OCR A-level Business Year 12 revision

Topic 1.1: Types of business, objectives and stakeholders

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Business activity, and takes it further.

There are 9 parts: we start with what is business and management decision making, and finish with influences on decisions.

1. 1.1.1What is business and management decision makingFree 30 questions
2. 1.1.2Scarcity, opportunity cost, added value and the role of business in society46 questions
3. 1.1.3Business ownership and legal forms: sole traders, partnerships, private and public limited companies, liability and incorporation26 questions
4. 1.1.4Franchises, social enterprises, charities, co-operatives and the public sector48 questions
5. 1.1.5Business purpose, mission, aims and objectives (profit, growth, survival, SMART objectives and conflicting objectives)31 questions
6. 1.1.6Mission, corporate objectives, strategy and tactics; the decision-making process and scientific decision making28 questions
7. 1.1.7Stakeholders and shareholders: objectives, influence and the shareholder vs stakeholder concept48 questions
8. 1.1.8Stakeholder mapping (Mendelow) and managing stakeholder conflict20 questions
9. 1.1.9Influences on decisions: ethics, resources, external environment, and the use of data and big data68 questions

Topic 1.2: Entrepreneurs, leadership and business growth

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in Business activity, and takes it further.

There are 5 parts: we start with entrepreneurs, and finish with methods of growth.

1. 1.2.1Entrepreneurs: role, characteristics, motives and the impact on businessFree 27 questions
2. 1.2.2Management roles and functions (including Mintzberg) and the difference between management and leadership29 questions
3. 1.2.3Leadership styles: autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, laissez-faire, the Tannenbaum and Schmidt continuum and situational leadership22 questions
4. 1.2.4Business size: measures of size, why firms stay small and the implications of growthFree 19 questions
5. 1.2.5Methods of growth: organic growth, mergers, takeovers, demergers and joint ventures29 questions

Topic 2: Marketing

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

There are 17 parts: we start with marketing and operational decisions, and finish with digital marketing, e-commerce, social media and using data and CRM in marketing.

1. 2.1Marketing and operational decisions11 questions
2. 2.2The role of marketing, marketing objectives, and product-led vs market-led approachesFree 26 questions
3. 2.3Understanding markets: market size, growth, share, mass and niche markets, dynamic markets and market mapping (with calculations)40 questions
4. 2.4Market research: primary and secondary, qualitative and quantitative methods31 questions
5. 2.5Sampling methods, reliability of research and interpreting marketing data70 questions
6. 2.6Market segmentation, targeting and positioning27 questions
7. 2.7Demand, supply and market equilibrium (diagrams and shifts)32 questions
8. 2.8Price elasticity of demand: calculation, interpretation and business uses24 questions
9. 2.9Income elasticity of demand: calculation, interpretation and business uses27 questions
10. 2.10The marketing mix and marketing strategy: integrating the mix and building competitive advantageFree 30 questions
11. 2.11Product and service design, differentiation, innovation, USP and branding31 questions
12. 2.12The product life cycle and extension strategies23 questions
13. 2.13Product portfolio analysis: the Boston Matrix24 questions
14. 2.14Pricing strategies: penetration, skimming, cost-plus, competitive, psychological and others33 questions
15. 2.15Promotion: methods, promotional mix and branding27 questions
16. 2.16Place: distribution channels and retail and wholesale decisions28 questions
17. 2.17Digital marketing, e-commerce, social media and using data and CRM in marketing70 questions

Topic 3: Operations management

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

There are 9 parts: we start with operational objectives and the operations process (inputs, processes, outputs; cost, quality, speed, flexibility, environmental targets), and finish with economies and diseconomies of scale.

1. 3.1Operational objectives and the operations process (inputs, processes, outputs; cost, quality, speed, flexibility, environmental targets)Free 57 questions
2. 3.2Productivity and efficiency: measuring labour productivity and unit costs, and improving them56 questions
3. 3.3Capacity and capacity utilisation: calculation, under- and over-capacity61 questions
4. 3.4Production methods (job, batch, flow, cell) and the role of technology in operations42 questions
5. 3.5Lean production: waste reduction, kaizen and just-in-time46 questions
6. 3.6Inventory management: stock control charts, buffer stock, lead time, JIT vs JIC and bottlenecks48 questions
7. 3.7Quality management: quality control, quality assurance, TQM and quality standards51 questions
8. 3.8Supply chain management, procurement, outsourcing and supplier relationships50 questions
9. 3.9Economies and diseconomies of scale25 questions

Topic 4: Human resource management

This topic covers human resource management, getting the right people with the right skills, and keeping them motivated.

We plan the workforce, measure HR performance, recruit and train staff, and design the organisation.

Then we compare motivation theories and methods, and look at how employers and employees work together.

1. 4.1HR objectives, the role of HR and workforce planningFree 67 questions
2. 4.2Measuring HR performance: labour turnover, retention, absenteeism and labour productivity (with calculations)53 questions
3. 4.3Recruitment and selection: internal and external methods, job descriptions and person specifications22 questions
4. 4.4Training, development and appraisal26 questions
5. 4.5Organisational design: structures, span of control, delegation, centralisation, and flexible workforces77 questions
6. 4.6Motivation theories: Taylor, Mayo, Maslow and Herzberg26 questions
7. 4.7Motivation in practice: financial and non-financial methods31 questions
8. 4.8Employer-employee relations: trade unions, works councils, employee participation and communication32 questions

Topic 5: Accounting and finance

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

There are 14 parts: we start with financial and human resource decisions, and finish with investment appraisal.

1. 5.1Financial and human resource decisions29 questions
2. 5.2Financial objectives and the role of the finance functionFree 36 questions
3. 5.3Sources of finance: internal and external, short-term and long-term, and choosing between them79 questions
4. 5.4Business plans and raising start-up finance25 questions
5. 5.5Costs, revenue and profit: fixed, variable, direct, indirect, total and average costs37 questions
6. 5.6Break-even analysis: calculations, margin of safety, charts and limitations53 questions
7. 5.7Budgets: purposes, setting budgets and variance analysis62 questions
8. 5.8Cash flow forecasts: construction, interpretation and limitationsFree 61 questions
9. 5.9Managing cash flow and liquidity: working capital and ways to improve cash flow61 questions
10. 5.10Income statements and profit: gross, operating and net profit and profit margins44 questions
11. 5.11Improving profit: cost reduction and revenue increase strategies24 questions
12. 5.12Statement of financial position (balance sheet): assets, liabilities and capital54 questions
13. 5.13Financial ratio analysis: liquidity ratios, ROCE and gearing40 questions
14. 5.14Investment appraisal: payback and average rate of return70 questions

Topic 6: External influences on business

It builds on what you learned at GCSE in 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. 6.1Economic influences: interest rates, exchange rates, inflation, unemployment, taxation, economic growth and the business cycle56 questions
2. 6.2Legislation and regulation: consumer, employment, health and safety, competition, data protection and environmental law65 questions
3. 6.3Social, technological and environmental influences on business (PESTLE)27 questions
4. 6.4The competitive environment and competitive advantage30 questions
5. 6.5Business 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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