry out research on use of enterprise and innovation in an existing business, and show an understanding that although innovation and enterprise may have its benefits, there are also risks and drawbacks.