A Brief History of Double Entry Bookkeeping
Forget X Factor, EastEnders or Loose Women. Here’s something worth staying in for if, like me, you are a big fan of double-entry bookkeeping…
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•Finance & Accounting - •TEACHING BUSINESS -
Tags: double-entry, bookkeeping
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Adverts that know where you are
If the tabloids tell us where Cheryl and Ashley are at all times, it should make life easier for jewelry thieves lurking near their house. That point makes some people anxious about constantly revealing their location. Others are far less concerned, which could be a real bonus for advertisers.
read more...» •Business & Technology - •Business Communication - •Marketing - •Retailing -
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Data watch - what happened to business investment in the UK recession?
A recession is typically associated with a reduction in business investment (capital expenditure). What does the data show in terms of the total capital spending by UK firms during the recent recession?
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•Business Strategy - •Credit Crunch - •Finance & Accounting - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: risk, cash flow, investment appraisal, roce, payback, capital expenditure, return on capital, business investment
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Wipeout Challenge - Total Quality Management
Many thanks to Lord Sutch for sending over this version of Wipeout Challenge, which his Lordship ran successfully with his GCSE Business students recently. it would work just as well with AS students covering quality control / assurance. The file download is below. it is a PowerPoint show (pps) format.
Download Wipeout Challenge - Total Quality Management
•Operations Management - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 - •GCSE Business - •AQA GCSE Business - •Edexcel GCSE Business - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Business Quizzes - •Starters & Plenaries -
Tags: quality assurance, quality, quality control, tqm, wipeout, lesson starter
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Data watch - what happened to consumer spending in the UK recession?
Putting to one side all the newspaper and tv stories of how consumers behaved during the recent recession in the UK, what does the data show? What were the real trends and how did consumers behave compared with the long preceding period of economic growth in the UK?
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•Economic Environment - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Data Analysis Worksheets - •Starters & Plenaries -
Tags: recession, gdp, consumer spending, savings ratio, disposable income, consumer confidence, durable goods, retail sales
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Technological change shakes up book production
A nice, short piece in the Economist covers everything from changes to production systems and book retail with economies of scale an important consideration too. Electronic book readers have had a lot of attention recently, but there may be a good deal of life left in the paper format yet…
read more...» •Business & Technology - •Operations Management - •Retailing -
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The Business of Sport - A BBC Online Special
Spring hat tip to Ben White from Bromsgrove school for flagging up this new web resource from the BBC
The BBC now have a special feature ‘Business in Sport’ section:
Not sure whether its here to stay for long term but absolutely loads to pick up from here, including at a brief glance:
• Profit and Loss
• Sources of Finance
• Football Club Finances
• Legal /Contract and Ethical Issues
• Marketing / Sponsorship
• Impact of Recession
• Impact of World Cup on SA economy
All in a sporting context – brilliant!
BUSS4 Research - a Corus of Disapproval
One more suggestion for colleagues looking to encourage students to pick a relevant case study for their BUSS4 research on the recent recession in the UK. Take a look at the Corus story over the last 18-24 months.
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•Business Strategy - •Economic Environment - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: demand, productivity, capacity, economies of scale, redundancies, corus, retrenchment, long-term, unions, steel making
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Strategy in a recession - stakeholders & cutting labour costs
During the recent recession in the UK, many firms looked to reduce their operating costs by implementing short-time working, overtime bans and temporary cuts in production capacity. What were the stakeholder implications of this? A key issue was what effect these actions had on employer/employee relations, and I came across this neat 4 minute video which addresses the issue. In the video, the General Secretary of the TUC discusses how trade unions felt about labour cost-minimisation strategies. Some good points for students to pick up in here:
View video interview with Brendan Barber (TUC) [source BBC Daily Politics]
•Business Ethics & CSR - •Business Strategy - •Economic Environment - •Human Resource Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: trade unions, tuc, labour costs, overtime, cost minimisation, employee employer relations, production capacity, brendan barber
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Whiteboard Challenge - Drawing UK GDP
Here’s a simple lesson activity which might get students thinking about the UK recession in the context of the longer-term performance of the economy. It might add a bit of spicy competition to the start of a lesson too..
read more...» •Economic Environment - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Starters & Plenaries -
Tags: recession, gdp, economic cycle, uk economy, economic growth, business cycle, boom
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Recession strategy - what happens when a market dives by 30%+?
Hays Group plc is a great case study example to use with students if you want to look at a recession strategy where market demand falls significantly. We’ve put some numbers together which will help you use Hays as a lesson resource.
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•Business Strategy - •Finance & Accounting - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, cost minimisation, opportunities, hays group
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Financial Ratio Practice Resource - Apple Inc
We’ve been doing some work on Apple’s financials as part of our BUSS4 toolkit and we put this simple spreadsheet together which summarises the Apple Inc Income Statement and Balance Sheet for 2009 through to 2005. Figures are rounded to the nearest 0.1$bn and are drawn from the Apple SEC returns. Some representation has been applied to make them easier for students to use. The spreadsheet below has the data in one tab, with some basic accounting ratios on the next tab along.
Some interesting features of the numbers (aside from the stunning growth and profitabilty ratios). No dividends paid, no debt, and a growing pile of cash.
Rated: (5/5), based on 2 reviews
•Finance & Accounting - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 - •AQA BUSS3 -
Tags: apple, iphone, inventories, net profit margin, roce, creditor days, gross profit margin, current ratio, stock turnover, quick ratio
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Management pay is squeezed during the recession
There have been some interesting surveys on the effects of the recession on people management in the last couple of months. This one from Hay Group is useful for students in that it highlights one of the operational effects of the recession - this time on the remuneration of senior business management.
read more...» •Human Resource Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: stakeholders, quoted companies, bonuses, remuneration committee, executive pay
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HRM priorities as firms exit the recession
What should a firm’s people management priorities be as the UK & global economy slowly emerges from recession? The Institute of Employment studies has just published its suggestions…
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Leadership & Culture - •Human Resource Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, training, flexible working, organisational structure, workforce planning, staff retention, labour turnover, hrm strategies, hrm objectives
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Retrenchment at the BBC
This story has, unsurprisingly, generated a lot of media interest. A report in the Times (described as speculation and not entirely denied by the BBC) predicts that the result of a recent strategic review by the BBC will result in some classic retrenchment by the public-sector broadcaster.
Non-core radio stations are tipped as candidates for closure and the BBC’s burgeoning web output is expected to be cut significantly. Bad news for BBC listeners, viewers and readers perhaps (who, in the UK are licence fee payers of course). But good news (and a source of many opportunities) for the private sector. Who, for example, will fill the gaps in the market if BBC 6 Music is closed? Students might also question whether there really is a gap in the market! A good introduction to the concept of retrenchment, and there are some strong stakeholder issues raised here too.
•Business Organisation - •Business Strategy -
Tags: bbc, public sector, retrenchment, marketing strategy, crowding-out, private sector
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Global branding in emerging markets - Ikea tolerates window shoppers
A big hat tip to Steve Storey for spotting this fantastic video from the FT on the Ikea store in Beijing. For those who you with an FT.com subscription which gets you past the paywall, this is one to show the students!
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Emerging Markets - •Globalisation - •Marketing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Emerging Markets - China - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Video Case Studies -
Tags: china, ikea
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Entrepreneurial success - Cath Kidston bucks the recession
A neat entrepreneurial success story that will appeal to the female business students who are fans of specialist retailer Cath Kidston. An initial investment of £15,000 has turned into a stake worth around £25 million. Not a bad ROI. Lots of good stuff in this interview article for students wanting an example of niche business which has grown strongly despite the recession - and still lots of growth opportunities to exploit.
•Business Strategy - •International Business - •Marketing - •Retailing -
Tags: entrepreneur, enterprise, niche retailing, cath kidston
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Strategy in a recession - cost optimisation not cost minimisation
The quick fix is easy. The economy worsens and customer confidence plummets. Monthly sales begin to decline; fewer customers respond to the direct mail shot or visit the shops. The word goes out after the latest board meeting. All functional budgets are to be cut by 10% as a strategic response to the economic crisis. But does it work? Or should a business take a much more strategic approach to cost management?
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Finance & Accounting - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, efficiency, investment appraisal, adding value, cost control, overheads, open-source, cost minimisation, cloud computing, outsourcing
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An interesting way to describe the Business Cycle
Not really an activity but I asked my students to think about how they would describe the Business Cycle to a 10 year old. One student came up with this brilliant description…
read more...» •Economic Environment - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Starters & Plenaries -
Tags: recession, unemployment, business cycle, slump, recovery, boom
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Strategy in a recession - Don’t Panic Mr Mainwaring!
One of the key lessons from the recent recession is a need for firms to take a much closer look at how their business really operates. Those that really knew their business - their strengths and weaknesses (their competitive position) - have usually been able to respond successfully. Those that were caught by surprise have been badly hurt, or worse.
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•Business Strategy - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, strategy, cash flow, market share, adding value, market demand, competitive advantage, overheads, cost minimisation, competitive position
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Strategy in a recession - global innovators keep investing
Another cracking (though detailed) research report on the strategies of global innovators has arrived in my inbox. Booz & Company’s 5th annual survey of 1,000 leading global players has some fascinating insights into the strategic response to the recession. I have summarised some of the key learning points for students below.
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•Business Strategy - •Marketing - •Operations Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, innovation, investment appraisal, booz & company, return on investment, r&d;new product development
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Wonderland: The cinema/DVD lifecycle
A report in The Times explains how filmgoers will have less time to wait for films to come out on DVD after Disney won a decisive battle in Britain over release dates for Alice in Wonderland. Two of Britain’s biggest cinema chains had threatened to boycott the film because of Disney’s wish to bring it out on DVD 12 weeks after its cinema release rather than the customary 17.
read more...» •Business & Technology - •Business Strategy - •Leisure, Travel & Tourism - •Marketing -
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Autocratic, demanding or bullying?
We spend a lot of time thinking about leadership and management styles. The news is full of it at the moment, with a particular focus on the style used by the Prime Minister towards his subordinates. You will appreciate that the first, most obvious point about leadership styles is that they must be adapted to reflect the situation. Leading a group of creative workers through a brainstorm is very different to being a senior fire officer at a warehouse blaze, or a senior social worker managing an office supporting a demanding range of clients and cases.
But back to the current headlines: when does someone overstep the line from being firm and demanding – into a bullying monster?
•Business Communication - •Business Organisation - •Leadership & Culture - •Human Resource Management -
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Strategy in the UK Recession - What 69 UK CEOs Did About It
There are some fascinating surveys coming out at the moment, and another one has just landed in my inbox from my former colleagues at PricewaterhouseCoopers. This one - the UK Snapshot from the 13th Annual Global CEO Survey - is a fantastic research resource for students preparing for BUSS4 in June 2010 and January 2011.
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•Business Ethics & CSR - •Business Strategy - •Economic Environment - •Environment & Business - •Finance & Accounting - •Leadership & Culture - •Marketing - •Human Resource Management - •Operations Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS4 -
Tags: motivation, efficiency, culture, organic growth, organisational structure, leadership, acquisitions, risk management, marketing strategy, change management
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Cash management becomes a strategic priority during the recent recession
Effective cash and working capital management has become a key strategic priority during the last 12-18 months according to a major survey of over 300 companies by accountants KPMG.
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•Business Strategy - •Credit Crunch - •Finance & Accounting - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: stakeholders, stocks, cash flow, working capital, inventories, cash flow management, creditors, debtors
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Competitive marketing - taking on Microsoft
A big hat tip to Andrew Brownsword for spotting this excellent blog piece by Rory Cellan-Jones. As Andrew points out:
A great article from the BBC Business Blog for AS Business marketing competitiveness. It looks at an organisation that is looking to take on Microsoft. It will be interesting to get the students to assess the barrers to entry in the personal computing market and make a judgement about this business idea.
•Marketing - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 -
Tags: microsoft, marketing competitiveness, linux
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Money as a motivator in social work?
The government has a new scheme to attract more high-flyers to the profession of social work - particularly needed as recent high-profile and tragic cases such as that of Baby P have made it hard to recruit social workers. The carrot they are offering is cash - the new ‘Step up to Social Work’ scheme offers graduates at least £15,000 to retrain as children’s social workers under a new government-funded scheme. Candidates must have at least a 2.1 degree and some experience already of working with children and families, and this report says that it will be “up to local authorities who are employing those trainees to decide how to use the money” - they will receive the money from the Children’s Workforce Development Council (CWDC), which receives most of its funding from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. So the money is not exactly paid directly to the 200 new recruits - there is a complicated bureaucracy which gets involved first.
There are a number of issues relevant to recruitment, training and motivation that strike me here:
- this is an example of how poor reputation of the employer makes it hard to attract good candidates for vacancies
- Herzberg makes it very clear that hygiene factors (including money) are just as important as the motivators; is money the most appropriate form of motivation for this kind of job?
- what impact is this offer likely to have on morale amongst those already employed in the social work profession?
•Human Resource Management - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 -
Tags: motivation, training, recruitment, herzberg, financial incentives
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Marketing in a recession: more focus on brand advertising and product enhancements
Here is another example to add to Jim’s blog entries this week about the value of increasing marketing spend during a recession: according to Flexnews, Kellogg’s reported that it is increasing its spending on advertising this year as a means of re-investment in its brands. Its spending in 2009 was already a massive 9% of its $12.6 billion in global net sales revenue, compared to an estimate of only 5% for its nearest competitor, and the company also reports that, with ‘deflation’ in media (ie reduced costs for using the media) then the value that they can get from that spending is enhanced. Chief Operating Officer John Bryant also said that, having tripled their spending on advertising in social media such as Facebook, they will continue to focus on this area. In order to convince customers of the added value from Kelloggs’ products there is also strong emphasis on renovating their portfolio of products to reflect the importance of nutrition and health. The company is working to reduce trans fatty acids, salt and sugar in foods and also identified the need to add fibre in its breakfast cereals, with studies showing that 9 out of 10 children in the US do not eat enough fibre in their diets.
•Business Strategy - •Marketing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS4 -
Tags: investment, food, kelloggs, advertising, branding, added value, social media
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Michael Porter on the importance of long-term strategic thinking in a recession
The first four minutes of this press conference with Prof Michael Porter make a really important point for students considering the issue of short-term actions versus long-term plans when it comes to business strategy in the recession.
read more...» •Business Strategy - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: michael porter, long-term, strategic direction, short-term
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Customers have changed during the recession - how does marketing respond?
This ten-minute video interview from Harvard Business School would make for a challenging, but potentially rewarding, lesson resource for students researching how the global recession has altered consumer behaviour. It covers some pretty fundamental ground in terms of market segmentation and the role of marketing strategy during an economic downturn. Whilst focused on the US consumer markets, the points raised by Profession John Quelch are highly relevant to UK students.
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•Business Strategy - •Marketing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, market segmentation, added value, adding value, marketing strategy
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Strategies for the Recession - Insights from Six Restaurant Group CEOs
I came across a super series of CEO interviews in Restaurant Magazine’s online edition whilst doing some research yesterday. Its real gold standard material for anyone wanting to gain some real-life insights into how businesses focus their strategy during a recession. I’ve highlighted some of the key quotes, issues and ideas below, together with links to the interviews themselves if students want to take a more detailed look. My emphases are in bold.
Looking through the interviews one more time, I picked up the follow key lessons for strategy:
* A recession is no time to allow quality standards to fall - customers expect the same or better quality for the same or a lower price. Customer expectations are rising.
* In consumer-facing markets, value-for-money is what customers really want
* Early, decisive action is key - as is management’s ability to hold their nerve in uncertain times. Leadership is therefore key.
* Customers will remain loyal - but they expect a business to do even more to earn their loyalty! Constant two-way communication and feedback with/from customers is vital
* Don’t cut back on investment in innovation - if the brand is built on innovation, keep investing
* Focus on the three P’s of management in a recession: people (training), promotion & product
* Pricing - keep it reasonable and accept a slightly lower profit during the downturn
* Drive costs down - but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
Rated: (5/5), based on 1 review
•Business Strategy - •Leisure, Travel & Tourism - •Marketing - •Operations Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, productivity, strategy, training, efficiency, supply chain, customer service, sales promotion, buss4, cost minimisation
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BUSS4 - winning insights into recession strategy from annual reports
Newspaper articles are ok, but you can’t beat the annual reports of larger companies to get some more detailed, useful insights into the effects of the recession on UK firms and their strategic response.
read more...» •Business Strategy - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, buss4, annual reports
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A CEO’s take on the effect of the recession on UK restaurants
The Restaurant Group plc operates several hundred mid-market restaurants in the UK, trading under familiar names such as Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito and Garfunkels. I came across a really useful piece of research evidence whilst looking through their Annual Report and Trading Statement for 2008 in which the CEO of the business outlines the potential effects of the UK recession on strategy - and how the recession is viewed as a net positive for the business!
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•Business Strategy - •Leisure, Travel & Tourism - •Retailing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, unemployment, employment, interest rates, market share, barriers to entry, consumer spending, restaurants, market positioning, the restaurant group
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Top ten brand values
For those who love lists, the Daily Telegraph features the top ten most valuable brands in the world, headed by Walmart which is valued at $41.4bn. The top ten does feature two British brands - HSBC and Vodafone - and you have to wonder how long Toyota will be able to remain at number ten, with the constant drain on their reputation of more and more recalls.
The list is compiled by BrandDirectory, which is “an online encyclopedia of brands where financial results, visual identities, trademark histories and the latest marketing news will be compiled and shared” - you can use it to research thousands of brands, by name, by country and by sector. Brand values are calculated as “the net present value of the estimated future cash flows attributable to the Brand”. For example a look at their record for M&S shows that their brand value is reckoned to have risen over the last year from $3,640 to $4,285, and the website gives their market capitalisation for the last 2 years as well. This could be worth using for students researching the recent experience of particular brands in relation to their preparation for the BUSS4 unit.
•Economic Environment - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS4 -
Tags: branding, brand values
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Marketing strategy in a recession - is attack better than defence?
The classic strategic marketing response to a recession is to cut the marketing budget. But is this the best action for a firm looking to address the threats and exploit the opportunities in a downturn? In what circumstances might it be appropriate for a firm to increase marketing spending in the face of worsening market conditions and falling sales?
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•Business Strategy - •Marketing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, market share, marketing mix, promotion, pricing strategy, marketing strategy
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Advertising in the recession - perfect storm or perfect opportunity?
2010 looks like it might be the year when the UK advertising industry emerges from its worst slump since detailed records were started in 1982. According to the Advertising Association, total advertising spend in the UK is expected to increase by 2.8% in the third quarter of 2010, the first increase since the start of 2008.
The recession in the UK has been particularly painful for businesses that rely on advertising income. For those businesses that see the decline in advertising rates and costs as an opportunity to get better value for money and build their customer base, the recession couldn’t have come at a better time! Hence, the strategic implication of the advertising slump as either a “perfect storm or perfect opportunity” as mentioned in the AA announcement.
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Marketing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, advertising, itv, online advertising, domino's uk
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Are these really Britain’s most disliked brands?
Catching up with my back-issues of Marketing Week over half-term, I came across this article from Dec09 which reports the results of a market research survey carried out amongst 2,000 UK consumers.
read more...» •Marketing -
Tags: starbucks, brand, aldi, branding, brand name, pasta hut, snickers, cif, accenture, veet
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Branded coffee shops prove resilient to the UK recession
A very useful article in the Feb 2010 edition of Cafe Culture (the trade magazine for the cafe industry) has explained what a winning strategy has been in the UK coffee shop market during the recession.
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Marketing - •Retailing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, starbucks, brands, organic growth, branding, costa coffee, caffe nero, like-for-like, price promotion, coffee shops
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Is the cost-conscious UK consumer here to stay?
One of the attractions of researching the UK retail industry is that is rarely a shortage of useful data which can help to spot trends and issues. Take the amount that UK consumers spend on eating out…
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Leisure, Travel & Tourism - •Retailing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: productivity, efficiency, adding value, profit margins, fast food, cost-minimisation
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Recession turns the UK into a fast-food nation
An interesting way to measure the winners and losers of the recent recession in the UK is to examine what has happened on the ground in the retail sector. One annual survey which paints an interesting picture of how the recession has changed Retail Britain is conducted by the Local Data Company, which sends its researchers walking around the UK’s largest towns and cities marking which retailers are trading.
read more...» •Retailing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, market share, mcdonalds, organic growth, dominos, burger king, pret a manger, fast food, eat
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Recession Buster - Dominos On the March
Students looking for a suitable strategy case study to research how a business can take advantage of the opportunities presented by the recent recession in the UK would do well to spend some time looking at Dominos UK.
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(4/5), based on 1 review
•Business Strategy - •E-Business & E-Commerce - •Marketing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: franchise, organic growth, dominos, pizza, growth strategy, fast food, dominos uk
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Managing a recruitment business through the recession
The recruitment sector has taken many hard knocks during the recent recession in the UK. As firms look to reduce their headcount (or at least minimise their payroll costs), their demand for recruitment agency services is bound to fall.
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•Business Strategy - •Credit Crunch - •Human Resource Management - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: demand, recruitment, emerging markets, cost reduction, cost minimisation, hays plc, service sector
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Can Greggs Become the Skoda of Pies?
This is a great article for Business students. The Times describes how bakers chain Greggs (which has prospered during the UK recession) is trying to reposition its brand as the UK comes out of recession.
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•Business Strategy - •Marketing - •Retailing - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: starbucks, pricing, branding, added value, pricing strategy, greggs, pret a manger, reposition
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Amazing Production Video
Hailing from Sunderland, I do have an affinity for the Nissan car plant which is one of the most efficient in the world.
I found this incredible video which shows the building of the Qashqai from start to finish (squeezed into just over 7 minutes).
Not only that, it covers issues such as labour productivity, quality control, value added etc. Perfect for developing students skills of analysis.
Also ideal for BUSS2 when delivering the use of technology in operations.
read more...»Rated: (5/5), based on 1 review
•Business & Technology - •Human Resource Management - •Operations Management - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Video Case Studies -
Tags: manufacturing, productivity, efficiency, nissan, quality, flow production, operations management
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The Museum of Brands - well worth a visit
I had no idea that the Museum of Branding, Advertising and Packaging existed until I saw Robert Opie, its founder and director, being interviewed on BBC Breakfast last month about Kraft’s takeover of Cadbury’s. But having found that it is in Notting Hill in London, I visited with a group of AS level Business Studies students on Friday and we had a very good afternoon there.
Rated: (5/5), based on 1 review
•Marketing - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 -
Tags: advertising, product, packaging, promotion, branding, marketing, the 4 p's, museum of branding, advertising and packaging
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Contingency planning failure leads to customer service disaster
A wonderful topical example to use with A2 and similar students looking at the need for contingency planning, or at how breakdowns in communication can lead to some serious business consequences The report into the fiasco on Eurostar in December 2009 makes compelling reading. Lots of stimulus material in there for students, from both a contingency planning and customer service perspective.
•Leisure, Travel & Tourism - •Leadership & Culture - •Marketing - •Operations Management -
Tags: customer service, contingency planning, leadership, communication, eurostar
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Revision Quiz - Marketing Mix (20 Questions)
Here is a revision quiz which might help students preparing for AS units requiring knowledge and understanding of the marketing mix.Each time you take the quiz, 20 questions are drawn from the quiz database of 80 revision questions on product, place, promotion and pricing. There is also a VLE version which you can import into your learning system to track student usage and performance. The links are below:
Launch Interactive Quiz on the marketing mix
Download VLE-import version (Zip file)
•Marketing - •EXAM BOARD SUPPORT - •AS & A2 Business - •AQA BUSS2 - •Edexcel Unit 2a - •OCR F292 - •TEACHING BUSINESS - •Business Quizzes -
Tags: product, marketing mix, buss2, promotion, distribution, place, revision quiz
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Cultural diversity – a tough issue for international business
I was reminded of research I’d done into some of the problems businesses can face when they expand overseas after reading In Paris, the customer is not always right. What’s considered good customer service in the London might be hopeless in Lisbon. I’ve jotted down a couple of examples of cross cultural cock-ups that have plagued international retailers.
read more...» •International Business - •Marketing - •Retailing -
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Strategic reaction to the UK recession - notes and observations
Looking back through the archive of special features in the FT during 2009, I’m struck by the excellent depth of insights into the effects of, and reaction to the recession from a strategic perspective. I’ve jotted down some notes from several articles and I’ll add them here as I read through the articles…
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•Business Strategy - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, innovation, strategy, growth, capacity utilisation, buss4, cost reduction, cost minimisation
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UK companies conserve cash in the recession - bad news for shareholders?
“Cash is king” in a recession and in 2009 UK companies took the opportunity to retain as much cash as possible by reducing the level of dividend payments by around £10 billion (or 15%) compared with 2008.
read more...» •Business Strategy - •Finance & Accounting - •BUSS4 RESEARCH - •Recent UK Recession (June 2010) -
Tags: recession, shareholders, cash flow, dividends, retained profit, cash flow management
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