AQA Business for A Level (Marcousé) Answer Guide

Ian Marcousé is a former Chief Examiner as well as bestselling Business author. He launched the A-Z brand and has published several successful books as well as editing Business Review magazine.

• Section 1: What is Business?Chapter 1: Understanding the nature and purpose of businessChapter 2: Different business formsChapter 3: Issues in understanding different business formsChapter 4: Understanding that businesses operate within an external environmentSection 2: Managers, leadership and decision-makingChapter 5: What managers doChapter 6: Types of management and leadership styles and their effectivenessChapter 7: Understanding management decision-makingChapter 8: Decision treesChapter 9: Opportunity costChapter 10: Understanding the role and importance of stakeholdersSection 3: Decision-making to improve marketing performanceChapter 11: Marketing and decision-makingChapter 12: Marketing and competitivenessChapter 13: Setting marketing objectivesChapter 14: Understanding marketsChapter 15: Market research and samplingChapter 16: The interpretation of marketing dataChapter 17: Price and income elasticity of demandChapter 18: Market data and analysisChapter 19: Segmentation, targeting and positioningChapter 20: Niche and mass marketingChapter 21: Marketing mix: 7PsChapter 22: Product decisions: product life cycle and product portfolioChapter 23: Pricing decisionsChapter 24: Place and promotion decisionsChapter 25: Integrating the marketing mixSection 4: Decision-making to improve operational performanceChapter 26: Setting operational objectivesChapter 27: Efficiency and labour productivityChapter 28: Lean productionChapter 29: Capacity utilisationChapter 30: Technology and operational efficiencyChapter 31: Analysing operational performanceChapter 32: Improving qualityChapter 33: Managing supply chainsChapter 34: Managing inventoryChapter 35: Decision-making to improve operational performanceSection 5: Decision-making to improve financial performanceChapter 36: Financial objectivesChapter 37: Calculating revenue, costs and profitChapter 38: Break-even analysisChapter 39: Cash flow managementChapter 40: Budgets and budgetingChapter 41: Profit and how to increase itChapter 42: Cash flow versus profitChapter 43: Sources of financeChapter 44: Decision-making to improve financial performanceSection 6: Decision-making to improve human resource performanceChapter 45: Setting human resource objectivesChapter 46: Motivation and engagement in theoryChapter 47: Motivation and engagement in practiceChapter 48: Improving organisational designChapter 49: Managing the human resource flowChapter 50: Improving employer–employee relationsChapter 51: Analysing human resource performanceChapter 52: Decision-making and improved HR performanceSection 7: Analysing the strategic position of a businessChapter 53: Influences on the mission of a businessChapter 54: Corporate objectives, strategy & tacticsChapter 55: The impact of strategic decision making on functional decision makingChapter 56: The value of SWOT analysisChapter 57: Financial objectives and constraintsChapter 58: Balance sheets and income statementsChapter 59: Financial ratio analysisChapter 60: Value and limitations of financial ratiosChapter 61: How to analyse data other than financial statementsChapter 62: Assessing short- and long-term performanceChapter 63: Different measures of assessing business performanceChapter 64: Changes in the political and legal environmentChapter 65: The impact of government policyChapter 66: The impact of changes in the economic environmentChapter 67: Globalisation and emerging economiesChapter 68: The impact of social changeChapter 69: The social environment including CSRChapter 70: Technological changeChapter 71: The competitive environmentChapter 72: Analysing strategic optionsChapter 73: Investment appraisalChapter 74: Sensitivity analysisSection 8: Choosing strategic directionChapter 75: Strategic direction: Ansoff’s matrixChapter 76: Competitive advantageChapter 77: Strategic positioningSection 9: Strategic methods: how to pursue strategiesChapter 78: Growth and retrenchmentChapter 79: Economies and diseconomies of scaleChapter 80: Methods and types of growthChapter 81: InnovationChapter 82: Becoming an innovative organisationChapter 83: Protecting innovative ideasChapter 84: Reasons for trading internationallyChapter 85: Attractiveness of international marketsChapter 86: China and IndiaChapter 87: Targeting overseas marketsChapter 88: Managing international businessChapter 89: Digital technologySection 10: Managing strategic changeChapter 90: Causes and value of changeChapter 91: The flexible organisationChapter 92: Barriers to changeChapter 93: Organisational cultureChapter 94: Strategic implementationChapter 95: Network analysis and strategic implementationChapter 96: Problems with strategyChapter 97: Understanding assessment objectivesChapter 98: Tackling data response questionsChapter 99: How to revise for business exams