Measuring the competitiveness of a business
We’ve seen that competitiveness is about advantages that enable a business to outperform its competitors. But, can competitiveness be measured and, if so, how?
read more...»Revision Presentation - Working with Suppliers
This revision presentation looks at the role of suppliers in business. It considers what is meant by a supplier and the factors that a firm considers when choosing a supplier. It also looks at how a firm can work effectively with its suppliers in order to improve business performance.
read more...»Revision Presentation - Making Operational Decisions
This revision presentation will be useful for students who need an introduction to the core concepts of capacity management, capacity utilisation, productivity and efficiency.
read more...»A cracking business lesson video on my favourite product - Jaffa Cakes!
Wow - oh wow. They’ve only gone and made a video to explain how Jaffa cakes are made. Best of all - the video is packed full with little business studies nuggetts, as well as a really useful supporting article in the Telegraph!
read more...»Predictions of a dramatic change in the way goods are produced - and how it may change business
Those of you who are looking at business production, or operations management, (especially in A2 courses) will certainly want to read this week’s Economist either in the library, or by getting their own copy from the newsstand.
They are predicting a new industrial revolution, with a potentially enormous impact on all industries.
A detailed look inside Apple’s Foxconn factory
A fascinating and detailed look here at working conditions at Apple’s main supplier in China. This 15 minute video raises a lot of issues which students can develop; particularly useful for any discussion around CSR, but also excellent for operations and HRM. In the video, ABC News Nightline goes behind the scenes of the FoxConn factory - the operation which makes iPads and iPhones.
read more...»What’s going wrong at Superdry?
Bad news for Superdry, one of the most popular young fashion chains in the UK, which has suffered a huge knock. The firm’s owner, SuperGroup, saw its share price plunge 40% on Friday after a shock profit warning. And it’s not just investors who are losing faith. Fashionistas say the Superdry brand, which burst on to the scene in 2004 with its vintage Americana look topped off by Japanese script, is looking tired. This story combines accounting, finance, fashion, marketing and stock control.
read more...»Technological change - manufacturing and innovation
This is well worth watching - for business as well as economics students. An 8 minute discussion from the Economist which examines what is being called “The Third Industrial Revolution” - based around the digitisation of manufacturing processes. Concepts such as 3d printing and advanced robotics are discussed, as are concepts such as competitiveness, productivity and product personalisation. One possible consequence of these changes might be that high quality manufacturing may begin to move back from low-wage economies such as China and back to economies like the USA.
read more...»How will General Motors respond to the problem of over-capacity?
General Motors (whose main brand in the UK is Vauxhall) survived the global financial crisis thanks to the support of the US government. This is probably good news, but it adds to the problems of other car makers. In Europe there are simply too many, producing more vehicles than the market can absorb without heavy discounting, which hurts the manufacturers.
read more...»Costs, Cashflow and Closure - the Last French Beret Maker
France boasts some of the most famous fashion houses in the world, but there are few items of clothing more synonymous with the country than the beret. However, the nation’s last surviving factory that produces the item is now facing closure due to financial problems. With cheaper production costs, the iconic hat may in the future be made in Asia. A great example of the impact of emerging markets on the competitiveness of firms in developed economies. Some nice comments too in the video about the type of cash flow problems experienced by small manufacturers.
read more...»Enterprise, Location and Culture - Inside the new Google Campus in London
Google Campus, a building designed to offer technology start-ups desk space and mentoring in east London, was opened to much fanfare by UK chancellor George Osborne. But is the government right to look to the tech sector for economic growth? In this excellent FT video Daniel Garrahan reports from inside Google Campus. Some good teaching points here, including:
- The role of government support for technology startups
- Non-financial benefits of a suitable location for startup entrepreneurs and their employees
- Use of a location to bring together entrepreneurs and venture capitalists
- The cost savings for startups of locating in a venue like Google Campus
Revision Presentation - Managing Risk
This revision presentation for business students outlines (with examples) some of the key things that can go wrong in business and explains the basics of risk management and contingency planning.
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...»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...»Quality control and assurance - the Trabant Way
A huge hat tip to James Hazeldine for spotting this truly extraordinary 4-minute video on YouTube which illustrates quite beautifully the process of quality control…at the old Trabant car factory…
read more...»MU folding electric plug
“When I’m walking down the street I see everyday objects and ask myself why that object exists. If I can find any possibility for improvement, I start to design it.” Min-Kyu Choi.
The newly launched folding MU plug uses less materials, less space yet meets current UK regulations for electric equipment, and will appeal to users of tablets, smartphones and ipods, which require a slim USB adapter.
It is a great case study for consideration of all aspects of entrepreneurship - risk taking, design, development, finance, marketing production and profits.
read more...»Tata and the rise of Jaguar Land Rover
The Tata takeover of Jaguar Land Rover (“JLR”) in 2008 is one of our five “must research” deals for the AQA BUSS4 research theme in 2012. And this recent article provides students with some compelling evidence about how successful the takeover has been for Tata, the private Indian conglomerate that is now the UK’s largest manufacturer. The Telegraph reports that JLR made record pre-tax profits of £559m in the final three months of 2011 as demand for its premium cars soared in Asia. This follows on from JLR’s record profits of £1.1bn in 2010.
read more...»Video starter - Inside the iPad factory
The first time that any reporters have been allowed inside the iPad factory in China - and what an insight! This clip has it all for superb business studies lesson starter. Technology in production of course; but much more interesting is the issue of people management. Thought-provoking…
read more...»Video resource: Do bonuses work as an incentive for better performance?
A timely short video here from the BBC looks at the way that a simple activity-related bonus improves productivity in a small drilling business. Employees and management seem happy at D-Drill. But, can the use of much larger-scale bonuses in financial services be justified in the same way? A great starting point for discussion with students…
read more...»How to turn threats into an opportunity at Ryanair
Michael O’Leary, quoted in Management Today, describes the situation facing Ryanair towards the end of last year. He highlighted the threats from the EU recession and higher oil prices, but typically O’Leary found the opportunities more compelling: the “unfolding failure of the package tour operator model, significant competitor fare increases and capacity cuts, created enormous growth opportunities for Ryanair, as large and smaller airports across Europe compete aggressively to win Ryanair’s growth” he said.
read more...»Manufacturing strategy: Is China losing its competitiveness?
Is China still a competitive location for overseas manufacturing? Certainly the nature of manufacturing in China is chaining rapidly, as this 4 minute video from the Financial Times explains. It features European firms that moved their production to China several years ago. However, as wages in China have risen rapidly in recent years, it becomes less cost-effective to make low value-added products in China.
read more...»Technological change: 3-D printing promises a new industrial revolution
I’m going to show you a technology that may simply blow you away. This isn’t a make-believe technology; it’s real and it’s here now. The possibilities are endless; the implications for the future of manufacturing, business investment and business models could be hugely significant.
read more...»Technology in action: inside the transparent factory
What a stunning video that is likely to become a permanent fixture on the schemes of work for many colleagues. This 6 minute video gives you a guided tour of VW’s “transparent factory”. Wow!
read more...»Strategy Lessons from the Tesco Downfall
A highlight for me and many business teachers was the superb presentation given at the Business Teacher National Conference 2011 by Sir Terry Leahy who, just weeks earlier, had retired as CEO of Tesco leaving behind a stunning record of profitable growth.
Who would have thought that less than a year later, the shares of Tesco would fall by 16% in just one day (nicknamed “Tesco Thursday”) wiping £5bn off the value of Tesco shares. The sudden downturn in Tesco’s fortunes will be a rich source of business lesson material for months, perhaps years to come.
read more...»Business size and the innovation debate
Innovation is a business topic in its own right, and it also crops up a lot when there are discussions about the benefits and drawbacks of size – or economies and diseconomies of scale, in syllabus terms. This is a rich thread for evaluation, although it’s probably fair to say that poor rates of innovation and change are often quoted as a classic ‘diseconomy of scale’. In other words, big business is supposed to be bad at it.
But more and more big firms are setting out to challenge this view and prove themselves as innovators. The Economist have also recently added to this side of the argument.
read more...»Revision Presentation - Operational Objectives
An introductory revision presentation looking at the key operational objectives set by businesses. These include cost and volume targets, quality, efficiency and environmental.
read more...»Revision Presentation - Economies of Scale & Resource Mix
This revision presentation looks at the operational issue of business scale. What are economies of scale and should a business adopt a capital or labour intensive business model?
read more...»Revision Presentation - Innovation
This revision presentation focuses on the role of innovation and invention in a business as part of operational strategy.
read more...»Revision Presentation - Critical Path Analysis
This new revision presentation provides an overview of CPA - critical path analysis. CPA is a technique widely used in management of complex projects and is also associated with lean production.
read more...»Revision Presentation - Business Location
This new revision presentation provides an overview of the factors that a business considers in choosing its business location. The presentation also considers issues such as multi-site location, industrial inertia and locating a business overseas (offshoring).
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