Income Statements

Income Statement

An income statement shows a business’ financial performance over a period of time. It shows the revenue, costs and profits of a firm. There are two main components of an income statement:

Trading account

This shows the total revenue a firm has made from sales, the cost of sales and the gross profit.
Cost of sales are any costs that are directly associated with making and selling the products.
- For example, for a firm like Aston Martin that manufactures and sells cars, the costs of sales would include the cost of the materials to make the cars and the cost of the labour that helped to make and sell the car. It does not include things like rent for the factory or advertising.
Gross profit = Revenue - Cost of Sales

Profit and loss account

This includes all expenses not directly involved in making and selling the product. It works out net profit.
Other expenses included are rent, advertising, depreciation and much more.
Operating Profit = Gross Profit – Expenses
Net Profit = Total Revenue - Total Costs. This is the amount left over after all costs (including interest payments) have been taken away.

Example

Revenue: £50,000
Cost of sales: £20,000
Gross profit: £30,000
Expenses (rent, advertising, wages): £15,000
Operating profit: £15,000
Interest and other costs: £5,000
Net profit: £10,000

Interpreting the Income Statement

Financial statements may be used by lots of stakeholders (shareholders, investors, suppliers and creditors). The income statement tells us about a business’ performance.

Profit

Profit is the most important thing to look at because it is what owners and investors aim to make. If a firm is making a loss then it can be a worrying sign.
Financial statements can help you to analyse why a firm might make a loss. If a firm is making a loss, look at gross profit, operating profit and net profit to see where a firm might be going wrong.

Costs

Comparing a firm’s costs to costs in previous years and the costs of competitors can help us to understand what is happening to a company’s cost base.

Margins

Profit margins are a very important measure of a whether a firm has the potential to be very profitable.
The gross profit margin shows the profit margin when only including the direct costs associated with making and selling the product. If a firm’s gross profit margin is negative or very low then it is a very worrying sign for the firm.
If the gross profit margin is positive but the net profit margin is negative, then it is important to try and analyse which expenses may be the largest and may be causing this difference.

Competitors

Comparing a firm’s current financial performance to competitors gives a good indication of whether the firm is doing well in its specific market.
A firm may seem to be very profitable with high profit margins but when compared to its competitors its profits and profit margins are much lower.
This gives us more information because it shows that the firm has room for improvement.

Year on year improvement

Comparing a firm’s income statement to previous years will show whether the firm’s performance is improving over time or getting worse.
- Growth – comparing revenue to previous years will show whether the firm is growing or not in terms of its sales revenue.
- Costs – will show how the costs the firm is facing are changing over time. In particular, if the firm suddenly goes from making a profit to making a loss, comparing it to previous years will show which costs have increased and are causing the drop in performance.

1Understanding Business Activity

1.1Business Activity

1.1.1Purpose of Business Activity

1.1.2Customer Needs

1.1.3Why are Businesses Set Up?

1.1.4Specialisation & Division of Labour

1.2Classification of Businesses

1.2.1The 3 Sectors of Economic Activity

1.2.2Public & Private Sector

1.3Enterprise, Business Growth & Size

1.4Types of Business Organisation

1.4.1Sole Traders

1.4.2Partnerships

1.4.3Limited Companies

1.4.4Private Limited Companies

1.4.5Public Limited Companies

1.4.6Unlimited vs Limited Liability

1.4.7Not For Profit

1.4.8Franchising

1.4.9End of Topic Test - Business Ownership

1.4.10Application Questions - Business Ownership

1.4.11Diagnostic Misconceptions - Company vs Business

1.5Business Objectives & Stakeholder Objectives

1.5.1The Main Stakeholders in a Business

1.5.2The Impact & Influence of Stakeholders on Business

1.5.3Diagnostic Misconceptions - Profit

1.5.4Diagnostic Misconceptions - Owners vs Shareholders

2People in Business

2.1Human Resource Management (HRM)

2.1.1Contracts of Employment

2.1.2Recruitment

2.1.3Benefits of an Effective Recruitment Process

2.1.4Reducing the Workforce

2.1.5Legal Controls Over Employment

2.1.6Training

2.1.7End of Topic Test - The Workforce

2.1.8Application Questions - The Workforce

2.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Recruitment

2.2Organisation & Management

2.2.1Internal Organisational Structures

2.2.2Business Functions & Definitions

2.2.3Centralised vs. Decentralised Structures

2.2.4Tall & Flat Organisations

2.2.5The Impact of Organisational Structure on Managing

2.2.6Leadership Styles

2.2.7Trade Unions

2.2.8End of Topic Test - Org Structure

2.3Methods of Communication

2.3.1Communication in Businesses

2.4Motivating Employees

2.4.1Motivation in the Workplace

2.4.2Financial Methods of Motivation

2.4.3Non-Financial Methods of Motivation

2.4.4Diagnostic Misconceptions - Money

3Marketing

3.1Marketing & the Market

3.1.1Customer Needs

3.1.2Identifying and Satisfying Customer Needs

3.1.3The Market

3.1.4The Market-Driven Approach

3.1.5Competition

3.1.6The Impact of High Competition

3.1.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Competition

3.1.8Market Segmentation

3.1.9Methods of Market Segmentation

3.2Market Research

3.2.1Market Research

3.2.2Qualitative & Quantitative Research

3.2.3Primary Market Research

3.2.4Secondary Market Research

3.2.5Analyse Market Research Data

3.2.6Application Questions - Marketing

3.2.7End of Topic Test - Marketing

3.3Marketing Mix

3.3.1The Product Life Cycle

3.3.2Product Design

3.3.3Product Portfolio & The Boston Matrix

3.3.4Benefits & Risks of New Products

3.3.5Extension Strategies

3.3.6Price

3.3.7Pricing - Skimming & Penetration

3.3.8Competitive and Cost-Plus Pricing

3.3.9Market Mapping - Price vs Quality

3.3.10Place

3.3.11Manufacturer-Wholesalers-Retailers-Customers

3.3.12Manufacturer-Retailers-Customers

3.3.13Direct to Customers

3.3.14Promotional Methods

3.3.15Reasons for Promotion

3.3.16Advertising

3.3.17Advertisement - Product Placement

3.3.18Public Relations

3.3.19Sales Promotion

3.3.20Sponsorship

3.3.21Social Media

3.3.22Promotional Mix

3.3.23E-Commerce and M-Commerce

3.3.24Benefits & Drawbacks of E-Commerce and M-Commerce

3.3.25End of Topic Test - Marketing Mix

3.3.26Grade 9 - Marketing Mix

3.3.27Diagnostic Misconceptions - Decreasing Price

3.3.28Diagnostic Misconceptions - Advertise vs Promote

3.3.29Diagnostic Misconceptions - Social Media

3.3.30Marketing Strategy

3.3.31Entering Foreign Markets

3.4Legal Controls

3.4.1Legal Controls on Marketing

4Operations Management

4.1Production of Goods & Services

4.1.1Production Processes Overview

4.1.2Job Production

4.1.3Flow Production

4.1.4Batch Production

4.1.5Production Efficiency - Lean Production

4.1.6Managing Stock - Just in Time

4.1.7Technology & Production

4.1.8Factors of Production

4.1.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - JIT vs JIC

4.2Cost, Scale of Production & Break-Even Analysis

4.2.1Costs

4.2.2Costs - Calculations

4.2.3Economies of Scale

4.2.4Diseconomies of Scale

4.2.5Break-Even Analysis

4.2.6Profits and Losses - Calculations

4.2.7Diagnostic Misconceptions - Fixed Costs

4.2.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Economies of Scale

4.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Break-Even

4.3Achieving Quality Production

4.3.1Importance of Quality

4.3.2Measuring Quality

4.3.3Quality control

4.3.4Total Quality Management

4.3.5Benefits of Maintaining High Product/Service Qual.

4.3.6Costs of Maintaining High Quality/Service

4.3.7End of Topic Test - Operational Decisions

4.4Location Decisions

4.4.1Business Location

4.4.2Nature of Business Activity

5Financial Information & Decisions

6External Influences on Business Activity

6.1Economic Issues

6.1.1Business Cycle

6.1.2Objectives of Government Economic Policy

6.1.3Provision of Public Services

6.1.4Taxation & Constraints on Public Spending

6.1.5The Government & Business Activity

6.1.6Interest Rates

6.1.7Interest Rates - Calculations

6.1.8Diagnostic Misconceptions - Recession

6.2Business & the International Economy

6.2.1Multinational Companies

6.2.2Exchange Rates

6.3Business & the Environment

6.3.1Globalisation

6.3.2Environmental Issues

6.3.3Business and Sustainability

6.4Business & Ethical Issues

6.4.1Ethical Considerations for Businesses

6.4.2Benefits of Being Ethical

6.5Pressure Groups

6.5.1Pressure Groups

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