AQA GCSE Business revision

Topic 1: Business in the real world

There are 9 parts: we start with enterprise and entrepreneurship, and finish with growth in practice.

1. 1.1Enterprise and entrepreneurship: what entrepreneurs do, their characteristics and motivations31 questions
2. 1.2Business purpose, ownership and aimsFree 19 questions
3. 1.3Risk and reward, and why businesses succeed or fail36 questions
4. 1.4Spotting a business opportunity: customer needs, market research for new ideas and market mapping41 questions
5. 1.5Adding value, unique selling points and competitive advantage33 questions
6. 1.6Stakeholders: roles, interests, conflicts and the impact of business decisions on them49 questions
7. 1.7Business plans: purpose, content and sources of support for start-ups33 questions
8. 1.8Methods of growth: organic growth, mergers, takeovers and franchisingFree 40 questions
9. 1.9Growth in practice: economies and diseconomies of scale, problems of growth, and changing aims and ownership34 questions

Topic 2: Influences on business

There are 8 parts: we start with external influences on business, and finish with the competitive environment.

1. 2.1External influences on business19 questions
2. 2.2Technology: e-commerce, social media, digital communication and technology in productionFree 57 questions
3. 2.3Ethical and environmental considerations: sustainability, pressure groups and the trade-off between profit and responsible behaviour40 questions
4. 2.4The economic climate: consumer income, unemployment, inflation, taxation and the economic cycle40 questions
5. 2.5Interest rates and exchange rates: effects on costs, demand, importers and exporters59 questions
6. 2.6Globalisation, imports and exports, and multinational businesses: opportunities, threats and trading blocs79 questions
7. 2.7Legislation: consumer, employment, health and safety, equality and competition law36 questions
8. 2.8The competitive environment: competitors, market structure, price and non-price competition, and responding to competition37 questions

Topic 3: Business operations

There are 7 parts: we start with operations and human resources, and finish with business location, the sales process and customer service.

1. 3.1Operations and human resourcesFree 47 questions
2. 3.2Production processes: job, batch and flow production, labour- vs capital-intensive methodsFree 57 questions
3. 3.3Productivity and efficiency: calculating productivity and the impact of technology on output71 questions
4. 3.4Stock control and lean production: buffer stock, just-in-time and reading stock-control graphs59 questions
5. 3.5Supply chains, procurement and managing supplier relationships69 questions
6. 3.6Quality management: quality control vs quality assurance, the cost of poor quality and its effect on reputation61 questions
7. 3.7Business location, the sales process and customer service57 questions

Topic 4: Human resources

There are 5 parts: we start with organisational structures, and finish with employment patterns and flexible working.

1. 4.1Organisational structures: hierarchy, spans of control, delegation, centralisation, and flat vs tall structuresFree 47 questions
2. 4.2Recruitment and selection: job descriptions, person specifications, internal vs external methods and selection techniques32 questions
3. 4.3Motivation: financial methods (pay, bonuses, commission) and non-financial methods (job enrichment, flexible hours, recognition)39 questions
4. 4.4Training, development and staff retention: induction, on-the-job and off-the-job training, and appraisal37 questions
5. 4.5Employment patterns and flexible working: full-time, part-time, temporary, zero-hours and remote working, plus employer–employee relations41 questions

Topic 5: Marketing

There are 6 parts: we start with marketing and finance, and finish with promotion and place.

1. 5.1Marketing and finance41 questions
2. 5.2Market segmentation, targeting and positioning, and setting marketing objectivesFree 42 questions
3. 5.3Interpreting market data: market size, share and growth calculations, sampling, and reading charts and graphs60 questions
4. 5.4Product: design mix, the product life cycle, extension strategies, branding and product portfolio decisions27 questions
5. 5.5Price: pricing strategies (penetration, skimming, cost-plus, competitor-based, psychological, promotional) and how they are chosen35 questions
6. 5.6Promotion and place: promotional methods, distribution channels and building an integrated marketing mix47 questions

Topic 6: Finance

There are 6 parts: we start with sources of finance, and finish with investment appraisal and return on capital.

1. 6.1Sources of finance: internal vs external, short- vs long-term, and choosing suitable finance85 questions
2. 6.2Cash flow forecasts: constructing and interpreting them, cash vs profit, and ways to improve cash flow50 questions
3. 6.3Revenue, costs and profit: fixed, variable and total costs, and calculating profit and lossFree 55 questions
4. 6.4Break-even analysis: calculating break-even output, drawing break-even charts, margin of safety and its limitations58 questions
5. 6.5Income statements and profitability: gross profit, net profit and margin calculations, and ways to improve profit39 questions
6. 6.6Investment appraisal and return on capital: average rate of return and ROCE71 questions

Topic I: Interdependence and exam skills

We will go through it step by step.

1. I.1Interdependence of business functions: how operations, HR, marketing and finance decisions affect one another, plus case-study and exam skills44 questions

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