REMUNERATION & ETHICS

CLICK HERE to an article looking at investor concerns with the recently announced pay package awarded to the boss of Apple.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask students why investors might feel concerned about excessive pay to executives. 

- What might other stakeholders involved with Apple feel about the pay award?

- Get students to research other recent examples of concerns with how some workers are remunerated, compared perhaps with the directors of the same companies.  Feedback findings to the class.

 THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

CLICK HERE to an interactive rank order game on the Recruitment Process!

SUGGESTIONS :

Use this game to start the conversation on the following topics :

- What is a Person Specification?  Get students to draw a few up for different posts

- What is included in a good Job Advert?  Student-designed adverts for different posts?

- CV design - What to include?

- Job Interview process?  

- Examples of jobs requiring an Aptititude Test?

- Other types of test which might be used in the interview process?

- Students to practice the interview process - on both sides?

 ACQUISITIONS - ADS & DISADS

Why has Microsoft, the owners of XBox - just spent almost $70 billion in order to buy Activision Blizzard, the gaming pubisher which produces games such as Call of Duty.

CLICK HERE to read this article from the Guardian - to find out more!

SUGGESTIONS :

- Students to read the article and to produce a list of reasons both why this takeover might prove to be a good move on the part of Microsoft, as well as reasons why this aquisition might not turn out to have been money well spent - based on the evidence in the source - and own knowledge.

 EMERGING MARKETS

What is happening with the Chinese economy in recent times and how is this likely to affect business prospects around the world?  

CLICK HERE to this article from the New York Times on potential problems with the Chinese economy.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Students to read article and to make separate list of positive aspects of economic growth and business opportunities in China, together with evidence of falling growth and business threats.

- Use article as a springboard to find out more about the recent state of the Chinese economy - and whether or not it still represents a good place for non-Chinese firms to trade, in terms of FDI and as a place to seek Joint Ventures with Chinese firms based in the country.  (Presentation to the class on this?)

SOCIAL TRENDS : OPPORTUNITIES & THREATS

 

CLICK HERE to an article from The Guardian to find out how consumer buying habits linked to social concerns with the environment, social justice and animal welfare - are changing in the UK.

SUGGESTIONS :

Ask the students to list a number of different industries which are affected in some way or another with the changing pattern of consumer buying habits.

For each industry suggested - ask the students to pair up and to consider how a business in each industry selected might try to react in order to benefit in some way from the changes being seen in consumer buying habits.

The students work for a major supermarket company based in their own country.  Ask the students to detail a strategic plan for the following year - designed to improve sales - on the premise that the trends seen in the UK are similar to those in their own country (if not the UK).

 MARKETING & PEOPLE KEY TERMS

 

SPIN THE WHEEL!

CLICK HERE to test your ability to explain the meaning of key terms - linked to the Edexcel IAL and A level Unit 1 syllabus in particular...

CLICK HERE for another set of 50 Key Terms connected to Unit 1...

CLICK HERE to keep the scores up-to-date with your teams.

This free resource can be combined with a purchase of the KEY TERMS for Unit 1 of the IAL Business course.

CLICK HERE to buy the resource from Frank BIZ Resources NOW.

The RULES : 

Split the class into small teams.

Each team to get chance to spin the wheel.

The team that spins gets 2 minutes to confer a joint response to the meaning of the key term.  If the tutor deems the answer to be sufficiently accurate - 2 marks awarded.

If the answer is incorrect - the tutor will allow the following team to try to answer - no further conferring allowed.  If the answer is correct - a bonus mark is awarded.  If incorrect, all remaining teams get chance for bonus point, in order.

Select Hide for each Key Term correctly answered.

5 rounds - after which the winning team is declared the WINNER. 

TRIUMPH & NICHE MARKETING

 TRIUMPH & NICHE MARKETING

 How does Triumph succeed in ensuring that it's niche marketing strategy works, given the competition from the mass market producers of motorbikes?

CLICK HERE to read the article on how the UK-based motorbike firm aims to attract customers and to develop a deep sense of customer loyalty.

SUGGESTIONS :

Ask the class to read the article and to list the ways in which TRIUMPH attempts to ensure that their marketing strategy links in with their target audience.

REBRANDING :  From Facebook to META

Why has Facebook recently decided to change it's name to Meta? 

CLICK HERE to read the article which examines a number of changes to well-known company names, with a brief explanation as to the reasons behind them - and an attempt at showing whether or not they have proven to be successful or not. 

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask students for their own reasons why Facebook has decided to rebrand itself as META.  (get students to understand some of the negative publicity surrounding Facebook - such as negative self-image and self-esteem, and issues with relation to privacy of data and the manipulation of opinions, to threats it may pose to democracic organisations).

- Students to take own notes on other examples of rebranding covered in this article - together with evidence on whether or not the rebranding has proven to be successful.

- Individual student research on companies that have been involved in rebranding in some way in recent years  (SKODA, Coca Cola, M&S, LIDL - a few more examples perhaps to consider...)  Students to show their presentations based on their research to the class.

 DEMAND & SUPPLY DIAGRAMS

CLICK HERE to purchase your copy of the Demand & Supply diagram test from the TES resources website.

This test comes complete with a separate and clear Mark-Scheme with diagrams, and a further short TOP TIPS booklet describing the best way to attain FULL MARKS when asked to complete Demand & Supply diagrams in examinations.

 BUSINESS FINANCE - SPIN THE WHEEL!!

CLICK HERE to start to play Spin the Wheel with your students straight away!

CLICK HERE to keep the scores up-to-date with your teams.

This free resource can be combined with a purchase of the KEY TERMS for Unit 3 of the IGCSE Business course - CLICK HERE to buy the resource from Frank BIZ Resources NOW.

The RULES : 

Split the class into small teams.

Each team to get chance to spin the wheel.

The team that spins gets 2 minutes to confer a joint response to the meaning of the key term.  If the tutor deems the answer to be sufficiently accurate - 2 marks awarded.

If the answer is incorrect - the tutor will allow the following team to try to answer - no further conferring allowed.  If the answer is correct - a bonus mark is awarded.  If incorrect, all remaining teams get chance for bonus point, in order.

Select Hide for each Key Term correctly answered.

5 rounds - after which the winning team is declared the WINNER. 

SUPPLY & DEMAND - Global Supply Problems for BICYCLES

CLICK HERE to an excellent and informative article from The Globe and Mail on the recent supply chain issues affecting the bicycle industry across the world, in a time of soaring demand.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask the students to consider WHY issues with the supply chain might have occurred in the bicyle industry in recent times - before reading the article.

- Students to list the different problems and complications specifically related to the bicycle industry which are highlighted in the article

- Ask the students to draw a Demand and Supply diagram showing the slowdown in production as a result of the pandemic - and check for accuracy (the supply curve would move to the left - pushing up the price of the bicycles..)

- Ask students to explain why some bicycle firms have chosen to move assembly plants to North America and away from Asia (even if only temporarily..)

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT / RECRUITMENT & RETENTION

Apple lose one of their leading directors working on the entry of the company into the car market, to a major future rival - Ford.

Click HERE to read the article on the latest loss to Apple's research and development into their plans to enter the automotive market.

SUGGESTIONS 

- Use the article to generate a discussion on the importance of R&D for companies involved in hi-tec industries.  Ask students to discuss if and how Apple might make a success of the car industry in the future.

- Make a list of the difficulties Apple will need to overcome if it is to prove successful in the car industry.  (Introduce the concept of arriving late to the industry - and Tesla's dominance in minds of the consumer)

- Get the students to discuss why losing a director to FORD might prove to be very costly to Apple.

- Students to list ways in which Apple might try to retain employees and to prevent competitors from snatching them up.

BUSINESS GCSE FREE ASSESSMENT RESOURCE

CLICK HERE to go to the TES Frank BIZ Resources site to download your FREE copy of this assessment linked directly to the first unit in the IGCSE Edexcel course.

This resource includes a detailed mark-scheme as well as a separate skeleton answer format to help students to understand how to respond to longer-answer 9-mark Justify questions, requiring some analysis and evaluation.

Please upload any comments onto the TES site once downloaded if you have feel that this may be useful to you in any way - together with any added suggestions!

I hope that this proves useful to some of you anyway.

PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE/ EXTENSION STRATEGIES

CLICK HERE to use this excellent up-to-date example from the Business section of the Guardian - showing how SAMSUNG are attempting to extend the life cycle of their flip phone Z - by continuing to innovate and to offer something new to the customer.  

Please feel free to offer some of your own no doubt excellent examples in the Comments section below too!

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask students to read the article and to list how Samsung are attempting to update their Z phones.

- Get students to suggest what they might know about Apple's plans for new updates which might help to counteract the moves from Samsung.

- Offer students the chance to investigate for themselves how Apple and others (Huawei etc...) might be planning to innovate their mobile phone products in the near future.

- Consider how difficult it is to try to ensure that the product life cycle is continuously expanding upwards.  Try to link the concept of the product life cycle with the Boston Matrix as well.

- Which well-known products might be regarded as in the Maturity phase?  Introduce the example of the Big Mac for McDonalds - and ask them to explain how this lack of constant innovation to the product is hugely beneficial to the company...  Link again to the Boston Matrix and Cash Cows.

 JOINT VENTURES

The world of online video gaming now linking up with the Pop World?

Click HERE to read how Epic Games and Ariana Grande collaborated together to put on a digital concert for millions of Fortnite players around the world - to the mutual financial benefit of both.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Get the students to come up with a list of why two companies might choose to collaborate on a project together - for the mutual benefit of both.  Ask them to try to think of any real-life examples?  Then perhaps discusse the link between McDonalds and Pixar - and discuss how this joint venture works for the benefit of both.  

- Any ideas for joint ventures between companies in the future?

- After reading the link - get the students to describe how this particular joint venture might benefit both the pop artist and the company Epic Games.

INORGANIC GROWTH & EXTERNAL FACTORS

How and why do firms seek to grow by means of Takeovers or Mergers?  How might changes to external factors affect a business both negatively and positively?

Use the example of Tencent - one of the world's leading tech companies - by referring to two recent Business examples from The Guardian :

Read HERE to find out Tencent's plan to buy the UK-based video gaming firm Sumo.

Read HERE to find out about how Tencent has been affected and is likely to be affected in the future by the Chinese government's increasing concerns about young people spending too many hours of the day playing computer games.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Try to get students to list their own reasons why a business involved in the video gaming industry may wish to buy up another company in the same industry.  Get them to understand the concepts of horizontal integration in this context.  

- Ask the students to spend five minutes reading the article and offering specific examples of the potential benefits to Tencent of acquiring Sumo.

- Use an Open Discussion to find out student ideas on the different external factors outside of the control of the business that may affect firms involved in the video gaming industry.  If the recent pandemic has not been mentioned, or changes in consumer tastes - perhaps introduce these two ideas to add to the other student ideas.  Link to PESTLE Analysis.

- Get students to read the article.  In pairs - they are then to produce their own SWOT analysis for Tencent - following it's purchase of Sumo.  (A mixture of internal and external factors).

Feel free to leave your own thoughts and ideas on how to add to these suggestions in the Comments section!

 ADVANCED BUSINESS ASSESSMENT MATERIALS

Buy your reduced Bundle Business Assessment materials from Frank BIZ Resources NOW.

Click on HERE to go straight to the TES Shop and the Bundle of all four new hour-long assessments, together with detailed mark-schemes and suggested grade boundaries.

 INTERNATIONAL TRADE

Spanish Jamon Serrano has been increasing in popularity in China over recent years.  

READ the article here from theleader.info to find out more.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask students to identify reasons why China offers such a great opportunity for Spanish ham producers, based on the article

- Ask why the two Spanish firms Embutidos Fermin and Cinco Jotas have such a great advantage over other companies (get them to consider the importance of 'First Mover Advantage' and link this to the building up of brand recognition and brand loyalty in new markets...)

- Consider how Chinese barriers to trade have previously hindered Spanish ham sales in China - what they were and how important it is that these barriers have been removed.

- Ask students to consider how prices for Jamon Serrano in Spain might be likely to be affected by such a big increase in demand for the product in China in recent years.  (students need to think about how changes to demand and supply affect prices here...)

READ the article here to find out more about how Chinese demand may affect prices in Spain. (article taken from - theolivepress.es)

 CORPORATE CULTURE

Ok - so you have already looked at Handy's four different types of corporate culture?  Then ask the students to take a look at this article on the corporate culture to be found working for Google.  

CLICK here to be able to read the article on the corporate culture at GOOGLE.

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask the students to identify which of Handy's four types of corporate culture this article appears to suggest for Google.  

- Make a list of the evidence from the article on how Google tries to create a working environment for its workers which might lead to more motivated workers.

- Lead a discussion on how Google's attempts to motivate its workers links with the motivational theories of Taylor, Maslow, Mayo, Herzberg and McGregor.

- Ask the students to produce their own A3 posters on GOOGLE and how their corporate culture links to various motivational theories.

NB.  Ensure that students understand the link between creating the right corporate culture and productivity...

You may well wish to show the students this excellent short Youtube video which allows you to see the interior of GOOGLE's head offices.

 CLICK here to the Youtube video and tour of GOOGLE HQ.

 ANSOFF'S MATRIX :

OK - so you have already explained the concept of the Ansoff's Matrix to your students.

Now get the students to consider this question on ANSOFF'S MATRIX - for a real-life demonstration of how companies might link their own corporate strategies to this concept.

CLICK here to the question on Ansoff's Matrix - from Word Wall (an excellent tutor resource - purchase recommended...)

SUGGESTIONS :

- Ask the students to offer an example of a strategy which fits in with each of the other incorrect answers - after having first identified the correct answer.

- NEXT - as a paired activity - ask the students to produce a visual presentation of recent corporate strategies for the following companies - and to offer examples of how they might fit into different elements of the Ansoff's Matrix - with your reasons :

- BEN & JERRY'S

- CARREFOUR

- SAMSUNG

- VIRGIN