1.5.2

Exchange Rates

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Exchange Rate

An exchange rate is the value of one currency in terms of the other. For example, £1 is worth around $1.4. An exchange rate can fluctuate (change) regularly and this can have implications for UK businesses that buy goods or sell goods in other countries.

International sales

International sales

  • Whenever a UK company wants to sell a good in another country, they sell it in another currency.
  • A Rolls Royce car sold in the United States will be bought by a consumer in the United States in a price quoted in US dollars.
  • Whenever UK businesses buy goods from foreign firms, the foreign firm’s valuation of pounds depends on what a pound is worth in their currency.
Strong pound

Strong pound

  • A strong pound means that the pound can buy a lot of another currency.
Weak pound

Weak pound

  • A weak pound is when the pound cannot buy a lot of the other currency relative to what it could purchase when the pound was stronger.

How the Exchange Rate Impacts Businesses - a Weak Pound

A weak pound is good for UK exporters (a company who sells goods in other countries). Because of the same logic, a weak pound is bad for importers.

Weak pound - good for exporters

Weak pound - good for exporters

  • When the pound is weak, a UK company can sell a product for less in another country in order to receive the same amount of pounds.
  • A business sells a tennis ball for £1. If the exchange rate for dollars is $1.5 to £1, a tennis ball would cost $1.5 in the USA.
  • If the pound was weaker at $1.25. Then a tennis ball would only cost $1.25 in the US. This would make it more attractive to US consumers, who would buy UK tennis balls.
  • UK businesses become more price competitive relative to US businesses. They should make higher sales and more profit.
Weak pound - bad for importers

Weak pound - bad for importers

  • When paying for a good in another currency, the business will have to pay more pounds to get the exact same product.
  • E.g if a UK business was importing raw materials for production then the costs of these raw materials would rise. This would have a negative effect on profit. The UK business would either have to raise their price to cover the increase in costs (which would lead to fewer sales) or it would make less profit.
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1

Business Activity & Influences on Business

1.1

Business Objectives

1.1.1Business Aims1.1.2Business Objectives1.1.3Business Objectives Change Over Time1.1.4End of Topic Test - Business Aims1.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Profit
1.2

Types of Organisations

1.2.1Sole Traders & Partnerships1.2.2Limited Companies1.2.3Limited Liability1.2.4Unlimited vs Limited Liability1.2.5Not For Profit & Franchises1.2.6Multinational Companies1.2.7End of Topic Test - Business Ownership1.2.8Application Questions - Business Ownership1.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Company vs Business1.2.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - Owners vs Shareholders
1.3

Classification of Businesses

1.3.1Sectors
1.4

Decisions on Location

1.4.1Location
1.5

Business & the International Economy

1.5.1Globalisation1.5.2Exchange Rates
1.6

Government Objectives & Policy

1.6.1Government Objectives1.6.2The Government & Business Activity1.6.3Interest Rates1.6.4Interest Rates - Calculations1.6.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Recessions
1.7

External Factors

1.7.1External Factors
1.8

What Makes a Business Successful?

1.8.1Measuring Success1.8.2Reasons for Failure
2

People in Business

2.1

Internal & External Communication

2.1.1Communication
2.2

Recruitment & Selection Process

2.2.1Types of Employment2.2.2Recruitment Stages2.2.3Effective Recruitment2.2.4Legal Controls Over Employment2.2.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Internal Recruitment
2.3

Training

2.3.1Training
2.4

Motivation & Rewards

2.4.1Motivation in the Workplace2.4.2Financial & Non-Financial Methods2.4.3End of Topic Test - The Workforce2.4.4Application Questions - The Workforce2.4.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Money
2.5

Organisation Structures

2.5.1Organisational Structures2.5.2Centralised vs. Decentralised Structures2.5.3Tall & Flat Organisations2.5.4Functional Areas Within a Business2.5.5End of Topic Test - Org Structure
3

Business Finance

3.1

Sources of Finance

3.1.1Internal & External Sources of Finance3.1.2Factors Affecting Sources of Finance
3.2

Cash Flow Forecasting

3.2.1Cash Flow3.2.2Consequences of Cash Flow Problems3.2.3Cash Flow - Calculations3.2.4Solutions to Cash Flow Problems3.2.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Cash Flow
3.3

Cost & Break-Even Analysis

3.3.1Costs, Revenue & Profit3.3.2Profit, Average Unit Cost & Interest3.3.3Costs - Calculations3.3.4Revenue - Calculations3.3.5Break-Even Analysis3.3.6Profit & Losses - Calculations3.3.7End of Topic Test - Finance3.3.8Grade 9 - Finance3.3.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Fixed Costs3.3.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - Break-even
3.4

Financial Documents

3.4.1Financial Statements3.4.2Income Statement3.4.3Understanding Business Performance
3.5

Account Analysis

3.5.1Business Calculations3.5.2Gross Profit - Calculations3.5.3Net Profit - Calculations3.5.4Business Calculations 23.5.5Business Calculations 33.5.6Liquidity
4

Marketing

4.1

Market Research

4.1.1Market Research4.1.2Forms of Market Research
4.2

The Market

4.2.1Customer Needs4.2.2Satisfying Customer Needs4.2.3Market4.2.4The Competitive Environment4.2.5Market Segmentation4.2.6Market Mapping - Price vs Quality4.2.7End of Topic Test - Marketing4.2.8Application Questions - Marketing4.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Competition
4.3

The Marketing Mix

4.3.1Price4.3.2Price Penetration4.3.3Other Forms of Pricing4.3.4Product Design4.3.5The Product Life Cycle4.3.6Extending Existing Products4.3.7New Products4.3.8Benefits and Risks of New Products4.3.9Promotion4.3.10Public Relations and Sales Promotion4.3.11Sponsorship & Social Media4.3.12Product Placements4.3.13Promotional Mix4.3.14Place4.3.15Place 24.3.16Place 34.3.17M-Commerce4.3.18Benefits & Drawbacks of M-Commerce4.3.19End of Topic Test - Marketing Mix4.3.20Grade 9 - Marketing Mix4.3.21Diagnostic Misconceptions - Decreasing Price4.3.22Diagnostic Misconceptions - Advertise vs Promote4.3.23Diagnostic Misconceptions - Social Media
5

Business Operations

5.1

Economies & Diseconomies of Scale

5.1.1Economies of Scale5.1.2Diagnostic Misconceptions - Economies of Scale
5.2

Production

5.2.1Production Processes5.2.2Flow and Batch Production5.2.3Production Efficiency5.2.4Technology & Production5.2.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - JIT vs JIC
5.3

Factors of Production

5.3.1Factors of Production
5.4

Quality

5.4.1Importance of Quality5.4.2Identifying Quality5.4.3Total Quality Management5.4.4End of Topic Test - Operational Decisions

Practice questions on Exchange Rates

Can you answer these? Test yourself with free interactive practice on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

  1. 1
    Roughly what is the exchange rate between the pound and the US dollar?Multiple choice
  2. 2
    The pound is often described as:True / false
  3. 3
    Is a weak pound good or bad for UK exporters?Multiple choice
  4. 4
    Which of the following are true for a weak pound?True / false
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Globalisation

Government Objectives