UNIT 1
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Reason for starting up business
. money
. so that u don’t have to work under someone
What is a business plan?
A business plan is straight up, a guide for your business that outlines the needed
expectations and details on how to achieve them. It helps you allocate resources properly
and make the right decisions. A business plan is crucial because it provides specific and
organised information about your company, also on "how you will repay borrowed money"
because any type of loan package is considered important in a good business plan.
Problem that a new enterprise may face
1. Cash, Borrowing and Resource Management
Cash flow --> a healthy profit. Therefore, if capital expenditures are draining your
cash, it is a sign that the business is in risk. In order to avoid these, businesses must
store up cash to meet the obligations needed to handle any emergencies. Cash
restrictions can be the biggest factor that may limit growth and overtrading to be
fatal.
It is crucial to make the best of your finances, because it is a key opportunity to
assess new right set of circumstances.
Effective credit management and tight control of overdue debts.
Good stock and effective supplier management
Planning ahead (to anticipate your financing heeds)
2. Keeping up with the market
Business conditions change continually, therefore your market research should be
continuous as well.
Can easily lead to business/market failure (out-of-date information...etc)
More you succeed = more competitors will notice you
Important to invest in innovation to build new profitable profits to market (to
maximise overall profitability)
Your own experiences may be more valuable (useful insights)
Continually watch the customers' purchasing behaviour and preferences.
Analyse key info on the customer's reaction to a new product.
3. Skills and Attitudes
May need outsiders for help as business grows
Must learn to listen, take advices of people, to be a successful entrepreneur.
Business sectors
Primary Sector
The primary sector of the economy is the sector of an economy making direct use of
natural resources. This includes agriculture, forestry, fishing and mining.
Secondary Sector
Secondary industries are those that take the raw materials produced by the primary sector
and process them into manufactured goods and products.
Tertiary Sector
The tertiary sector is also called the service sector and involves the selling of services and
skills. They can also involve selling goods and products from primary and secondary
industries.
Quaternary Sector
The quaternary sector consists of those industries providing information services, such as
computing, ICT (information and communication technologies), consultancy (offering advice
to businesses) and R&D (research, particularly in scientific fields).
The quaternary sector is sometimes included with the tertiary sector, as they are both
service sectors. The tertiary and quaternary sectors make up the largest part of the UK
economy, employing 76 per cent of the workforce.
The main function of a business
1. Human resources
The HR department is responsible for managing the personnel of the organization
In managing people, the HR department is likely to deal with the following issues:
workforce planning, recruitment, training, appraisal, dismissals
and redundancies, and outsourcing human resource strategies
2. Finance and accounts
This department is in charge of managing the organization’s money
The finance and accounts director must ensure that accurate recording
and reporting of financial documentation takes place
3. Marketing
responsible for identifying and satisfying the needs and wants of customers
in charge of ensuring that the firm’s products sell. Done through market research,
test marketing, advertising and branding.
Functions of the marketing department can be summed up as the traditional four Ps
4. Operations
Also known as operations market or production
Functional area of an organization is responsible for the process of converting
raw materials and components into finished goods
Ready for sale and delivery to customers
Examples of production include:
The extraction of crude oil, car manufacturing and the construction of roads
Operations also applies to the process of providing services to customers as
in the case of hotels, restaurants, beauty salons and financial institutions
Unit 1.2
Types of organisation
Difference between private and public sector
Private
The private sector is usually composed of organizations that are privately owned and not
part of the government. These usually includes corporations (both profit and non-profit),
partnerships, and charities.
For example, retail stores, credit unions, and local businesses will operate in the private
sector
Public
The public sector is usually composed of organizations that are owned and operated by the
government. This includes federal, provincial, state, or municipal governments, depending
on where you live. Privacy legislation usually calls organizations in the public sector a public
body or a public authority.
for example, educational bodies, health care bodies, police and prison services, and local
and central government bodies.
sole trader
Owner controls the business - may employ some workers
Gets money from personal assets / bank loans
Unlimited Liability (Loans, legal debts. Owners are personally liable for all debts)
Advantages
Total control of the business
Gets all profit
Simple to set up because start up costs are low
Wage bill will be low because there are a few or no employees
Less Paperwork
Disadvantage
Unlimited Liability - owners may even be forced to sell their own personal assets to
cover any business debts
Less leisure time - you work long hours often times
All responsibility is yours in decision making, as well as pressure
Partnership
Two or more people usually
Partners control the business
gets money from bank loan and savings
partners share the profit from business
Doctors, dentists, solicitors are all examples of partnerships; they benefit from
shared expertise
Advantage
Shared responsibility - also allows specialization where 1 partner's strengths can
complement another's
More contribute to capital = more flexibility in the business
Less pressure on individual partners; there is someone to consult over business
decisions
Greater borrowing capacity
Disadvantage
Unlimited liability of the partners for the debts
Shared responsibility
Costly if partners join or leave
risk of disagreements and frictions among partners and management
private limited co.
Have their own legal identity
Often a small business
Shareholders own the business & control & run
Shareholders can invest their money or borrow money from bank (bank loans)
Shareholders get the profit from the business
Unless elected to the Board of Directors; the owners are not involved in running the
business.
Advantage
limited liability
more capital can be raised
Business continues even if the owner dies; shares are transferred to another owner
Disadvantage
Profits have to be shared amongst a potentially larger number
Growth may be limited (max. 50 shareholders)
Must have agreement from all shareholders before selling/transferring shares of the Private LTD Co.
to anyone else
Public limited co.
Usually a large, well known business
Shareholders own, control, run the business. Money investment as well
Shareholders have claimed to be a part of the company's CA and Profit
Advantage
limited liability
can easily dominate a market
Disadvantage
expensive to set up
may face management problems
Unit 1.3
Organisational object
Objectives
State what the company wants
Why set objectives?
clear define object
plan strategies made accordingly
motivate the employees
foundation for decision making
company can check its progress
aim
state what the company need to achieve to meet the aim
aim found in mission statement
a mission statement is a written statement clear to all stakeholders firms overall aims
and values
it enables a stakeholders of a business to understand why a business doing is what it
is doing
strategies
state the course of action to meet the objective
tactics
very short term; day to day
vision statement
A vivid mental image of what you want your business to be at some point in the future
Based on your goals and aspirations
Gives your business a clear focus, and can stop you heading in the wrong direction
Mission statement
When you're coming up with the concept for your business
An important component of your overall strategy plan
Declares the purpose of an organisation and defines the reason for your company's
existence.
Ethical objectives
Business Ethics
Ethical code of practice
Unethical objectives/practice
Exploitation (employers, suppliers, customers)
Environment
Financial deception (taxes not paid)
(CSR) Corporate social responsibility
It means that a company should self- regulate its action and be socially accountable to its
customers, stakeholders and the world at large.
Swot analysis
Simple yet very useful decision-making tool. (Strategic planning)
Strength
Weakness
Opportunities
Threats
Ansoff matrix
Analytical tool that helps managers to choose and device various product and market
growth strategy.
Market penetration
Existing product in existing market
product development
new products in existing markets
market development
existing products in new markets
diversification
new product in new market
related diversification
unrelated (completely new product)
Unit 1.4
Stakeholder
A person, group or an organization that has an interest or concerns in an organization.
They can be affected or affect the organisation/business in terms of their actions, objectives
and policies
Internal stakeholder
are groups within a business or people who work directly within the business. e.g:
employees
managers
shareholders
owners
investors
external stakeholder
are groups outside a business or people who are not directly working within the business
but are affected in some way from the decisions of the business. e.g:
customers
suppliers
creditors
community
trade unions
government
competitors
Unit 1.5
External environment
What’s a steeple?
Social factors
health consciousness
population growth rate
age- distribution
career attitudes
emphasis on safety
technological factors
economic growth
exchange rate
interest rate
inflation rate
political factors
tax policy
employment laws
environment regulations
trade regulations and tariff
political stability
legal factors
legal restrains and regulation
health and safety of employees
ethical factors
discrimination
diversity issues
unit 1.6
Growth and Evolution
economies of scale
A decrease in average cost due to expansion
Diseconomies of scale
An increase in average cost due to expansion
A business can become so large that its unit costs begin to rise. Expanding firms can
experience diseconomies of scale. These include:
ineffective communication
reduced motivation
internal EOS
firm specific
result in declining marginal costs of production
net effect is the same
tend to offer greater competitive advantages than external economies of scale. This
is becau. se an external economy of scale tends to be shared among competitor
firms.
External EOS
occur based on larger changes of the firm
result in declining marginal cop
net effect is the same
having an effect in the whole industry
tends to be shared among competitors firm
internal Dis Eos
Diseconomies of scale are the result of higher unit costs as a firm continues to increase in
size,
The business becomes too big
Inefficient -> average costs begin to rise
Usually occur due to managerial problems.
Managers may lack control and coordination as the span of control
Poorer working relationships in an oversized business
Likely to suffer from the disadvantages of specialisation and division of labour
The amount of bureaucracy (administration, paperwork and company policies)
is also likely to increase
Complacency occur -> reduce productivity thereby raising unit costs of
production
External Dis Eos
Increase in the average costs of production as a firm grows due to factors beyond its
control
Problems that affect the whole industry, often because there are just too many firms
Average costs of production increase for all businesses in the industry
Too many businesses locating in a certain area causes land to become more
scarce thereby increasing market rents.
Since workers have greater choice from a large number of employers in the
local area, businesses might have to offer higher wages and
financial rewards to retain workers or attract new staff. This will increase
costs without necessarily increasing output, thereby raising average costs
of production
Traffic congestion results from too many businesses being located in an area.
Unit 1.7
Organisation planning tool
All businesses, regardless to their size or their legal status need to have a plan on how to
achieve their organizational objectives.
Below are Organizational Tools used by businesses:
1. Fishbone diagram
What is a fishbone diagram analysis? When would you use this planning tool?
A fishbone diagram, also called a cause and effect diagram it is a visualization tool for
categorizing the potential causes of a problem in order to identify its root causes.
. analysis in order to help employees avoid solutions that merely address the symptoms of
a much larger problem.
2. Decision tree
Advantages
Encourages a careful consideration of all alternatives
Sets out a problem clearly
Encourages a logical approach to decision making
Encourages a quantitative consideration of chance
Helps take risk into account when making decisions
Useful when similar scenarios have occurred before, so that good estimates of
probabilities and predicted actual values are available
Useful in tactical or routine decisions rather than strategic decisions
Disadvantages
Hard to get accurate or meaningful data for probabilities
Less useful in the case of completely new problems or one-off strategic problems
Easy for management bias to enter, or for a manager to manipulate the data
Ignores the changing nature of the business environment, which affects the outcome
of decisions
May lead to managers taking less account of qualitative issues
Unit 3 (1,2,3and 7)
Finance and account
Unit 3.1
Sources of finance
Roles of finance in business
Capital expenditure
This is the finance spent on Fixed Assets (assets that are purchased for long-term use and
are not likely to be converted quickly into cash, such as land, buildings, and equipment).
Fixed Assets determine the scale of a firm's operations; they are not intended for resale but
for the purpose of generating money for the business .
Revenue expenditure
Refers to payments for the daily running of a business; wages, raw mat, rent and electricity.
This also includes the payment of indirect costs; insurance and advertising. In order for a
business to generate enough revenue to earn a profit, cost must be controlled.
f
Internal sources of finance
1. Personal funds
Main source of finance for sole trader, partnership
2. Retained profits
Value of profits that the business keep to use within the business
Often use for purchasing and/for upgrading fixed assets
Some might be kept for contingency fund- emergencies
Advantage of using this is that it does not incur any interest charges
3. Sale of assets
Selling unused assets
If a business has chosen to reallocate, then raise finance through selling
of old land, buildings
External source of finance
1. Share capital
Main source of finance for most limited liabilities companies
Money raised by selling shares of the company
2. Loan capital
Limited to lt source of finance from commercial lenders such as bank.
Interest changes are imposed and can be fixed of variable, depending on the
agreement between borrower and lender
The amount borrowed is paid back in instalments over a period (collateral)
Also debentures (lt loans issued by a business)
3. Overdrafts
Allows a business to temporally overdraw on its bank account (taking out more
money than it has in its account.
Commonly used when business has minor cash flow problems
Usually more cost effective than bank loans even though it can demand a
relatively high rate of interest
Provides flexibility for businesses that might occasionally face cash flow
problems
4. Trade credit
Allows the business to buy now pay later
Although a sale is made at the time of purchase, the seller or credit provider
does not receive any cash from the buyer until a later date
5. Grants
The govt grant may be hard to obtain as, it refers to a financial gift
Usually offered to eligible businesses and do not need to be repaid
6. Subsidies
Similar to grants
To reduce cop and provide benefits to the society
7. Debt factoring
A financial service that allows a business to raise funds based on the value own
by its debtors
8. Leasing
Form of hiring whereby a contact s agreed between a leasing company and the
customer
When the lessor grants the lessee the right to its exclusive possession and use
for a specific period of under specified conditions, in return for lease payments
or specified periodic rental
9. Venture capital
Capital invested in a project in which there is a substantial element of risk,
typically a new or expanding business
Venture Capitalists, seek to invest in a small to medium sized businesses that
have high growth potential
10. Business angle
Extremely wealthy individuals who choose to invest their own money in businesses
that offer high growth potential
i.e. high-risk, high-return business ventures
Provide funding for firms that are unable to secure loans from banks and/or too small
to attract the attention of venture capitalists
Likely to take a proactive role in the setting up or running of the business venture
Although business's owner my lose some of its control to the BA, with their wealth of
experience and financial backing, angel investors can be a major advantage to the
survival and success of a new business
Finance
Short term
Medium term
Long term
Advantages of sources of finance
Disadvantage of sources of finance
Unit 3.2
Cost and revenues
Types of cost
1. Fixed cost
Coststhat do not vary with the level of output. They exist even if there is no output,
such as the cost of rent, management salaries and interest payments on bank loans.
2. Variable cost
Cost of production that changes in proportion to the level of output. e.g. Raw
materials and piece-rate earnings of production workers.
3. Semi variable cost
Those that have an element of both FC and VC, e.g. Power and electricity or salaried
staff who also earn commission.
4. Direct costs
Costs specifically attributed to the production or sale of a particular good or service.
This can be traced back to the product and/or to a cost centre.
5. Indirect costs/ overheads
Cost that do not directly link to the production or sale of a specific product eg
rent wages of cleaning staff, and lighting
Costs formulas
TC= TFC + TVC
TVC=AVC*Q
TFC=AFC*Q
Revenue
Sales revenue= price * quantity
Revenue stream
Money coming into a business from its various business activities eg sponsorship deals,
membership deals
1. Advertising revenue
2. Transaction fees
3. Franchise cost and royalties
franchisees pay a fee to the franchisor to purchase the right to use
its brand name, logos and trademarks
The franchisee also pays a royalty payment based on the sales revenue of the
franchised business
4. Sponsorship revenues
It’s a type of below the line promotion
The sponsor financially supports an organization in return for prominent promotional
display of the donors brand trademark
5. Subscription fees
6. Merchandise
Services provided in the entertainment industry (theatres)
7. Dividends
Being shareholder of other companies entitles a business to payments of
any declared dividends.
8. Donations
Financial gifts from individuals or their organisations to a business.
9. Interest earnings
Business can earn interest on their cash deposit at the bank
[Link]
Subsidies offered from the government to certain business to help
reduce their cost of production(cop).
Unit 3.3
Break – even analysis
A business breaks even when neither a profit nor a loss is made
This happens when TR=TC
Break-even is a key objective of new and unestablished firms.
Hence, businesses need to pay careful attention to their cash-
flow situation by monitoring and controlling the money coming into the
business (revenues) and the money leaving the firm (costs).
A business can only survive in the long term if its revenues exceed its costs, i.e. if it
is profitable.
1. LOSS
COP>REVENUE
2. BREAK-EVEN
COP=REVENUE
3. PROFIT
COP<REVENUE
So why is Break-Even analysis needed?
To see whether it is financially worthwhile to produce or launch a particular good
or service
The expected level of profits that the business will earn if all goes according to plan.
CONTRIBUTION
Refers to the sum of money that remains after all direct and variable costs have been taken
away from the sales revenue.
C PER UNIT = PRICE – AVERAGE VARIABLE COST
TOTAL C = (P-AVC)*Q
PROFIT=TC-TFC
Profit can be increased:
Increase sale of the product which raises the TC
Reduce VC , through negotiating better deals with current suppliers or
seeking new suppliers
Reduced FC and overheads perhaps through better financial control
Contribution analysis can help a business to identify products that are
relatively profitable and once that might need more attention.
Several uses of contribution
1. Pricing strategy
2. Product portfolio management
Product with a higher contribution tend to be given precedence(
Product with a lower contribution (replaced by other product)
3. Allocation of overheads to cost and profit centres
Cost allocation done in a fair manner
4. Make-or-buy decisions
Help the business to decide whether it should produce the product or buy it
from the supplier
5. Special order decisions
Customer places order at a price that differs from the normal price charged by
the business.
BREAK EVEN = FIXED COST/CONTRIBUTION PER UNIT
Things to include in a Break Even Graph
1. Y (Revenue) and X (Output) axis
2. Fixed Cost = Basically a straight line when X=0. Y value is the value of FC.
3. TVC = Start from Origin and up
4. TC = MUST start from FC as the origin
5. TR / Revenue = Also start from origin
6. The line where TC and Revenue intersects = BEP
7. Put a dotted line at the Y Axis at where the BEP is all the way down to the X-axis...
and LABEL BEP=???
8. LABEL The BEP ~~ Maximum Output = MOS (Margin of Safety).
Margin Of Safety
Difference between the firms sales volume and the quantity needed to break even
+MOS means the firm makes profit
-MOS means the firm makes loss
The <MOS the safer the firm will be in terms of earning profit
MOS= LEVEL OF DEMAND – BREAK EVEN QUANTITY
Target profit = target revenue(tr) – target cost(tc)
Benefits of BEQ
Unit 3.7
Cash flow
What is cash?
Cash is a current asset needed to pay for daily costs such as wages and electricity charges. If
these are not paid on time, businesses may be eventually result in bankruptcy. Cash is what
a business actually receives from the sale of goods and services - It can be either held ‘in
hand’ (actual cash in the business) or ‘at bank’ (cash held in a bank account).