Edexcel Business A Level Revision

Globalisation - the process of greater intergration and inter-connectedness between countries Trade liberalisation - Includes the removal or reduction of tariff obstacles such as duties and surcharges and non-tariff obstacles such as licensing rules, quotas and other requirements. Transnational Corporation - A business that is register and operates in more than one country at a time but selling the same products. Migration - The movement of people from one place to another International trade is increasing for a number of reasons: Reduction of international trade barriers/trade liberalisation Reduced cost of transport and communication Increased significance of transnational corporations Increased investment flows Migration within and between economies Growth of the global labour force Structural Change REDUCTION OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE BARRIERS/TRADE LIBERALISATION Countries impose trade barriers for many reasons. They include protecting local jobs, allowing new i...

Growth - A common corporate objective which means expanding the sales revenue of a business, probably in the hope that profits will increase too. Diseconomies of scale - occurs when a business grows so large that the costs per unit increase. As output rises, it is not inevitable that unit costs will fall. (UNIT COSTS RISING AS WELL OUTPUT RISING) When a business expands, they expect economies of scale, but are often shocked to find that they are outweighed by diseconomies. Diseconomies of scale can occur due to: POOR INTERNAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND ALONG THE CHAIN OF COMMAND - the more layers there are in the business hierarchy and the wider the spans of control for managers, the greater the risks of workers receiving unclear instructions about what they are supposed to do. POOR EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION - which is where workers can feel more isolated or alienated and less appreciated in a larger business so their loyalty and productivity may red...

A strong culture - is one which is deeply embedded into the ways a business or organisation does things. With a strong culture, employees and management understand what is required of them and they will try to act in accordance with the core values. A weak culture - can arise when the core values are not clearly defined, communicated or widely accepted by those working for the organisation.  It can also occur if there is little alignment between the way things are done and the espoused values. This can lead to inconsistent behaviour of people in the organisation which in turn results in inconsistent customer experiences! Strong Culture Weak Culture Staff respond positively to culture values Little alignment with culture values Shared sense of responsibility towards vision, mission and objectives Employees have to be forced to perform duties Motivated and loyal workforce Greater management control...

Corporate culture - The values, beliefs and standards shared by people and groups within an organisation. These will impact on the way that people within the organisation interact with each other and with other stakeholders. "The way we do things around here" - Charles Handy The culture of a business is reflected in many ways, e.g; How employees are recruited - the cultural factors that make one applicant more suitable than another  The way that visitors and guests are looked after How the working space is organised The degree of delegation and individual responsibility (effects decision making) How long new employees stay in a business (retention) How contracts are negotiated and agreed The personality and style of the sales force The responsiveness of communication (impacts staff motivation) The methods used for communication (impacts staff motivation) How staff address each other (first name, last name etc) The speed in which decisions are made (effects de...

In terms of approaches to how management view human resources, a popular distinction is made between treating staff as an asset ("soft" HRM) and treating them as a cost ("hard" HRM). Staff as an Asset (SOFT HRM) ▪ Treats employees as the most important resource in the business and a source of competitive advantage. ▪ Employees are treated as individuals and then needs our plan accordingly. FOCUS = Concentrate on the needs of the employees - their roles, rewards, motivation etc Staff as a Cost (HARD HRM) ▪Treats employees simply as a resource of the business. ▪ Strong links with corporate business planning - what resources do we need, how do we get them and how much will they costs FOCUS = Identify workforce needs of the business and recruit and manage accordingly ( hiring, moving and firing) KEY FEATURES TO SOFT AND HARD HRM SOFT HRM Strategic focus on longer-term workforce planning Strong and regular two way communication Competi...