GCSE Business · Cambridge
Cambridge GCSE Business revision
Every topic of the Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies (0450) specification in order, with notes and practice questions. Subtopics marked free have their notes and questions on this site.
Topic 1: Understanding business activity
There are 8 parts: we start with business purpose, ownership and aims, and finish with stakeholders.
- 1.1Business purpose, ownership and aimsFree 19 questions
- 1.2Adding value, unique selling points and competitive advantage33 questions
- 1.3Enterprise and entrepreneurship: what entrepreneurs do, their characteristics and motivations31 questions
- 1.4Risk and reward, and why businesses succeed or fail36 questions
- 1.5Business plans: purpose, content and sources of support for start-ups33 questions
- 1.6Methods of growth: organic growth, mergers, takeovers and franchisingFree 40 questions
- 1.7Growth in practice: economies and diseconomies of scale, problems of growth, and changing aims and ownership34 questions
- 1.8Stakeholders: roles, interests, conflicts and the impact of business decisions on them49 questions
Topic 2: People in business
There are 5 parts: we start with motivation, and finish with employment patterns and flexible working.
- 2.1Motivation: financial methods (pay, bonuses, commission) and non-financial methods (job enrichment, flexible hours, recognition)39 questions
- 2.2Organisational structures: hierarchy, spans of control, delegation, centralisation, and flat vs tall structuresFree 47 questions
- 2.3Recruitment and selection: job descriptions, person specifications, internal vs external methods and selection techniques32 questions
- 2.4Training, development and staff retention: induction, on-the-job and off-the-job training, and appraisal37 questions
- 2.5Employment patterns and flexible working: full-time, part-time, temporary, zero-hours and remote working, plus employer–employee relations41 questions
Topic 3: Marketing
There are 6 parts: we start with market segmentation, targeting and positioning, and setting marketing objectives, and finish with promotion and place.
- 3.1Market segmentation, targeting and positioning, and setting marketing objectivesFree 42 questions
- 3.2Spotting a business opportunity: customer needs, market research for new ideas and market mapping41 questions
- 3.3Interpreting market data: market size, share and growth calculations, sampling, and reading charts and graphs60 questions
- 3.4Product: design mix, the product life cycle, extension strategies, branding and product portfolio decisions27 questions
- 3.5Price: pricing strategies (penetration, skimming, cost-plus, competitor-based, psychological, promotional) and how they are chosen35 questions
- 3.6Promotion and place: promotional methods, distribution channels and building an integrated marketing mix47 questions
Topic 4: Operations management
There are 7 parts: we start with production processes, and finish with business location, the sales process and customer service.
- 4.1Production processes: job, batch and flow production, labour- vs capital-intensive methodsFree 57 questions
- 4.2Productivity and efficiency: calculating productivity and the impact of technology on output71 questions
- 4.3Stock control and lean production: buffer stock, just-in-time and reading stock-control graphs59 questions
- 4.4Revenue, costs and profit: fixed, variable and total costs, and calculating profit and lossFree 55 questions
- 4.5Break-even analysis: calculating break-even output, drawing break-even charts, margin of safety and its limitations58 questions
- 4.6Quality management: quality control vs quality assurance, the cost of poor quality and its effect on reputation61 questions
- 4.7Business location, the sales process and customer service57 questions
Topic 5: Financial information and decisions
There are 4 parts: we start with sources of finance, and finish with investment appraisal and return on capital.
- 5.1Sources of finance: internal vs external, short- vs long-term, and choosing suitable finance85 questions
- 5.2Cash flow forecasts: constructing and interpreting them, cash vs profit, and ways to improve cash flow50 questions
- 5.3Income statements and profitability: gross profit, net profit and margin calculations, and ways to improve profit39 questions
- 5.4Investment appraisal and return on capital: average rate of return and ROCE71 questions
Topic 6: External influences on business activity
There are 7 parts: we start with the economic climate, and finish with globalisation, imports and exports, and multinational businesses.
- 6.1The economic climate: consumer income, unemployment, inflation, taxation and the economic cycle40 questions
- 6.2Interest rates and exchange rates: effects on costs, demand, importers and exporters59 questions
- 6.3External influences on business19 questions
- 6.4Technology: e-commerce, social media, digital communication and technology in productionFree 57 questions
- 6.5Legislation: consumer, employment, health and safety, equality and competition law36 questions
- 6.6Ethical and environmental considerations: sustainability, pressure groups and the trade-off between profit and responsible behaviour40 questions
- 6.7Globalisation, imports and exports, and multinational businesses: opportunities, threats and trading blocs79 questions