Revision Diary 1 - Should a business grow?

Morning year 11 this is the first of 24 revision topics for us to prepare for the May exam.  We have 12 lessons before the Paper 2 Exam on the 30th May and we are now going to have to FLIP all our lessons so you do the REVISION at home the evening before each topic and the HOMEWORK can be done in the classroom.

Should a business grow? and what changes are likely to be the obvious ones when it does?

1. As a business grows we notice that the FIRST CHANGE will be in its OWNERSHIP.  In a SMALL organisation the OWNER or ENTREPRENEUR tends to both OWN and MANAGE the business.  In a larger organisation the OWNERS are less likely to play a part of running their company.
2. As it grows  a business will need to EMPLOY more STAFF as it probably had very few when it was small.  This will be a significantly larger COST to the business and employing staff involves lots of complicated LEG|ISLATION.
3. The cost of producing the PRODUCT  i.e. the GOODS or SERVICE may become significantly less.
4. Increasing the MARKET SHARE could become attractive but ones the market is SATURATED the business may need to start thinking about selling ABROAD.

Should a business go PUBLIC?

As a business grows it will need to raise FINANCE.  It may not be able to do this from its SHAREHOLDERS if its a growing PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY.so may need to 'GO PUBLIC' and sell its shares on the STOCK MARKET. This is relatively simple, requires a certain amount of cash (approx £50k) but has its down sides as the OWNERSHIP and CONTROL split completely.

What about the Aims and objectives?

The 'aims and objectives' will change as the business grows.  They need to because they need to satisfy the needs of ALL the STAKEHOLDERS and direct the activites of the employees and share the direction with the new owners or SHAREHOLDERS. Thier aims and objectives should still support their main purpose, are they operating at a COST, for a PROFIT or as a CHARITY.  Do they wish to grow MARKET SHARE, improve PROFITABILITY or be more ENVIRONMENTAL & ETHICAL.  Clearly they are beyond the need to SURVIVE or just BREAK EVEN which was important when they started out.

Will their location change?

When entrepreneurs start up a business they usually do so in the cheapest place possible, usually in their home or close by as it is a way of keeping COSTS down.  As the business grows the most likely consideration is where there CUSTOMERS are.  As the business expands they will also need to consider the AVAILABILITY of RAW MATERIALS and COST of TRANSPORT.  A large business is more sensitive to COST than a small one. Saving 10p on half a million items is a saving of £50k per year and only £50 to a small business making 500.

Quick Quiz

Worksheet

expanding a business - benefits and risks

location for a growing business

stakeholders

Nine mark question - Sports Alive Ltd

Sports Alive Ltd is a private limited company.  It is a family owned business that runs a chain of sports clothing shops.  Some members of the family want the business to grow quickly in the future.  They believe the business should float and become a public limited company.

1.      What is meant by a private limited company (2 marks)
2.     Explain TWO reasons why someone might want to invest in Sports Alive   (5 marks)
3.     Discuss the advantages and disadvantages to the owners of Sports Alive of becoming a public limited company.                                                                    (9 marks)
4.     Discuss the ways in which stakeholders may be affected if Sports Alive became a public limited company.