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BTEC First Business Student Book

BTEC First Business Student Book

Carol Carysforth | Mike Neild | Karen Glencross | Lisa Chandler-Corris

(2017)

Additional Information

Book Details

Abstract

Resources designed to support learners of the new next generation BTEC First in Business specification*.

  • Covers three mandatory units and a wide selection of optional units. 
  • Each unit of the Student Book is presented in topics to ensure the content is accessible and engaging for learners. 
  • Covers all the underpinning knowledge and understanding needed at level 2 to ensure that learners are fully prepared for this course.
  • Activities in each unit provide support and clear direction for learners and can be used in the classroom or for independent work. 
  • New Assessment Zone guides learners through both internal and external assessment.
  • Practice assignments and assessment guidance will help learners to achieve their potential in internally assessed units.

* From 2012, Pearson’s BTEC First qualifications have been under re-development, so schools and colleges could be teaching the existing 2010 specification or the new next generation 2012-2013 specification. There are different Student Books to support each specification. If learners are unsure, they should check with their teacher or tutor.


Table of Contents

Section Title Page Action Price
Cover Cover
Contents iii
About this book v
How to use this book vi
Study skills x
Unit 1: Enterprise in the Business World 2
A1: Finding information 6
Sources of information 6
Reliability of sources 7
A2: Factors to consider in the current business environment 8
National factors 8
Local factors 10
Impact of factors 11
A3: Trends affecting business 12
Social trends 12
Technology trends 13
Environmental trends 14
Ethical trends 15
A4: Size of business and type 16
Types of business 16
B1: How business ideas can be successful 18
Successful business ideas 18
B2: Business ideas 20
Researching the market 20
Selecting a product or service 21
Targeting customers 22
Meet the needs of your target customer 22
Benefits versus features 23
B3: Assessing the suitability of a business idea 24
The resources required 24
Selecting the most appropriate idea 24
Likelihood of success or failure 25
Identification of major barriers to entry 25
B4: Producing an initial plan for a business idea 26
What is a rationale? 26
Supporting evidence 26
C1: Choice of business format 28
Social enterprises 29
C2: Sources of help and support in developing a new business 30
Sources of help 30
Support networks 31
C3: Business model 32
Unit 2: Finance for Business 34
A1: Understand the costs involved in business 36
Understand and identify the costs of a business 36
Understand, define and identify different types of running costs 37
A2: Understand how businesses make a profit 38
Understanding revenue 38
Understanding expenditure 39
Understanding profit 40
B 1: Understand the planning tools businesses use to predict when they will start making a profit 42
Calculating break-even point using a formula 42
Break-even charts 42
Present break-even information graphically 44
Analyse the effect on the break-evenpoint if the figures change 45
The importance of break-even analysis and risks of ignoring it 46
B2: Understand the tools businesses use to plan for success 48
The purpose of budgeting 48
Budgeting and budgetary control 48
Cash flow forecasting 50
The purpose of cash flow forecasting 50
Cash inflows and outflows 50
The purpose of a cash flow forecast 51
Impact of timings of inflows and outflows 52
The benefits of cash flow forecasts and risks of not completing them 52
Completing and analysing a cash flow forecast 53
C1: Understand how businesses measure success 54
Making a profit 54
Looking at financial statements 56
Income statement (profit and loss account) 56
Statement of financial position (balance sheet) 57
Preparing a statement of financial position 58
C2: Understand how businesses can be more successful 60
Identify ways in which a business can increase profits 60
Analyse financial statements and suggest actions to take 60
Unit 3: Promoting a Brand 70
A1: The importance of branding to businesses 74
What is a brand? 74
Why businesses use branding 75
Types of branding 75
Adding value 75
Benefits of successful branding 76
Unsuccessful branding 76
A2: Promotion in businesses 77
Why businesses need to promote themselves 77
Activities used in the marketing mix 77
Benefits of promotion to businesses 79
A3: Elements of the promotional mix and their purposes 80
Advertising 80
Sales promotion 82
Personal selling 82
Public relations activities 84
Direct marketing 85
A4: Promotional activities in business 86
Types of market 86
Market segmentation 86
The use of promotional activities in business 88
The AIDA model 88
B1: Branding methods and techniques 90
Planning ideas for a brand for a business 91
B2: Promoting a brand 93
Promoting a brand image 93
Planning a promotional campaign 93
Unit 4: Principles of Customer Service 96
A1, A2 & A3: Customer service in business 100
The meaning of customer service 100
Different customer service roles in a business 100
The different types of customer service businesses have 100
A4 & A5: Providing customer service 102
Customer satisfaction 102
Consistent and reliable customer service 103
A6 & A7: Good customer service and customer expectations 104
The effect of good customer service 104
Different ways of exceeding customer expectations 105
A8: Providing effective customer service 106
Organisational procedures 106
The purpose of organisational procedures 107
A9: Customer service requirements 108
Complying with legislative and regulatory requirements 108
B1: Who are your customers? 110
Customers 110
Factors that impact on different customer service expectations 111
B2: Customer service skills 112
Skills required to deliver consistent and reliable customer service 112
B3: Customer service skills 114
Developing customer service skills 114
B4: Limits of authority and customer queries 118
Unit 5: Sales and Personal Selling 120
A1: The role of sales staff 124
Selling 124
Providing information 124
Dealing with routine enquiries 125
Representing the organisation 125
A2 & A3: Knowledge and skills 126
What knowledge and skills do sales people need? 126
A4: The process of personal selling 132
B1: Demonstrate personal selling skills 134
Preparing for the sales process 134
Maintaining an appropriate appearance 134
Maintaining an appropriate attitude 135
Dealing with different types of customers 136
Communicating with customers 136
Different types of communication 137
Closing techniques 137
Preparing the sales area 137
Awareness of personal space 137
B2: Demonstrate personal selling processes 138
Recording information 138
Closing techniques 138
Customer care and after-sales services 139
Dealing with enquiries 139
Handling complaints or problems 139
Overcoming barriers to closing the sale 140
Repeat sales 141
Up-selling 141
Liaison with other departments 142
Methods of recording 142
Unit 6: Introducing Retail Business 144
A1: The nature of retailing 148
What is retail? 148
Wholesalers and manufacturers 148
The supply chain 148
Retail channels 148
A2 & A3: Sub-sectors and ownership 150
Retail sub-sectors 150
Retail business ownership 151
A4: Retail outlets 152
Organising retailers by size 152
Types of retail outlet 152
A5 & A6: Aspects of retailing 154
Non-outlet retailing 154
Location 155
A7 & A8: What makes retail businesses function? 156
Jobs in retail business 156
Supporting retail business 157
A9 & A10: Retail targets and performance 158
Aims and objectives 158
Measuring performance 158
B1: Retail business in the UK 160
Retail business and the external environment 160
The benefits of retail developments to communities and customers 163
B2: Doing business with the rest of the world 164
The relationship between UK retailers and international markets 164
Unit 7: Providing Business Support 166
A1 & A2: Providing business support 170
Types of support 170
The purpose of providing business support 171
B1: Using office equipment for different purposes 172
Types of office equipment 172
B2: Working safely 178
Using office equipment safely 178
C1 & C2: Organising and providing support for meetings 180
Types of meeting 180
Organising meetings 181
C3 & C4: Supporting meetings and following up meetings 186
Supporting tasks 186
Follow-up activities 188
Other tasks 190
Unit 8: Recruitment, Selection and Employment 194
A1: Organisational structures and functional areas 198
Understanding organisational structures 198
A1: Functional areas 200
Sales 200
Production 200
Purchasing 201
Administration 201
Customer service 201
Distribution 202
Finance 202
Human resources (HR) 202
ICT (Information and Communications Technology) 203
Marketing 203
Research and development (R & D) 203
A1: Purposes of functional areasand links between them 204
Supporting business aims and objectives 204
Links between functional areas 204
A2: Job roles and responsibilities 206
What do people at these levels do? 206
Impact on roles of different organisational structures 207
B1: Recruitment 208
Why vacancies arise in a business 208
Ways of recruiting staff 208
Types of recruitment 209
Cost and legal considerations 209
B2, B3 & B.4: Job descriptions and person specifications 210
Contents of a job description 210
Contents of a person specification 211
B5: Applying for jobs 212
Application forms 212
Curriculum vitae 213
Letters of application 213
Other requirements 214
Pre-application tests 214
Next steps after applying for a job 214
C1: Job interviews 216
Before the interview 216
Behaviour during the interview 217
C2: Personal audit 220
Personal audit 220
C3: Career development 222
Information and advice 222
Developing a career plan 223
Unit 9: Principles of Marketing 224
A1: Principles of marketing 226
Defining marketing 226
The importance of marketing 226
How businesses use marketing 227
Marketing and corporate objectives 227
SMART objectives 227
A2: What is a market? 228
Types of market 228
Related market activities 229
Different types of markets 230
Business models 232
Business orientation and choice of model 233
A3: Principles of branding 234
The distinctive nature of branding 234
The different dimensions of a distinctive brand 234
The benefits of building brands 235
B1: Researching the market 236
Types and sources of data 236
The uses of different types of data 236
The use and benefits of situational analysis 237
B2: Using market research in businesses 238
Understand the purpose of research and analysis 238
B3: The value of market research to businesses 242
Interpreting key research findings 242
The desirability of different levels of market share 243
PESTLE analysis 243
C1: The 4 Ps of the marketing mix 244
Product 244
Price 246
Elasticity of demand 247
Place 248
Promotion 250
Consistency and the marketing mix 252
The difference between ebusiness and ecommerce 252
Benefits of ebusiness and ecommerce 253
C2: Factors affecting the marketing mix 254
Influences on the marketing mix 254
Evaluating the effectiveness of a marketing mix 254
Unit 10: Using Business Documentation 262
A1: The purpose of written communication in business contexts 266
Purposes and formats of different types of business documents 266
A2: Business contexts and business documents 268
Formal and informal documents used in a business context 268
The influence of internal audiences, external stakeholders and the public 270
Selecting appropriate documents to meet the business context 271
Impact of effective and ineffective written communication in businesses 271
B1: Planning and selecting appropriate business documents 272
C1: Produce business documents for communication in a business 278
Steps involved in producing business documents 278
C1: Document conventions 282
Memos and emails 282
Notices and reports 284
Business letters 286
Unit 11: Building Successful Business Teams 288
A1: Effective teams 292
What is a team? 292
A1: What makes a team effective? 294
Characteristics 294
Stages in team development 295
A1: Team roles 296
Belbin’s Team Roles 296
A2: Effective teamworking 298
Team behaviours 298
The benefits of effective team working 299
B1: Roles and responsibilities of the team leader 300
Team leader responsibilities 300
How the team leader contributes to overall effectiveness 301
B2: Attributes and qualities of an effective leader 302
C1: Effective teamworking skills 306
Teamworking skills 306
Potential barriers to effective team performance 307
C2: Developing effective teamworking skills 308
Unit 12: Introducting Law and Consumer Rights 310
A1: Role of civil law and its courts 314
Civil law 314
Civil courts 314
Civil procedure 316
Case management 316
Alternative methods of resolving disputes and their uses 317
A2: Role of criminal law and its courts 318
Criminal law 318
Criminal courts 318
The adversarial system 318
Types of offence 319
Bail or remand 319
Mode of trial 319
At the trial 320
A3: Working in the law 322
B1: How contract and negligence relate to consumers 326
Contract 326
Negligence 330
B2: How legislation protects consumers 332
Contracts for the sale of goods 332
Contracts for the provision of services 336
Negligence or defective goods 336
Breaches of criminal law 338
C1: Situations and legal remedies 342
Situations where consumers may have a legal claim 342
The rights and duties of buyers and sellers 343
Remedies and their benefits 344
Unit 13: Financial Planning and Forecasting 346
A1: Calculating breakeven 350
The concept of breakeven 350
Definition of breakeven point 350
Methods of calculating breakeven 350
A2: Breakeven analysis 352
The concept of breakeven analysis 352
Identifying areas of profit and loss 352
Margin of safety 353
Costs (fixed, variable, total) 353
Contribution 353
Total revenue 353
Presenting and interpreting breakeven information graphically 354
The relevance of breakeven analysis to a business 354
B1: Preparing a cash flow forecast 356
Identifying cash inflows 356
Identifying cash outflows 358
Cash balances 359
B2: Analysing a cash flow forecast 360
The purpose of analysing a cash flow forecast 360
How cash flow forecasting can be used to manage business finances 361
C1: The use of budgets in business 362
The purpose of budgets in business 362
Types of business budgets and their differences 363
C2: Controlling budgets 366
Budgetary control 366
How budgetary control is used in businesses 366
The benefits of budgetary control for a business 367
C3: Using variance analysis to inform business decisions 368
The concept of variance 368
The concept of variance analysis 368
Identifying favourable and adverse variances 368
The cause and significance of variances 368
How variances affect business decisions 369
Unit 14: Business Online 370
A1: Online business activity 374
Range of online business activities 374
Types of online presence 375
Types of activity 375
Complementing offline activities 375
Types of website 375
A2: Doing business online 376
Purpose of doing business online 376
Achievement of business aims and objectives 376
Provision of effective communication 376
The customer interface 377
Relationship marketing 378
Advantages and disadvantages of having an online presence 378
How businesses operate online 379
Market presence 379
A3: Researching trends and changes in the online business environment 380
Changes in media format including the growth of social media 380
The impact of growth of social media on online business activity 380
Changes in technology 380
Online advertising 381
Effect of the current online business environment on the achievement of business aims 381
B1: Planning and implementation 382
B2: Operational risks 384
B3: Staffing 386
B4: Finance 387
B5: Distribution 388
C1: Using a website to operate a business online 390
Why businesses use websites 390
C2: Types and features of business websites 394
Types of websites 394
Platforms and compatibility 394
Construction features 395
Interactive features 395
Aesthetics 395
C3: User experience of websites 396
How features improve user experience 396
D1: Design a website to meet a client brief 398
Planning the design of a website to meet a business need 398
D2: Ensuring that a client brief is met 404
Feedback from others 404
Assessing the suitability of the website 405
The importance of revising website designs 405
Unit 17: Visual Merchandising in Retail Business 406
A1: Visual merchandising activities 410
A2: How size and sub-sector affect visual merchandisers 412
The effect of size 412
The effect of sub-sectors 412
A3: Responsibilities of visual merchandisers 414
B1: Visual merchandising techniques 416
Psychological techniques 416
Display techniques 417
Visual techniques 417
B1: Visual merchandising tools 418
B2: Using visual merchandising techniques and tools successfully 420
Benefits of successful visual merchandising 420
C1 & C2: Apply visual merchandisingtechniques 422
Supporting design ideas 422
Planning a positive retail environment 422
Planning a positive retail environment 424
C3: Designing a product display 426
Realistic product display designs 426
Links to existing planograms 426
Glossary 430
Index 435