Edexcel A-level Business Year 12 revision

Topic 1.1: Meeting customer needs

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Spotting a business opportunity, and takes it further.

There are 5 parts: we start with the role of marketing, marketing objectives, and product-led vs market-led approaches, and finish with market segmentation, targeting and positioning.

1. 1.1.1The role of marketing, marketing objectives, and product-led vs market-led approachesFree 26 questions
2. 1.1.2Understanding markets: market size, growth, share, mass and niche markets, dynamic markets and market mapping (with calculations)40 questions
3. 1.1.3Market research: primary and secondary, qualitative and quantitative methods31 questions
4. 1.1.4Sampling methods, reliability of research and interpreting marketing data70 questions
5. 1.1.5Market segmentation, targeting and positioning27 questions

Topic 1.2: The market

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Spotting a business opportunity, and takes it further.

There are 3 parts: we start with demand, supply and market equilibrium (diagrams and shifts), and finish with income elasticity of demand.

1. 1.2.1Demand, supply and market equilibrium (diagrams and shifts)32 questions
2. 1.2.2Price elasticity of demand: calculation, interpretation and business uses24 questions
3. 1.2.3Income elasticity of demand: calculation, interpretation and business uses27 questions

Topic 1.3: Marketing mix and strategy

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Making marketing decisions, and takes it further.

There are 8 parts: we start with the marketing mix and marketing strategy, and finish with digital marketing, e-commerce, social media and using data and CRM in marketing.

1. 1.3.1The marketing mix and marketing strategy: integrating the mix and building competitive advantageFree 30 questions
2. 1.3.2Product and service design, differentiation, innovation, USP and branding31 questions
3. 1.3.3The product life cycle and extension strategies23 questions
4. 1.3.4Product portfolio analysis: the Boston Matrix24 questions
5. 1.3.5Pricing strategies: penetration, skimming, cost-plus, competitive, psychological and others33 questions
6. 1.3.6Promotion: methods, promotional mix and branding27 questions
7. 1.3.7Place: distribution channels and retail and wholesale decisions28 questions
8. 1.3.8Digital marketing, e-commerce, social media and using data and CRM in marketing70 questions

Topic 1.4: Managing people

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Making human resource decisions, and takes it further.

There are 10 parts: we start with HR objectives, the role of HR and workforce planning, and finish with employer-employee relations.

1. 1.4.1HR objectives, the role of HR and workforce planningFree 67 questions
2. 1.4.2Recruitment and selection: internal and external methods, job descriptions and person specifications22 questions
3. 1.4.3Training, development and appraisal26 questions
4. 1.4.4Organisational design: structures, span of control, delegation, centralisation, and flexible workforces77 questions
5. 1.4.5Motivation theories: Taylor, Mayo, Maslow and Herzberg26 questions
6. 1.4.6Motivation in practice: financial and non-financial methods31 questions
7. 1.4.7Management roles and functions (including Mintzberg) and the difference between management and leadership29 questions
8. 1.4.8Leadership styles: autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire, the Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum and situational leadership22 questions
9. 1.4.9Measuring HR performance: labour turnover, retention, absenteeism and labour productivity (with calculations)53 questions
10. 1.4.10Employer-employee relations: trade unions, works councils, employee participation and communication32 questions

Topic 1.5: Entrepreneurs and leaders

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Enterprise and entrepreneurship, and takes it further.

There are 5 parts: we start with entrepreneurs, and finish with business ownership and legal forms.

1. 1.5.1Entrepreneurs: role, characteristics, motives and the impact on businessFree 27 questions
2. 1.5.2Risk and reward, innovation, intrapreneurship and moving from entrepreneur to leader30 questions
3. 1.5.3What is business and management decision makingFree 30 questions
4. 1.5.4Scarcity, opportunity cost, added value and the role of business in society46 questions
5. 1.5.5Business ownership and legal forms: sole traders, partnerships, private and public limited companies, liability and incorporation26 questions

Topic 2.1: Raising finance

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Putting a business idea into practice, and takes it further.

There are 2 parts: we start with sources of finance, and finish with business plans and raising start-up finance.

1. 2.1.1Sources of finance: internal and external, short-term and long-term, and choosing between them79 questions
2. 2.1.2Business plans and raising start-up finance25 questions

Topic 2.2: Financial planning

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Making financial decisions, and takes it further.

There are 4 parts: we start with sales forecasting, and finish with budgets.

1. 2.2.1Sales forecasting: trends, moving averages and limitations63 questions
2. 2.2.2Costs, revenue and profit: fixed, variable, direct, indirect, total and average costs37 questions
3. 2.2.3Break-even analysis: calculations, margin of safety, charts and limitations53 questions
4. 2.2.4Budgets: purposes, setting budgets and variance analysis62 questions

Topic 2.3: Managing finance

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Making financial decisions, and takes it further.

There are 6 parts: we start with financial and human resource decisions, and finish with business failure, insolvency and the limitations of financial data.

1. 2.3.1Financial and human resource decisions29 questions
2. 2.3.2Income statements and profit: gross, operating and net profit and profit margins44 questions
3. 2.3.3Improving profit: cost reduction and revenue increase strategies24 questions
4. 2.3.4Cash flow forecasts: construction, interpretation and limitationsFree 61 questions
5. 2.3.5Managing cash flow and liquidity: working capital and ways to improve cash flow61 questions
6. 2.3.6Business failure, insolvency and the limitations of financial data55 questions

Topic 2.4: Resource management

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Making operational decisions, and takes it further.

There are 10 parts: we start with marketing and operational decisions, and finish with economies and diseconomies of scale.

1. 2.4.1Marketing and operational decisions11 questions
2. 2.4.2Operational objectives and the operations process (inputs, processes, outputs; cost, quality, speed, flexibility, environmental targets)Free 57 questions
3. 2.4.3Productivity and efficiency: measuring labour productivity and unit costs, and improving them56 questions
4. 2.4.4Capacity and capacity utilisation: calculation, under- and over-capacity61 questions
5. 2.4.5Production methods (job, batch, flow, cell) and the role of technology in operations42 questions
6. 2.4.6Lean production: waste reduction, kaizen and just-in-time46 questions
7. 2.4.7Inventory management: stock control charts, buffer stock, lead time, JIT vs JIC and bottlenecks48 questions
8. 2.4.8Quality management: quality control, quality assurance, TQM and quality standards51 questions
9. 2.4.9Supply chain management, procurement, outsourcing and supplier relationships50 questions
10. 2.4.10Economies and diseconomies of scale25 questions

Topic 2.5: External influences

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Understanding external influences on business, and takes it further.

There are 5 parts: we start with economic influences, and finish with business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability.

1. 2.5.1Economic influences: interest rates, exchange rates, inflation, unemployment, taxation, economic growth and the business cycle56 questions
2. 2.5.2Legislation and regulation: consumer, employment, health and safety, competition, data protection and environmental law65 questions
3. 2.5.3The competitive environment and competitive advantage30 questions
4. 2.5.4Social, technological and environmental influences on business (PESTLE)27 questions
5. 2.5.5Business ethics, corporate social responsibility and sustainability29 questions

Topic Q: Quantitative skills and exam technique

This topic pulls together the number skills and exam technique you need across the whole course.

We practise percentages, index numbers and data interpretation, then show how to build analysis and evaluation into strong answers.

1. Q.1Quantitative skills: percentages, percentage change, ratios, averages, index numbers and roundingFree 41 questions
2. Q.2Presenting and interpreting data: tables, graphs, charts, trends and time series59 questions
3. Q.3Using quantitative and qualitative data to support business decisions71 questions
4. Q.4Exam technique: command words, case study use, analysis, evaluation and judgement50 questions

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