Key term
WJEC A-Level Business 601-5238-2
Enterprise and Starting a Business
Markets and Market Research
Topic overviewTypes of marketMarket size, market share and market trendsMarket segmentationThe degree of competition in a marketPerfect competition and monopolistic competitionOligopoly and monopolyConsumer protectionDemand and the demand curveSupply and the supply curveMarket equilibrium and changes in price and quantityPrice and income elasticity of demandInferior, normal and luxury goodsThe value of market researchPrimary market researchSecondary market researchQualitative and quantitative dataSampling and avoiding bias
Marketing
Topic overviewMarket orientation, product orientation and asset-led marketingThe marketing mixProduct and the product portfolioBranding, USP and differentiationThe product life cycleExtension strategiesThe product life cycle and cash flowThe Boston matrixPricing strategiesChoosing the right pricing strategyPromotion: above the line and below the linePlace and distribution channelsThe marketing mix in different contexts and global marketingNew technology in marketing
People in Business
Topic overviewThe flexible workforceNew technology and changing working practicesWorkforce planningThe recruitment process, job analysis and job descriptionsInternal and external recruitmentMethods of selectionTrainingAppraisalLabour productivity, absenteeism and labour turnoverOrganisational design and structuresDelegation, empowerment and delayeringMotivation theoriesFinancial and non-financial methods of motivationManagement and management by objectivesLeadership styles and theoriesEmployment rights, duties and equal opportunitiesTrade unions, conflict and dispute resolution
Operations Management
Topic overviewAdded valueJob, batch and flow productionChoosing the right method of productionProductivityCapacity utilisationNew technology in operationsLean production and kaizenJust-in-time and cell productionQuality control and quality assuranceTotal quality managementStock control and stock control diagramsPurchasing and working with suppliersInnovation, research and developmentInternal economies of scaleExternal economies of scaleDiseconomies of scale and the survival of small firms
Business Finance and Accounts
Topic overviewInternal sources of financeLoans, overdrafts and trade creditShare capital and venture capitalLeasing and debt factoringChoosing an appropriate source of financeFinance for entrepreneurs and SMEs in WalesRevenue, costs and profitTypes of costContribution and break-evenBreak-even charts and the margin of safetyBudgets and budgetingCash flow forecastingImproving cash flowThe income statementGross and net profit margins
Business Analysis and Decision-Making
Topic overviewPrice and income elasticity of demandSales forecasting and its reliabilityMoving averages and time-series analysisCorrelation, scatter graphs and extrapolationPresenting and interpreting data: pie charts, histograms and index numbersQualitative forecasting techniquesBudgets and budget variancesThe balance sheetWorking capital, capital employed and depreciationLiquidity ratios: the current ratio and the acid testReturn on capital employed and gearingInterpreting and comparing company accountsNon-financial measures and vision statementsDecision treesCritical path analysisCost benefit analysis and scientific decision-makingPayback period and average rate of returnNet present value and discounted cash flowSpecial orders and contribution
Strategy and Implementation
Topic overviewAims and objectivesSMART objectivesMission and vision statementsCorporate, divisional and functional strategyStrategy, tactics and corporate plansSWOT analysisPorter's Five ForcesThe Ansoff matrixOrganic growthMergers and takeoversHorizontal and vertical integrationFranchising as a method of growthLocation and relocation decisionsRationalisation and outsourcing production
Managing Change and Risk
Topic overviewInternal and external causes of changePlanned and unplanned changeThe effects of change on a businessManaging change effectivelyStorey's four approaches to managing changeResistance to changeLewin's three step processOrganisational culture and leadership in changeEvaluating the management of changeThe risks a business facesRisk assessment and preventative actionInsurable and uninsurable risksContingency planning and crisis management
The External Environment
Operations Management
Lean production and kaizen
- 3 things to know
- AS Unit 2
Overview
Lean production, kaizen group or quality circle and time-based management.
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
Your recallNot started
Key term
What is meant by lean production?
Key term
What is kaizen?
Questions from this subtopic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is meant by lean production?
Model answer
Lean production is an approach to operations that aims to produce more using less of everything, by systematically removing every activity that does not add value for the customer.
- 2
Name four types of waste that lean production sets out to remove.
Model answer
It targets waste of time waiting, waste of materials through defects, waste of space through excess stock, and waste of effort through unnecessary movement and transport.
- 3
What is kaizen?
Model answer
Kaizen is continuous improvement: a programme of small, frequent changes suggested and made by employees themselves rather than occasional large reorganisations.
- 4
Why is kaizen described as bottom-up improvement?
Model answer
The ideas come from the people actually doing the work, who see the small obstructions and wasted movements that managers watching from a distance never notice.
- 5
What is a kaizen group or quality circle?
Model answer
It is a small group of employees who meet regularly to identify problems in their own area of work and propose and test improvements.
- 6
Give three benefits of kaizen to a business.
Model answer
Improvements cost very little to implement, employees are motivated by seeing their own ideas adopted, and the accumulated small gains produce a large improvement over time.
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