Opportunity Cost:
Cost of next best
alternative. What
would you do with
time, money &
expertise otherwise?
Government
Support
Early Stages, Small
Business =
Vulnerable... Failure
Government Grant:
Local & Central Gov.
Usually given out for;
Innovation, Research
& Development -
Training - Economic
Regeneration -
Encouraging Youths
*Also Support
on the
internet!*
Stakeholder: Individual/group
with an interest to the
business. inc. employees,
management, shareholders,
customers, suppliers &
competitors.
Dis: Little/No Expertise - prone to mistakes, Is it a real gap?
- Has it been done & failed?, Competition enters quickly.
Brainstorming:
Process for
generating
innovative and
creative ideas
through
open-ended
group discussion
Ad: Good knowledge of product, passion/interest of
product = motivation, contacts = established
market, entrepreneur have a reputation in market?
Dis: Competition?, Passion may cause
overestimation of market, need entrepreneurial
skills as well as product knowledge
Researching
Business Ideas
Business/
Telephone
Directory
Local maps
to locate
local
competition
Small scale
research -
questionnaires
/interviews
Market mapping -
Identify market
segments
Protecting a Business Idea
Copyright
Protection given to
books, plays, films
and music
Patent
Exclusive right
to produce a
product usually
fixed period of
time - up to 20
years
Trademark
Word, image, sound
and smell enabling a
business to
differentiate itself from
it's competitors
Franchising
Franchise: Form of business
contract which the franchisor
agrees to sell to the
franchisee the rights to use
their name, logo and trading
methods
Franchisor: The business
selling the franchise
agreement to the
franchisee
Franchisee:
Entrepreneur who buys
the franchise agreement
from the franchisor
Franchisor
Advantages:
Expand quickly,
Limited risk -
Revenue is
certain - Turnover
not Profit, Risk is
shared - cost met
by franchisee,
Franchisee doing
work and earning
for the franchisor
Disadvantage: Loss of
control on how the product
is presented to the
customer, Difficult to
control quality as franchise
network expands,
Coordination and
communication problems
increase as franchise
grows, Franchisees become
powerful as they acquire a
number of franchises
Franchisee
Advantages: Ability to
sell an already
established
product/service, can
take advantage of
central services for
FREE e.g. marketing,
purchasing, training,
stock control,
accounting systems
and administration
Disadvantages:
Proportion of
revenue to
franchisor, may
not feel like it's
their own so
won't benefit
from the personal
rewards, rules
MUST be followed
Resources in Goods & Services
Business Inputs & Outputs
Inputs: Contributing to the
production of a product/service
Outputs: Occurs as a result of the
transformation of business outputs
Primary Production:
1st stage of resources
extraction - land &
raw materials
Secondary Production:
Resources transformation
to produce finished goods
& components - car
manufacture
Tertiary Production:
Transformation of resources
to provide a service - service
sector (inc. retailing)
Adding Value
Added Value:
Difference in value
between price of
final product and
cost of materials
Advertising
Branding
Product Features
Location
Personal
Service
Reducing
Input Cost
Differentiation
from
Competition
Charging
Higher
Price
Reducing
Sensitivity of
Demand
Higher Profit Margins
Targeting
product/service at
different market
segment
Business Plans
Business Plan: A
written document
describing the nature
of the business, it's
objectives, marketing
strategy,and
projected cash flow
forecast and income
statement.
Contents
Executive
Summary
Business
Description
Start Date
(New-businesses) or
how long it's been
trading
History/
previous
owners
Type of
business &
sector of the
market
Legal
Structure
Entrepreneur's
Vision
Product/
Service
How is it
different from
competition?
Benefits of
customers will gain
Plans for further
development
Info on business
protection
Strategy & Implentation
Pricing
Promotion
Sales
Strategies
Production
Strategies
Location of
production
(ownership,
ads &dis)
Production
(owned/leased, age,
capacity in relation to
forecast demand)
Systems (stock
control, quality
control, financial
management &
IT)
Market
Analysis
The
market
(Size &
Growth)
The
Competition
(Who,
Strength's &
Weaknesses)
The
Future
(Market
Change &
Response)
The
Customer
(Who &
Where)
Management
Team
Financial
Plan
Purposes
Future
Planning
Identify
Action
Needed
Setting
Objectives
Performance
can be
measured
Limitations - They often
prove unrealistic for small
businesses for the
following reasons
Time
Consuming
Money:
Time &
Advice
Expertise -
Entrepreneur
may not
know
enough
Opportunity
Cost
Importance
Level?
Sources of Help
Small Business
Advisers
Accountants
Bank
Managers
Government
Agencies
Market
Research
Market Research: Process
of gathering, analysing
and interpreting data
about a market
Quantitive and Qualitative Data
Quantitative: Numerical
Data. Collected in larger
scales - generate statistic
results. e.g. 8/10 People...
Questionaire
Telephone/Online
Survey's
Qualitative: Data about
feelings, opinions &
attitudes. Why do people
behave/feel the way they do?
In-depth Interview
Group Discussions
e.g. Focus Groups
Primary: (Field) -
Collected directly for
purposes of the business
- doesn't already exist
Sampling
Random Sample: One in which
each potential member of a
group has an equal chance of
being in the sample.
Quota Sample: The sample
of a certain number of
people is taken from one
specific group of the
population, for example
100 females.
Stratified Sample: The population is divided
into groups with common characteristics, for
example, people earning over £100,000, and a
sample is randomly selected from this group.
Factors Affecting Choice
Finance
Nature of
Product
Level
of Risk
Target
Market
Methods
Observation
IT
Written
Questionnaire
Face-to-face
Questionnaire
Telephone &
Online Surveys
Focus
Groups
Test Marketing
Disadvantages
Expensive
Difficult -
Accurate
Inaccuracy =
Inappropriate
Decisions
Lack of
skills/time
Secondary: (Desk) -
Already in existence
- Collected from
existing research
Internally
Sales
Figures
Stock
Records
Geographical
Analysis
Financial
Records
Customer
Opinions
Customer
Complaints
Externally
Telephone Book/
Yellow Pages
Trade Associations
Enterprise
Agencies
Business
Link -
Government
Help
Organisation
Competition
Trade Press
Larger
Scale
Government Publications
e.g.nationalstatisticsonline
National: Geographically
dispersed market where
customers are spread
over a large area
Electronic: Doesn't
have a physical
presence - exists as a
virtual presence via
the internet. Many
business moved
from 'brick to click'
Analysis
Size: Measurement of the size of
total sales for a whole market -
expressed in terms of the value of
sales (currency) or volume (units).
Segment: Group of consumers within a larger market
who have similar characteristics such as age/income level.
Segmentation: Technique where the market is broken
down into smaller sections with similar characteristics.
Demographic - Breaks market into customers
characteristics. e.g. age, income levels,
gender, ethnicity & socio-economic groups.
Geographic: Lifestyle, Personality,
Regional, National etc.
Growth: Measurement of the change in market size.
Usually expressed as a percentage of it's original size.
Share: Proportion of a
total market
accounted for by one
product or company.
Demand: Quantity of a
product that customers are
willing & able to buy at a give
price over a curtain time.
Marketing: Often a positive relationship
between advertising expenditure &
other forms of marketing & demand
Seasonal Demand: Important for
products such as clothing & energy.
Less important for food & customer
services etc.
Legal Structure
Sole Traders
Unincorporated
Owned, controlled
& financed by 1
Partnership
Unincorporated
Owned, controlled
& financed by 2
Private Limited
Incorporated
Owned, controlled &
financed by at least 1
shareholder *LL
Public Limited (PLC)
Incorporated
Minimum of 2 but no
maximum shareholders *LL
Social
Enterprise
*Main objective
isn't profit.*
Benefits inc.
Motivation,
Society, Easier to
recruit & retain,
grants& other
finance available
Drawbacks. Profitability &
social aims may conflict,
entrepreneur takes lower
return - proportion go to
social aim.
Franchise
Business which has
brought the right to trade
as an established brand
Limited Liability (*LL) - The owners liability is limited
to the amount they have invested to the business.
Unlimited Liability - Owners are personally liable for
all debts incurred by the business.
Seperation of ownership & control: Situation where
owners are not the same as those controlling day-day
(Managers). Therefore each have different objective
for the business.
Finance
Internal - Finances raised from
within the business. e,g,owner's
savings, retained earnings/profit
& income from sale of assets.
Personal - Ad. No ad. costs, confidence & no interference.
Dis. Opportunity cost, limited finance = limited purchases,
entrepreneur could loose everything, borrowing from
friend/family causes strains if not successful.
External - Those outside
the business. e.g. banks &
shareholders
Bank Loan - Good
source of finance for
assets e.g. machinery
& equipment & other
start-up costs
Ad. Timescales used = Repayment Plan, interest Fixed
=Budgeting, Guaranteed, No lender agreement terms
(profit, percentage, control) Dis. Interest must be paid
regardless profitability, may have to be personally
secured, length of loan may be longer than life of asset
Overdraft - Temporary
arrangement allowing the business
to draw out more money than in
the account. *Up to an agreed limit.
Ad. Flexible, Quick & Easy
Dis. Expensive-Long Term,
Fees can be high, can be
removed at short notice
Venture Capitalist - Professional
investor - Invests into business in
return for shares - usually, large
investments (£250,000+)
Business Angel - Wealthy,
entrepreneurial individual,
willing to invest in small,
high risk business. *Expects
high return...likely to have
high growth potential.
Crowdfunding - Funding a
new business by raising
small amounts from a
large no. of people-
typically online.
Share Capital -
putting money in for a
share of the business
Location
Fixed Costs (Quantitative) -
Land/buildings, Government Grants,
Utility Bills, Cost of Managerial Staff
Variable Costs (Quantitative) - Material Transport, Local
Material, Wage Levels, Bulk Increasing/Reducing
Qualitative - Environment, Ease of Access,
Quality of Infrastructure (Roads, Airports,
Rail,Bandwidth) Quality of Labour, Planning
Laws/Restrictions, Competition
Technology (Quan.) - (Teleworking = Entrepreneurs work from home,
Internet) Ads. Reduced Costs - Premises, Reduced Risk - No committing
to rent/lease, Reduced Travelling - More Work Hours, Plan around
Family Dis. Separation of Work & Home, Initial Start-ups - House rarely
suitable, loss of social aspects - lonely, Hidden Costs - house insurance,
council tax, tenancy agreement, Distractions - children, pets & TV
Costs (Quan.) - Location decisions are CRUCIAL - Break-even analysis &
investment appraisal helps to decide based on financial information.
Infrastructure (Quan.) - Transport Links, Raw Materials, Customers, Local Services
(Waste disposal, Entertainment, Health, Education, Public Services)
Market (Quan.) - Start Ups = Close to customer - ESSENTIAL & away from
Competition, Growth = Geographically Dispersed - Good Location may change -
Transporting product could become more expensive than raw materials.
Qualitative: Natue of Product - gain/loose weight during production? Service- Location influenced by
customer needs. Do costs differ in location? limitations in choice? What factor is most important?
People in Business
Employees
Full Time: Usually around 35 hours +. Ads. Higher Output,
Available to handle unexpected events, Build better
relationships - Customer/Supplier, Customer Service =
Differentiating Factor, Easier to take training opportunities.
Dis. High Costs, Limited Flexibility - Capacity & Skills
Part Time: Usually 35 hours or less, 2 types: Term-time Workers,
term time & school holiday staff, Zero-hour Contracts, no fixed
no. of hours, hours change dependent on demand & employee.
Ads. Flexibility, cover busy periods (peak trading), Part-time Job
Share = wider range of skills & talents, good for growing businesses
Dis. Difficult to access training, communication
difficulties, difficult to build customer relationships, may not be
much different in costs.
Temporary: One who is employed for a fixed period
of time. Often seasonal & may work full or part
time. Rarely have the same benefits as permanent
employees such as pensions & health insurance.
Ads. Volume which is uneven & uncertain,
small jobs e.g. IT system designed & installed,
may want to sell a product/service for a fixed
time only, helps short term shortage/loss e.g.
maternity, some become permanent over time.
Dis. May not know the workings & culture,
motivational concerns, constant changing
makes difficult communication, customers may
not like it - particularly services!
Consultants & Advisors
Consultants:
Businesses/individuals
providing professional
advice/services for a
fee. Often it's how to
make the business
more successful or to
deal with a problem.
Benefits: Specialist skills without full-time employment, adjust size of
workforce up & down quickly, avoids searching & recruiting staff - can
usually be risky, start-ups can get advice in early stages - sometimes free
or at a subsidised rate.
Drawbacks: Don't
know business as well
as employees, Not as
motivated, Can be
expensive
Flexible Working
Flexibility is a key benefit to
Part-time, A small business
wanting to operate longer, or
increase output will often use PT
staff to cover the additional work.
This can help small businesses
wanting to grow.