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 11 Feb 2012 with 10 new entries)
read more...»Q&A Rapid Revision Guides for Business & Economics
Our series of Rapid Revision Q&A Guides is now extended to 14 units covering a range of Business Studies and Economics specifications. Details below of the current range and how to order:
read more...»Olaf takes the knife to management hierarchy
A great example of delayering a top-heavy organisational structure. Olaf Swantee is a name with which I guess very few of us are familiar. But he might find himself being referred to in several A* business essays in the next few exam sittings if students use the case study of Everything Everywhere…
read more...»Skype CEO on Aims, Growth, Risks and Motivation
A very useful interview here with Tony Bates, the UK-born CEO of Skype which is in the process of being acquired by Microsoft. Technology firms and brands continue to be a superb source of business lesson case studies and examples. There is much in the interview which students ought to add to their notes - particularly A2 students wanting some research-based evidence for their exam essays.
read more...»Tesco adapts to the South Korean market
We all know about the success and dominance of Tesco in the UK where it has a market share of around 30%. Globally it is one of the biggest retailers in the world and it now has stores in 14 countries. This clip is a great example of how Tesco have adapted to the South Korean market where it is the market’s number two, with fewer stores than the number one company.
read more...»CSR & Strategy - Why the Cooperative Group changed to survive
A brilliant article here from the excellent UK team at Ernst & Young which features an interview with Peter Marks, the CEO of The Co-operative Group. Perfect for last minute revision for AQA BUSS4 students…
read more...»A2 Business: Six key global trends that are shaping business strategy
Students who can point to some overriding trends which help shape strategic direction and choices are much more likely to write interesting, persuasive and evaluative essays. This new report by consultants Ernst & Young is a pinch of gold dust for such students, as it examines in a reasonably accessible way six broad, long-term developments which shape business around the globe.
read more...»Organic growth strategy - the benefits if firms “believe in better”
The growth of BSkyB in the UK is a classic example of how to build a business using internal (or organic) growth methods rather than relying on acquisitions. It makes for excellent research-based evidence for students who need to provide examiners with relevant examples of growth strategy.
read more...»OCR A2 Business - Unit F297 BPL - Extra Mock Papers
Many thanks to Tom White was has prepared two extra mock exam papers for colleagues helping students to prepare for OCR A2 Business Studies Unit F297 (BPL). The two papers can be downloaded from the links further below. Tom’s excellent F297 BPL Revision Toolkit is still available for purchase here. Richards Young’s superb Unit F297 rapid revision Q&A guide is also a useful support for Year 13 students as they prepare for the final synoptic paper.
Download F297 BPL Mock Paper 2:
OCR_F297_June_2011_Mock_Paper_2.pdf
Download F297 BPL Mock Paper 3:
OCR_F297_June_2011_Mock_Paper_3.pdf
Is the golf business coming out of the bunker?
For those of you grappling with the OCR A2 F297 Strategic Management case study (like us at T2U), the golf business might be on the list of things you’re wondering about. Or maybe you just think about golf anyway. As usual, the BBC is packed full of interesting background on the business of golf.
read more...»OCR A2 Business - Unit F297 Belvoir Park Ltd (BPL)
Experienced OCR teacher and regular tutor2u blogger Tom White has completed his superb revision toolkit for the OCR A2 unit F297 on Belvoir Park Ltd (BPL). This essential guide provides students with a high-quality support resource as they prepare for the final synoptic unit. It is available as a network licence and can be ordered directly here.
read more...»Leadership - a triumph of youth over experience?
Leaders, like policemen, seem to be getting younger. Don’t take my word for it. There is some useful evidence and examples here which make the point, in this Independent article on the age profile of the UK’s leading CEOs.
read more...»Howard Schultz - A Changed Starbucks. A Changed C.E.O
Perfect timing for all A2 Business students (and an essential addition to any self-respecting scheme of work) - this New York Times article takes an in-depth look at the roll CEO Howard Schultz has played in the business strategy at Starbucks.
read more...»Nestle - using branding & productivity to overcome commodity price increases
A huge amount of lesson material for both business & economics lessons here. The background to the video clip is the rapid increase in the global price of commodities such as cocoa & sugar together with energy costs. However, despite the soaring costs of raw materials, Nestle has so far been able to avoid passing on the cost to its customers. Why is this? Could it be the economies of scale that Nestle enjoys from being one of the world’s biggest food producers? Might the popularity of its brands mean that customers are less likely to switch to alternatives if Nestle attempts to increase its selling prices?
CSR - Avoiding the child labour hotspots
Several prominent businesses have been caught out when investigations have highlighted the exploitation of child labour in their supply chains. Primark and Apple are great examples that are likely to popular research examples for students preparing for AQA BUSS4 in June 2011. So the latest Child Labour Index will probably be required reading for businesses keen to avoid the reputational damage that can arise from being seen to profit from extremely low pay. As this Guardian article explains, the worst-offending countries include many of the emerging markets which have provided the source of low-cost supply for many multinational brands. India performs particularly badly. A good quote in the article from risk management specialists Maplecroft who produce the index makes an important point: [my emphases in bold]
“These large emerging economies are essential to the strategic interests of multinational business. Not only is child labour wrong but the existence of child labour within a company’s value chain can have significant impacts on reputation and profits and it is critical that companies undertake stringent monitoring of all suppliers.”
Nokia CEO - Standing on a Burning Platform
If your A2 business students aren’t studying Nokia as part of their final few months - they should be. And this terrific article in the Guardian provides the perfect starting point for students to begin their analysis and evaluation of the strategic challenges facing Nokia.
Nokia’s new CEO Stephen Elop likens the strategic position of Nokia as akin to the dilemma faced by an oil worker standing on North Sea oil platform facing a raging fire on multiple fronts. The worker rationalises that he has no choice but to jump into the unknown - to dive into the freezing water to survive. It was the burning platform which made the choice so stark. A memo from Elop is reproduced in the article together with some background on the competitiveness issues faced by Nokia. I suspect the memo will become a classic on MBA courses for years to come. Highly recommended.
CSR - Branson, Paphitis and Meaden Turn into Eco Warriors
If Theo Paphitis, Deborah Meaden, Richard Branson, Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King, outgoing M&S CEO Stuart Rose and Pepsico’s CEO Indra Nooyi are prepared to appear in a video like this, then you know that the issue of CSR (and specifically sustainability) has truly risen to the top of the hierarchy of corporate objectives!
The new ‘Eco warriors or business leaders’ video is all part of Prince Charles’ Accounting for Sustainability initiative, which is ‘bringing organisations together to develop practical tools to enable environmental and social performance to be better connected with strategy and financial performance, and thereby embedded into day-to-day operations and decision making’.
Ok - so the video is a bit cheesy. But it’s a perfect stimulus video to show students as an introduction for their AQA BUSS4 research project too...
read more...»Leadership - can Apple really be a one-man band?
Steve Jobs has come to define Apple. He leads and fronts the big product launches. He is rumoured to be intimately involved in the new product development process. So what happens when, again, Jobs has to take time away from the business to concentrate on his well-reported health challenges. This BBC Magazine article asks whether a business like Apple can really be a one-man band? How important is the leadership of an iconic CEO? Great for BUSS4 leadership studies.
The Strategy Battle of 2011 - David’s kid brother versus Goliath
A terrific article about Will King and his business King of Shaves in the Telegraph which I highly recommend to all business teachers.
Will King is trying to compete in what is effectively an monopoly market. One global brand dominates the worldwide shaving habits of men and women - Gillette. How can King of Shaves possibly compete against the might of such a business. To put things in perspective, Gillette is launching a new razor in the UK in late January 2011 and is expected to spend almost £50m on launch promotion alone. King of Shaves also has a new razor launching on the same day - but the firm has had just £4m of external investment since it was formed. Gillette has over 80% of the UK market.
The article is rich in business studies material. Lots of good data on market share (note how the use of volume data is mainly used). The shareholding structure of King of Shaves is described, as is King’s growth strategy into the huge US market (perfect Ansoff Matrix material). The references to pricing strategy are also really useful - lots of scope here to ask students to conduct some basic market research on pricing by the main brands in the UK shaving market.
You can follow Will King on Twitter here - something I also recommend
Dominos Pizza - Growth & Strategy (Part 1) - Driving Competitive Advantage
Despite or perhaps because of difficult economic times, the pizza delivery company Dominos UK & Ireland has enjoyed rapid growth over the last couple of years. The company, which owns the Master Franchise to the Domino’s brand in the UK and Ireland, now operates through over 130 franchisees with an average of 4.5 stores each. And their long-term strategy contains the target of rolling out at least one new Dominos store per week in each of the next ten years, growing the business into a billion pound brand in the UK – almost double the current size.
read more...»Strategy in Action: 10 Mins of Gold Star Insights from the Whitbread CEO
Students of business strategy (and their teachers) will rarely find a better video resource than this one. In particular, it ought to be required viewing for anyone taking AQA A2 Business BUSS4 or IB Business Management…
read more...»Starbucks goes for vertical integration to fuel growth in China
A big week of announcements for Starbucks as it continues to emerge from the global economic downturn. It has announced plans to accelerate its store opening programme, with 400 new stores outside the USA alone. And it has also decided, for the first time, to start growing its own coffee beans, as a way of supporting its ambitious growth plans in China.
read more...»Culture & Change - The Challenge Facing Nokia
This has to be one of the best newspaper articles for a Year 13 business student in many a long year…
read more...»Strategy in Action: “Buying Growth is Not a Strategy”
Here’s a slightly different but certainly topical example of business strategy for the teacher and/or student that wants an example of an external (inorganic) growth strategy that can go seriously wrong. This article on TechCrunch will not suit every student, but the more confident will find plenty of rich business studies material in the analysis and evaluation of Intel’s M&A strategy. Some good examples in there about how takeovers destroy shareholder value more often than they they add to value.
External growth strategy - takeovers back in fashion for large UK firms post recession
A neat summary from the BBC of a trend developing during 2010 - the increase in the number and value of business takeovers as UK firms emerge from the economic downturn. This would make a useful lesson stimulus piece for students wanting to build their understanding of the rationale behind acquisitions as a means of business growth, and also to identify some real examples to supplement their exam research.
read more...»Strategy in action - Mitchell & Butlers stays focused
A great example of a focus strategy in the news, with the announcement that pubs & dining group Mitchell & Butlers has agreed to sell Hollywood Bowl to rival AMF Bowling.
read more...»OCR GCE Business Unit F297 - Rapid Revision Q&A Guide
Our new rapid revision Q&A for OCR GCE Business Unit F297 (Strategic Management) is now available.
Download a sample of the Unit F297 Revision Q&A
Order direct online from the tutor2u store
Business strategies as we emerge from the recession
A quick heads up on a five-part, daily series in the FT this coming week which examines the strategic options for UK businesses as they emerge from the recession.
It starts with a look at how business and marketing planning has been made harder for B2C firms by the increasingly unpredictable nature of UK consumers.
“In a series of investigations over the next five days, the Financial Times will examine the dilemmas companies face – from how to get finance to what to do about supply chains and opportunities for green business”
People without a subscription to FT.com will probably hit the FT’s paywall with this link, but here it is anyway. Might be worth getting the FT print edition this week for this series though.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/54ac38da-1406-11df-8847-00144feab49a,s01=1.html
Diversification strategy : Tesco opts for own-label banking
An excellent article in The Guardian today would provide lots of scope for a good business strategy lesson for the Year 13s…
read more...»Exam Board resources
Exam board specific materials will be added to the relevant subject blog categories
