Key term
AQA GCSE Business 8132
Business in the Real World
Topic overviewWhat a business is and why people start oneGoods, services, needs, wants and factors of productionBusiness sectors, entrepreneurs and a changing business environmentSole traders, partnerships, limited companies and not-for-profit organisationsBusiness aims and objectivesWhy business objectives differ and changeStakeholders and their influence on businessesFactors affecting business locationBusiness planning and basic financial termsExpanding a business and economies of scale
Influences on Business
Business Operations
Human Resources
Marketing
Topic overviewIdentifying and satisfying customer needsMarket segmentationPurpose of market research and primary and secondary researchMarket research methods and interpreting findingsPricing methods and factors affecting priceNew products, USP, brand image and the Boston MatrixProduct life cycle and extension strategiesPromotional methods and the promotional mixChannels of distribution, e-commerce and m-commerceThe integrated marketing mix
Business Operations
- 5 subtopics
- 15 things to know
- Paper 1
What Business Operations covers
Business Operations is examined in Paper 1, Influences of operations and HRM on business activity. It covers job, flow and lean production, managing stock: just in time and just in case, suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chains, quality control, quality assurance and TQM and customer service and the sales process.
Where it is assessed
Paper 1
Influences of operations and HRM on business activity, 50% of the GCSE.
Check the AQA specification ↗The 5 subtopics
Each one has its own page.
- Job, flow and lean productionJob and flow production with their advantages and drawbacks, when each suits a business, labour productivity worked through a bakery example, lean production, just in time and kaizen.Open →
- Managing stock: just in time and just in caseJust in case stock and buffer stock, the costs of holding stock, how just in time works and depends on suppliers, lost bulk-buying discounts, and cases from sandwich shops to hospitals.Open →
- Suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chainsProcurement and logistics, choosing suppliers on price, quality and reliability, lowering unit costs, balancing cost against service, supply chains, and what happens when one link fails.Open →
- Quality control, quality assurance and TQMWhat customers expect of goods and services, identifying and measuring quality, quality control against quality assurance, total quality management, product recalls, and quality problems as a business grows.Open →
- Customer service and the sales processThe stages of the sales process, product knowledge, customer engagement, post-sales services, loyalty, the damage done by poor service and word of mouth, and service through websites and social media.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Evaluation
What is job production, and what are its advantages?
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What are the drawbacks of job production, and what is flow production?
Evaluation
What are the advantages and disadvantages of flow production?
Process
What are the main stages of the sales process?
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What is stock?
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What is procurement?
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What does quality mean in business?
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What is just in case (JIC) stock control?
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What is logistics?
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What do customers expect from the quality of a manufactured good?
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What is buffer stock?
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What is a supplier?
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What do customers expect from the quality of a service?
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What is customer service?
Take Business Operations further
The same content, four other ways.
Commonly confused
Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.
Job production vs Flow production
Job production: making one-off products to each customer's order. Flow production: making identical products continuously on an assembly line.
Just in time vs Just in case
Just in time: ordering supplies to arrive only when needed. Just in case: holding spare buffer stock for unexpected demand.
Quality control vs Quality assurance
Quality control: inspecting finished products to find faults. Quality assurance: checking at every stage to prevent faults occurring.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What is job production?
Model answer
Job production is making one-off products, each to a customer's own requirements. A wedding dress or a made-to-measure kitchen is an example.
- 2
What are the advantages of job production?
Model answer
Each product meets the customer's exact needs, so a high price can be charged. Skilled, varied work on each item can also motivate staff.
- 3
What are the disadvantages of job production?
Model answer
Job production is slow and needs highly skilled, well-paid workers. Unit costs are high because there are few economies of scale.
- 4
What is flow production?
Model answer
Flow production is making large quantities of identical products on a continuous production line. Cars and soft drinks are made this way.
- 5
What are the advantages of flow production?
Model answer
Output is high and unit costs are low because of economies of scale. Machines can work continuously with little skilled labour.
- 6
What are the disadvantages of flow production?
Model answer
A production line needs a large investment in machinery at the start. Repetitive work can bore staff, and one breakdown can halt the whole line.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Business Operations revision questions
- What does Business Operations cover in AQA GCSE Business?
- 5 subtopics: job, flow and lean production, managing stock: just in time and just in case, suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chains, quality control, quality assurance and tqm and customer service and the sales process. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Business Operations organised?
- By the AQA 8132 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Business Operations, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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