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Economics for Business: Is an economic recovery underway?
A ‘crossover’ blog here, since most Business students will be spending at least some of their time thinking about the external environment that firms operate in. For most businesses, the dominating external issue has been the deep recession – a long period in which the UK economy has struggled. Analysis from The Economist suggests that the economy has taken so much damage we’re basically back to where we were in late 2003! A pretty depressing thought, but there are some signs that things might be picking up.
What follows is a link to an article giving reasons to be optimistic, and to a short series of blogs from last year that take you through what you need to know about economic ‘fundamentals’ at A2 level.
We might be way too early talking about green shoots of recovery (I was blogging about which business sectors are pulling the economy out of recession? back in 2010) but the Guardian article Is the worst finally over for the UK economy? makes a persuasive case that we might be past the worst. Let’s see.
Here are links to some key terms and examples that might be helpful too:
Economic environment - Confidence
Economic environment - Debt bombshell
Economic environment - Exchange Rates
Economic environment - GDP
Economic environment - Inflation
Economic environment - Oil and Petrol Prices
Economic environment – Unemployment
Economics environment - Stock market booms (and busts)
Business response to the economic environment: zero hours contracts [18 May 2013]
3 Businesses That Have Thrived during the Economic Downturn [13 May 2013]
Strategy in a time of austerity & poverty - three retailers tell their story [13 Apr 2013]
The T in SWOT is Becoming More Important to Global CEOs [11 Feb 2013]
The UK economics puzzle - rising employment but falling GDP [16 Aug 2012]
Economic Influences in action - austerity hits IWB maufacturer Promethean [27 Jul 2012]
Marketing analysis: the UK supermarket battleground [3 May 2012]
Revision Presentation - Unemployment & Business [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Inflation [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Business Cycle and Economic Growth [6 Apr 2012]
Revision Presentation - Retrenchment [4 Apr 2012]
Inflation for Business Students [27 Mar 2012]
Pampering - demand booms as consumers seek an affordable treat [4 Mar 2012]
Would you work harder - for nothing? The hidden costs of employment fear [29 Dec 2011]
Unemployment and motivation [28 Dec 2011]
Crisps and exchange rates [27 Dec 2011]
The human story of long-term unemployment [15 Dec 2011]
Strategies to revive the High Street: Mary Portas reports [13 Dec 2011]
Optimism and expansion in consumer leisure markets [2 Dec 2011]
Batten down the hatches - strategies for the next downturn [24 Oct 2011]
Shoppers switch stores as income patterns change [11 Oct 2011]
Stakeholders gripped by the bad news coming from BAE Systems [28 Sep 2011]
Fresh Examples of Creating Shared Value [24 Aug 2011]
A2 Business: Six key global trends that are shaping business strategy [15 Jun 2011]
Mothercare’s change of strategic focus - Updated [13 Jun 2011]
Recruitment challenges from the skills gap [25 May 2011]
Private v Public Sector - A Clash of Two Cultures? [20 Apr 2011]
Is the golf business coming out of the bunker? [7 Apr 2011]
Recession? Hair today, gone tomorrow [6 Apr 2011]
Is the role of inflation over inflated? [30 Mar 2011]
AQA unit 4 - some really good evidence here [29 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Economic Growth GDP [15 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Exchange Rates [14 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Inflation (CPI) [13 Mar 2011]
The UK Economy - Unemployment [13 Mar 2011]
The Profit Margin Bloodbath of UK Recession [6 Mar 2011]
Britain is back in recession (well, consumers think we are) [23 Feb 2011]
A retailer’s worst nightmare - where are the customers? [20 Dec 2010]
2011 - A chance for retailers to slip in some sneeky price rises? [14 Dec 2010]
Its curtains for UK consumer spending [12 Dec 2010]
Euro Disney - an HRM & Finance Nightmare? [24 Nov 2010]
Recession-proof production at Fiat [20 Nov 2010]
JCB - A Great Case Study for Business Students [19 Nov 2010]
Cash flow Clue-doh! The Mystery is Revealed… [2 Nov 2010]
Start-ups - a surge in new businesses post recession [2 Nov 2010]
Sectors of the Economy - Online is Worth £100bn [30 Oct 2010]
Google, Profits and Diversification [16 Oct 2010]
Who ate all the pies? [17 Sep 2010]
Businesses prepare for the double-dip [13 Sep 2010]
Can small firms shrug off their recession trauma? [2 Sep 2010]
A beginners guide to GDP [30 Aug 2010]
How inflation affects consumers [27 Aug 2010]
Inflation and profit margins - lessons from the market [27 Aug 2010]
Recession Strategy - Manufacturing Emerges Leaner and Fitter [25 Aug 2010]
Nissan profits from a recovery in demand [30 Jul 2010]
Ocado - a rich source of business studies material [27 Jul 2010]
Can performance-related pay motivate the SCD celebs? [18 Jul 2010]
World Cup 2010 Business Winners and Losers [13 Jul 2010]
Dark days for the UK nightclub market [21 Jun 2010]
A significant rise in unemployment ahead for the UK [16 Jun 2010]
Emerging Stronger - How UK Businesses Responded to the Recession [14 Jun 2010]
Supermarkets set for a new price war? [13 Jun 2010]
BUSS4 - Recession Strategy Lessons from Four Female Entrepreneurs [6 Jun 2010]
Emerging from Recession - Manufacturing Leads the Way [1 Jun 2010]
Strategy Case Study - Vauxhall/Opel restructuring [25 May 2010]
Strategy Case Study - Sugar on the Way Out? [23 May 2010]
BUSS4 UK Recession - Data Burn [15 May 2010]
UK Recession - Hotels Suffer Despite the Trend towards Staycations [3 May 2010]
Why Coffee Shops did so well during the UK Recession [25 Apr 2010]
A good example to use when explaining what firms do as they come out of a recession [22 Apr 2010]
Girl Power [12 Apr 2010]
AQA A2 Business (BUSS3) - Influences on Functional Objectives [6 Apr 2010]
Recession Survival Strategies Cost UK SMEs £16bn [31 Mar 2010]
UK Recession - What Happened to Redundancies? [30 Mar 2010]
Unilever in the recession - the CEO on strategy [25 Mar 2010]
How firms can make the most of the recovery [20 Mar 2010]
Measuring changing shopping habits and inflation [15 Mar 2010]
Wipeout Challenge - UK Recession [15 Mar 2010]
Motivation and management at John Lewis [12 Mar 2010]
Data watch - what happened to consumer spending in the UK recession? [4 Mar 2010]
BUSS4 and British Airways - a marriage made in heaven [1 Mar 2010]
Whiteboard Challenge - Drawing UK GDP [28 Feb 2010]
Recession strategy - what happens when a market dives by 30%+? [28 Feb 2010]
HRM priorities as firms exit the recession [27 Feb 2010]
Strategy in a recession - cost optimisation not cost minimisation [25 Feb 2010]
An interesting way to describe the Business Cycle [25 Feb 2010]
Strategy in a recession - Don’t Panic Mr Mainwaring! [25 Feb 2010]
Strategy in a recession - global innovators keep investing [25 Feb 2010]
Customers have changed during the recession - how does marketing respond? [19 Feb 2010]
Strategies for the Recession - Insights from Six Restaurant Group CEOs [19 Feb 2010]
BUSS4 - winning insights into recession strategy from annual reports [18 Feb 2010]
A CEO’s take on the effect of the recession on UK restaurants [18 Feb 2010]
Marketing strategy in a recession - is attack better than defence? [17 Feb 2010]
Advertising in the recession - perfect storm or perfect opportunity? [17 Feb 2010]
Branded coffee shops prove resilient to the UK recession [17 Feb 2010]
Recession turns the UK into a fast-food nation [17 Feb 2010]
Strategic reaction to the UK recession - notes and observations [9 Feb 2010]
UK companies conserve cash in the recession - bad news for shareholders? [8 Feb 2010]
Strategies in a recession - pay freezes stay in place [8 Feb 2010]
Business strategies as we emerge from the recession [7 Feb 2010]
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