Cambridge IAL Business study plan

Define enterprise, business activity and the distinction between needs and wants, then classify six real firms by primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sector.

Explain how opportunity cost and the factors of production (land, labour, capital, enterprise) constrain a named start-up's choices.

Distinguish sole trader, partnership, private limited and public limited company, and justify one structure for a firm planning rapid expansion.

Interpret a simple production possibility frontier and state what a movement along it and an outward shift each represent.

Analyse how changes in income, interest rates, exchange rates and population affect demand for two contrasting products.

Explain market failure concepts (externalities, merit and demerit goods, information failure) and evaluate one government intervention aimed at a named market.

Compare the impact of two government policies on business activity, for example a minimum wage and a competition authority ruling.

Evaluate how globalisation and technological change alter the competitive environment for one industry you can name.

Compare autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire and paternalistic leadership styles, applying each to a scenario and predicting its effect on motivation.

Explain the content and limitations of at least two motivation theories, such as Maslow's hierarchy and Herzberg's two-factor theory, and use one to diagnose a demotivated workforce.

Distinguish recruitment and selection methods and recommend a selection process for a specific job role with justification.

Explain the purpose and stages of induction and appraisal, and evaluate one appraisal method against its alternatives.

Describe how trade unions and employee representation affect pay negotiation and workplace change.

Distinguish labour turnover, absenteeism and productivity, and calculate each from supplied figures.

Explain the difference between redundancy and dismissal and evaluate one legal protection that affects business decisions.

Compare on-the-job and off-the-job training and justify a training plan for a firm introducing new technology.

Analyse how workforce planning links to organisational structure, including span of control and chain of command.

Evaluate whether a flexible workforce (part-time, temporary, outsourcing) improves or harms business performance.

Distinguish niche and mass marketing and justify a positioning choice for a named product using market segmentation.

Explain the elements of the marketing mix and show how they must change for two different market segments.

Interpret the product life cycle and recommend an extension strategy at a stated stage, with reasons.

Compare pricing strategies (cost-plus, penetration, skimming, competitive, psychological) and select one for a new product launch.

Evaluate two promotional methods and a distribution channel choice for a small firm with a limited budget.

Compare job, batch, flow and cell production and match each to a suitable product type with reasons.

Explain economies and diseconomies of scale and identify three sources of each for a named expanding firm.

Calculate and interpret break-even output, margin of safety and the effect of a price change on the break-even point.

Evaluate quality control versus quality assurance and recommend one approach for a firm with high warranty costs.

Assess how lean production, just-in-time stock control and capacity utilisation affect cost and risk.

Classify business costs as fixed, variable, direct and indirect, and construct a simple cash flow forecast from supplied transactions.

Explain why a profitable firm can still fail through cash flow problems, using a worked example.

Distinguish the main sources of finance (internal, debt, equity) and recommend one for a stated purpose, weighing cost and control.

Interpret the main ratios (gross profit margin, net profit margin, return on capital employed, current ratio) and state what each reveals.

Explain the purpose of budgets and variance analysis and identify one limitation of each.

Apply SWOT and PESTLE analysis to one named company and derive two actionable strategic options from the output.

Distinguish corporate, competitive and functional strategy and explain how they must align.

Evaluate Ansoff's matrix, selecting and justifying one growth direction for a firm facing slowing demand.

Assess the risks of horizontal and vertical integration versus organic growth, with reference to a real or realistic example.

Explain how business strategy decisions depend on the finance, operations, marketing and HR constraints studied earlier.