AQA A-level Business Year 13 revision

Topic 1.1: Analysing the strategic position: mission, objectives and internal position

It builds on what you learned at AS in What is business? and Decision making to improve financial performance, and takes it further.

There are 10 parts: we start with analysing the strategic position, and finish with business ethics in strategic decision-making.

1. 1.1.1Analysing the strategic positionFree 14 questions
2. 1.1.2Mission, corporate objectives, strategy and tactics30 questions
3. 1.1.3SWOT analysis and assessing the strategic position23 questions
4. 1.1.4Profitability and liquidity ratiosFree 48 questions
5. 1.1.5Gearing, ROCE and efficiency ratios46 questions
6. 1.1.6Investor ratios: dividend per share, dividend yield, dividend cover and P/E23 questions
7. 1.1.7Interpreting published accounts and the limitations of ratio analysis55 questions
8. 1.1.8Shareholders and stakeholders: influence and conflict in strategic decisionsFree 33 questions
9. 1.1.9Corporate social responsibility and strategy30 questions
10. 1.1.10Business ethics in strategic decision-making33 questions

Topic 1.2: Analysing the strategic position: the external environment and competition

It builds on what you learned at AS in What is business?, and takes it further.

There are 8 parts: we start with political and legal influences on strategy, and finish with risk, uncertainty and scenario planning.

1. 1.2.1Political and legal influences on strategyFree 26 questions
2. 1.2.2Economic influences: growth, inflation, unemployment, interest rates and the business cycle49 questions
3. 1.2.3Government economic policy: fiscal, monetary and supply-side37 questions
4. 1.2.4Social and demographic influences30 questions
5. 1.2.5Technological change and digital disruption26 questions
6. 1.2.6Environmental influences and sustainability29 questions
7. 1.2.7Porter's Five Forces and competitor analysis35 questions
8. 1.2.8Risk, uncertainty and scenario planning33 questions

Topic 1.3: Analysing the strategic position: investment appraisal and decision making

It builds on what you learned at AS in Managers, leadership and decision making, and takes it further.

There are 4 parts: we start with investment appraisal, and finish with data-driven versus intuitive strategic decision-making.

1. 1.3.1Investment appraisal: payback and average rate of returnFree 62 questions
2. 1.3.2Investment appraisal: net present value and discounting57 questions
3. 1.3.3Decision trees and expected values28 questions
4. 1.3.4Data-driven versus intuitive strategic decision-making77 questions

Topic 2: Choosing strategic direction

It builds on what you learned at AS in Decision making to improve marketing performance, and takes it further.

There are 6 parts: we start with strategic direction and methods, and finish with retrenchment, divestment and turnaround strategies.

1. 2.1Strategic direction and methods14 questions
2. 2.2Ansoff's matrix: choosing products and marketsFree 73 questions
3. 2.3Porter's generic strategies31 questions
4. 2.4Bowman's strategic clock27 questions
5. 2.5Functional strategies: operational, financial, marketing and HR27 questions
6. 2.6Retrenchment, divestment and turnaround strategies28 questions

Topic 3: Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies

It builds on what you learned at AS in Decision making to improve operational performance, and takes it further.

There are 14 parts: we start with changing scale, and finish with global competition and competitive strategy.

1. 3.1Changing scale: economies and diseconomies of scaleFree 31 questions
2. 3.2Organic (internal) growth27 questions
3. 3.3External growth: mergers, takeovers and acquisitions23 questions
4. 3.4Joint ventures, strategic alliances and franchising27 questions
5. 3.5Reasons for staying small and Greiner's growth model51 questions
6. 3.6Innovation strategies: R&D, product and process innovation31 questions
7. 3.7Digital technology and e-commerce strategies34 questions
8. 3.8Operational strategies: lean production, outsourcing, offshoring and location39 questions
9. 3.9Globalisation: causes, growth and impact on businessFree 47 questions
10. 3.10Exchange rates and international trade72 questions
11. 3.11Assessing a country as a market25 questions
12. 3.12Assessing a country as a production location52 questions
13. 3.13Global marketing mix and cultural differencesFree 68 questions
14. 3.14Global competition and competitive strategy69 questions

Topic 4: Managing strategic change

It builds on what you learned at AS in Decision making to improve human resource performance, and takes it further.

There are 8 parts: we start with managing change and global business, and finish with strategic implementation, problems with strategy and corporate failure.

1. 4.1Managing change and global business52 questions
2. 4.2Causes of change: internal and external, planned and unplannedFree 28 questions
3. 4.3Lewin's force field analysis and model of change68 questions
4. 4.4Resistance to change and Kotter and Schlesinger20 questions
5. 4.5Organisational culture: Handy and Hofstede29 questions
6. 4.6Organisational structure and structural change28 questions
7. 4.7Leadership and the management of strategic change36 questions
8. 4.8Strategic implementation, problems with strategy and corporate failure38 questions

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