ResearchBuster: Acquisitions
Our ResearchBuster blog posts are designed to help students identify and integrate examples of business strategy for their synoptic essays and exams. This ResearchBuster look at some of the most significant examples of takeovers / acquisitions in recent years…
(updated 8 April 2012 with 9 new entries)
read more...»Move over Apple, Samsung, Sony & Nokia. Here Comes China’s Huawei
A great article here for students researching the competitive environment in the consumer electronics industry. Students should certainly be familiar with the strategies of Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Sony and others. But have they heard of Huawei? It looks like they might soon, if Huawei is successful in its objective of grabbing a significant share of the smartphone and tablet markets.
read more...»Essay writing: turn evidence into analysis
At the recent A2 business studies revision workshops we focused on the need for students to use independent research evidence to help develop their essay points.
One analogy we used was thinking of examples (evidence) as the seasoning in an essay hot-pot or casserole. The seasoning is there to make the meal taste great; but you also need the raw ingredients! An essay point that is developed to a good depth will always score better with the examiners than answers which are littered with too many examples.
Let’s take a look at how we can use a recent business example to help develop a point.
read more...»Revision Presentation - Business Culture
This updated revision presentation provides an overview of the concept of business culture, specifically in the context of strategic decision-making and change management.
read more...»ResearchBuster: Retrenchment
Most businesses aim to grow - but not all succeed - and many are forced to reduce the scale and scope of their business activities as a deliberate act of strategy. This is known as “retrenchment” and A2 students should have an understanding of some examples of retrenchment in action. Which firms / brands were involved? What happened? And why? Here are some suggestions that students could add to their notes:
read more...»IAG bid for BMI receives approval
International Airlines Group, IAG or BA/Iberia has secured EU approval for its purchase of BMI from Lufthansa. The purchase price is c. £172.5m. The quid quo pro is the insistence by the EU regulators that IAG gives up 14/56 of BMI’s slots at Heathrow.
read more...»OCR A2 Business Unit F297 - Smallbone, Little and Spence Ltd
Tom White has now completed his superb revision toolkit on the OCR A2 Business Studies pre-release case study - Smallbone, Little and Spence Ltd. Details of the contents below. The Toolkit can be ordered here. or by downloading and completing this printable order form.
read more...»“Strategy is Choice” - Takeovers are Just One Option
In my previous life in mergers and acquisitions, I was fortunate to work alongside Dr John Wells (before he moved back to Harvard Business School) as we negotiated takeovers, investments, strategic partnerships and the like for a quoted travel company.
It was a chaotic period (right in the middle of the dot-com boom) and we probably had more misses than hits. However I always remember that period for a three-word phrase that became our mantra as we evaluated the best options for the Board.
The phrase was simply “strategy is choice”. Simple, and extremely powerful for students who need to write about external growth strategy.
read more...»BUSS2 and BUSS4 Comes to the Olympics!
We’re now entering the third week of our AQA BUSS2 and BUSS4 revision workshops and we’ve been delighted to meet many thousands of students and teachers who are preparing for these two exams in May & June 2012. After a short break for Easter, we then reprise the BUSS2 and BUSS4 workshops at a new venue for tutor2u - the stunning Vue Cinema at Westfield Stratford - right next door to the London Olympic Park! This is the most advanced cinema in Europe and situated right in the heart of a stunning new shopping and leisure centre. It should be amazing.
read more...»When we went on tour - Football and Competitiveness
Ive just returned from a busy week delivering the Tutor2u BUSS2 revision conferences (along with many others) and I am looking forward to next week when we visit Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds. However, I thought I would quickly blog about an amazing discussion I had with the students at the Bristol conference.
read more...»Women & Leadership
Here is a really interesting article on the qualities women offer as leaders and why research by two contributors to Harvard Business Review suggests they make better leaders than their male counterparts.
read more...»UK manufacturing - GlaxoSmithKline invests in 1,000 new jobs
The relationship between business and the government - one important element of this is government support for business investment through fiscal policy (taxation), regulation and legislation. Yesterday Glaxo announced that they were investing £500mn in a new factory in Cumbria which will provide 1,000 much needed jobs. And this extract from the BBC article about this shows how government has helped to bring this about:
Glaxo said it was motivated specifically by Chancellor George Osborne’s confirmation in the Budget on Wednesday that the government would introduce so-called patent boxes.
These allow corporations to pay a lower rate of tax on profits generated from UK-owned intellectual property.
“The introduction of the patent box has transformed the way in which we view the UK as a location for new investments, ensuring that the medicines of the future will not only be discovered, but can also continue to be made here in Britain,” said Glaxo chief executive Sir Andrew Witty.
“Consequently, we can confirm that we will build GSK’s first new UK factory for almost 40 years.”
A useful little piece of evidence to use if writing BUSS4 essays on this topic.
BUSS4 2012 - Keeping in Touch using the #BUSS4 Hashtag
We’re now into our AQA BUSS2 and BUSS4 revision workshop tour and it’s really encouraging how many students and teachers are including Twitter as part of the their revision and teaching support package. The BUSS4 hashtag (#buss4) is well worth following so that you can see new resources being shared by the AQA business community. It’s also a great way for students to ask short questions or request help as they embark on their research activities. Here is the link to the hashtag and also to our tutor2u twitter account which features BUSS4 postings on a daily basis.
read more...»Business Cafe - March 2012
The latest edition of Business Cafe, our case-study digital magazine for Level 2 and Level 3 business studies courses, is now available to subscribers. An outline of each new case study is provided below.
read more...»OCR AS Business Studies F292 Tipton Sweets Limited
Tom White’s superb revision toolkit for OCR AS Business Studies Unit F292 - on the 2012 case study Tipton Sweets Limited - has just been published. We will ship all pre-orders in the next 24 hours. The toolkit, which provides comprehensive analysis of the Tipton Sweets pre-release case study - can be ordered here. or by downloading and sending us this order form.
Lesson Video on Patent Protection - the Battle for Smartphone Advantage
Don’t try this at home - but watch this expert open up his smartphone to illustrate the use of patents and patent protection…
read more...»Introducing the tutor2u Twelve for 2012
After a relatively successful series of picks last year, we’ve now come up with our suggestions for twelve firms to follow for A2 business students wanting to deepen their understanding of real businesses as they prepare for their final exam papers this summer.
read more...»AQA AS Applied Business (BS03) BLS Ltd Pre-Release
The pre-release material for AQA AS Applied Business (BS03) has now been issued and our team is working on the popular tutor2u revision toolkit for the case study - BLS Ltd. We aim to get this completed and despatched to colleagues teaching this unit before the Easter holidays. The AQA AS Applied Business (BS03) toolkit can be ordered directly online here, or by downloading and sending us this order form.
Legislation forces Coke and Pepsi to change their recipe
Coke and Pepsi are estimated to have a 90% share of the global market for fizzy drinks between them and both fiercely guard the ‘secret recipes’ which protect their strength in the market. However, the state of California has added the chemical 4-methylimidazol to its list of carcinogens, and both companies use this ingredient to add chemical colouring to their drinks. If they continue to use it, they would need to add a cancer warning label to their cans and bottles, to comply with California laws - and neither want to do that.
read more...»Making the most of Edexcel ResultsPlus
Read on to find out how to print out individual grade reports for all your students taking Edexcel Business Studies Unit 1 using the complete results spreadsheet you can download from ResultsPlus
read more...»Business legislation - the cost to businesses
AQA BUSS4 students are likely to be covering Business Legislation and Business and the EU about now. News over the weekend about new regulations giving workers a legal right to extra time off work if they become ill while on holiday give a useful case study combining both areas, as the regulations are due to changes to the European Working Time Directive, and state that time taken off work for sickness, maternity and paternity leave must be given to workers in addition to their legal right to annual leave.
read more...»Revision Toolkits for Pre-Released Case Studies - Summer 2012
Our popular revision toolkits for a range of pre-released case studies in Business Studies and Economics are now available to order. Some are already available and the rest will be despatched once complete in the next 2-3 weeks. The follow resources can now be ordered:
AQA BUSS4 Section A Takeovers and Mergers 2012
AQA Applied Unit 3 - Summer 2012
OCR A2 Economics Unit F585 June 2012
Edexcel A2 Business Unit 4a Toyota
OCR GCSE Business Unit 3 (J293) Summer 2012
OCR GCSE Economics Unit 593 Summer 2012
OCR AS Business Studies Unit F292 Summer 2012
OCR A2 Business Studies Unit F297 Summer 2012
OCR Applied Business Unit F242 Summer 2012
OCR Applied Business Unit F248 Summer 2012
BUSS4 Bellwork - The School Merger
I did this activity last year when delivering mergers and takeovers and this would make an excellent bellwork activity at the start of any buss4 lesson to get students thinking about some of the issues with mergers and takeovers.
read more...»VW targets growth markets
A quick heads up for business students and teachers who have no reason to follow the Economics blog - Geoff Riley has posted an item about VW’s growth and profits. There is a one-minute video which would be an excellent lesson starter, with hints about the acquisitions and competitive strategy which have led to a 15% growth in sales and doubling of profits, and their focus on emerging markets - plenty here which could lead into an investigation of the company for BUSS4 students.
BUSS4 - Peugeot and GM in strategic alliance
This article about the possibility of a strategic alliance between Peugeot Citroen and General Motors (GM) is too good to miss for BUSS4 students. It gives several points which link directly to AQA’s first three bullet points, and I think it would make an excellent introduction to the issues of such alliances in the current global and European economic climate.
read more...»Barriers to entry for business expansion to Brazil
Operating a business in a developing economy is cheap, right? That’s why the BRIC economies have a comparative advantage, right? Wrong! At least, not in Brazil. The FT report the high costs of setting up in such a booming economy, highlighted by the fact that it is cheaper now to get your shoes shined by a Brazilian in New York than by a Brazilian in São Paulo. So businesses wanting to expand to Brazil and get the benefits of its high growth rate need to be aware of the low margins they will make, at least at first.
read more...»Spotting a Business Opportunity - Eastenders and Coronation Street
Whilst watching Eastenders last night, this belting activity just popped into my head. I think its perfect for the first unit of most GCSE courses but could also be used for BUSS1. A while away I know but I thought I would blog it before I forget.
read more...»AQA BUSS4 CPD Briefing Days in 2012
The session programme, dates, locations for our popular AQA BUSS4 CPD briefings in 2012 are shown below. Please note that the first London date is now sold out.
AQA BUSS4 Section A Briefing 2012
LONDON (A) - Monday 27 February 2012: sold out
BIRMINGHAM - Tuesday 28 February 2012
LEEDS - Wednesday 29 February 2012
MANCHESTER - Thursday 1 March 2012
NEWCASTLE - Tuesday 6 March 2012
LONDON (B) - Wednesday 7 March 2012
Bookings can be made using this online form, or by downloading this printable booking form
read more...»Vestas – has the wind gone out of their sales.
Last Wednesday, Vestas the leading supplier of wind turbines posted a substantial operating loss of €166m on its operations. This has led to the resignation of the Chief Financial Officer Henrik Norremark, and the Chairman Bent Carlsen and two other main board directors. Norremark was about to be promoted to Chief Operating Officer, in control of the firm’s manufacturing operations.
read more...»BUSS4 Research Theme - Merger and Takeover Egg Heads
I often find that one of the key challenges with the AQA BUSS4 research theme is finding ways to engage the students with the material in lessons and keeping them motivated and interested in the theme until the Summer.
With this in mind, I will be blogging about some strategies that I have successfully used in the past to engage the students and applying them to the new theme: take-overs and mergers.
read more...»
