Market Research

Market research is the process of collecting and processing information about the market that a business operates in. Market research gathers information on:

Demand

Market research into customers’ demands is important for business success.
Insights into customers’ wants and needs can help a business to improve the product, spot market opportunities and stay competitive.
Insights into overall demand trends can help the firm spot opportunities for growth and potential threats from new products/technology.

Competition

Market research into competitors can help a business understand the major threats in the market and then prepare the business to deal with these threats.
Market research for established fashion labels like H&M would identify the threats that come from online platforms like ASOS or Boohoo.

Target market

Market research into a business’ target market will give the company insights into their customers’ wants and needs and how they are changing over time.

Qualitative and Quantitative Research

Businesses can benefit from both qualitative and quantitative research.

Qualitative research

Qualitative research generally collects information about opinions and views rather than things that can be quantified.
For example, research into whether customers think the customer service at Waitrose is good is qualitative research.

Quantitative research

Quantitative research collects factual information on things that can be quantified and recorded easily.
For example, research into the number of cans of Coca Cola sold in the UK last year is quantitative research.

1Business Activity & Influences on Business

1.1Business Objectives

1.1.1Business Aims

1.1.2Business Objectives

1.1.3Business Objectives Change Over Time

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Business Aims

1.1.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Profit

1.2Types of Organisations

1.2.1Sole Traders & Partnerships

1.2.2Limited Companies

1.2.3Limited Liability

1.2.4Unlimited vs Limited Liability

1.2.5Not For Profit & Franchises

1.2.6Multinational Companies

1.2.7End of Topic Test - Business Ownership

1.2.8Application Questions - Business Ownership

1.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Company vs Business

1.2.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - Owners vs Shareholders

1.3Classification of Businesses

1.3.1Sectors

1.4Decisions on Location

1.4.1Location

1.5Business & the International Economy

1.5.1Globalisation

1.5.2Exchange Rates

1.6Government Objectives & Policy

1.6.1Government Objectives

1.6.2The Government & Business Activity

1.6.3Interest Rates

1.6.4Interest Rates - Calculations

1.6.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Recessions

1.7External Factors

1.7.1External Factors

1.8What Makes a Business Successful?

1.8.1Measuring Success

1.8.2Reasons for Failure

2People in Business

2.1Internal & External Communication

2.1.1Communication

2.2Recruitment & Selection Process

2.2.1Types of Employment

2.2.2Recruitment Stages

2.2.3Effective Recruitment

2.2.4Legal Controls Over Employment

2.2.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Internal Recruitment

2.3Training

2.3.1Training

2.4Motivation & Rewards

2.4.1Motivation in the Workplace

2.4.2Financial & Non-Financial Methods

2.4.3End of Topic Test - The Workforce

2.4.4Application Questions - The Workforce

2.4.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Money

2.5Organisation Structures

2.5.1Organisational Structures

2.5.2Centralised vs. Decentralised Structures

2.5.3Tall & Flat Organisations

2.5.4Functional Areas Within a Business

2.5.5End of Topic Test - Org Structure

3Business Finance

3.1Sources of Finance

3.1.1Internal & External Sources of Finance

3.1.2Factors Affecting Sources of Finance

3.2Cash Flow Forecasting

3.2.1Cash Flow

3.2.2Consequences of Cash Flow Problems

3.2.3Cash Flow - Calculations

3.2.4Solutions to Cash Flow Problems

3.2.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Cash Flow

3.3Cost & Break-Even Analysis

3.3.1Costs, Revenue & Profit

3.3.2Profit, Average Unit Cost & Interest

3.3.3Costs - Calculations

3.3.4Revenue - Calculations

3.3.5Break-Even Analysis

3.3.6Profit & Losses - Calculations

3.3.7End of Topic Test - Finance

3.3.8Grade 9 - Finance

3.3.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Fixed Costs

3.3.10Diagnostic Misconceptions - Break-even

3.4Financial Documents

3.4.1Financial Statements

3.4.2Income Statement

3.4.3Understanding Business Performance

3.5Account Analysis

3.5.1Business Calculations

3.5.2Gross Profit - Calculations

3.5.3Net Profit - Calculations

3.5.4Business Calculations 2

3.5.5Business Calculations 3

3.5.6Liquidity

4Marketing

4.1Market Research

4.1.1Market Research

4.1.2Forms of Market Research

4.2The Market

4.2.1Customer Needs

4.2.2Satisfying Customer Needs

4.2.3Market

4.2.4The Competitive Environment

4.2.5Market Segmentation

4.2.6Market Mapping - Price vs Quality

4.2.7End of Topic Test - Marketing

4.2.8Application Questions - Marketing

4.2.9Diagnostic Misconceptions - Competition

4.3The Marketing Mix

5Business Operations

5.1Economies & Diseconomies of Scale

5.1.1Economies of Scale

5.1.2Diagnostic Misconceptions - Economies of Scale

5.2Production

5.2.1Production Processes

5.2.2Flow and Batch Production

5.2.3Production Efficiency

5.2.4Technology & Production

5.2.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - JIT vs JIC

5.3Factors of Production

5.3.1Factors of Production

5.4Quality

5.4.1Importance of Quality

5.4.2Identifying Quality

5.4.3Total Quality Management

5.4.4End of Topic Test - Operational Decisions

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