- •Череповецкий государственный университет
- •Кафедра экономики
- •Современный бизнес
- •Contents
- •Введение
- •Unit 1. The effects of demand and supply on business
- •1.1. Markets
- •Test Questions
- •Case study ‘Understanding the Market’
- •1.2. The Operation of Markets
- •If social costs exceed social benefits, the decision to produce a good or service makes society worse off even if the producers make a profit.
- •If social costs are less than social benefits, the decision to produce a good or service will make society better off. Test Questions
- •Case study ‘Record Industry’
- •1.3. The Effects of Government Policy on Markets
- •Indirect taxes
- •Test Questions
- •Unit 2. The competitiveness of a firm
- •2.1. The Performance of an Industry
- •International Trade
- •International comparisons
- •2.2. Government Action to Improve Competitiveness
- •2.3. Government Action and International Trade
- •2.4. Business Competitive Strategies
- •Test questions
- •Case Study
- •Unit 3. Business Organisations
- •3.1. Types of Business Organization
- •3.2. Organizational Structures
- •3.3. Factors Influencing the Organisational Structure
- •Internal factors
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Business Organisation & Structure’
- •Unit 4. Administrative systems
- •4.1. The Purpose of Administrative System
- •4.2. Administration Functions in Business
- •4.3. Evaluating Administrative Systems
- •4.4. Information Technology in Administration
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Satellite Supplies’
- •Unit 5. Communications Systems
- •5.1. Why Do Businesses Need Communications System?
- •5.2. The Objectives of Communication
- •5.3. Verbal Communication
- •Internal communications
- •5.5. Evaluating Communication Systems in Business
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Can You Communicate?’
- •Unit 6. Information Processing
- •6.1. The Purposes of Information Processing
- •6.2. Types of Information Processing Systems
- •Information Technology: positive and negative effects
- •6.3. Evaluating Information Processing Systems
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study “Information Technologies in Business”
- •Unit 7. The principles and functions of marketing
- •7.1. What is Marketing?
- •7.2. The Objectives of Marketing
- •7.3. Implementing the Marketing Mix
- •Test Questions
- •Unit 8. Market Research
- •8.1. What is Market Research?
- •8.2. Sources of Marketing Information
- •Information requirements
- •Internal sources
- •8.3. Primary Research
- •8.4. Market Changes
- •Information on sales
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Sun Rush’
- •4M Brits shrug off gloom in sun rush
- •Unit 9. Marketing Communications
- •9.1. Targeting an Audience
- •9.2. How to Reach a Target Audience
- •9.3. Product Performance
- •9.4. Guidelines and Controls on Marketing Communications
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Marketing Communication’
- •Unit 10. Customer Service and Sales Methods
- •10.1. ‘The Customer Is Always Right’
- •10.2. Placing the Product – Distribution
- •Indirect distribution via intermediaries
- •10.3. Closing the Sale
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Company Handbook’
- •Unit 11. Production
- •11.1. What is Production?
- •11.2. Just in Time Production and Total Quality Management
- •11.3. Improving the Productivity of Labour
- •11.4. Health and Safety at Work
- •11.5. Reducing Pollution from Production
- •In the working environment
- •In the natural environment
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Production and Productivity Consulting’
- •11.6. The Costs of Production
- •Identifying business costs
- •Indirect costs
- •Insurance
- •Variable costs
- •Test Questions
- •Case study ‘Waterhouse Waffles’
- •Unit 12. Pricing decisions and strategies
- •12.1. The Pricing Decision
- •12.2. Cost-Based Pricing
- •12.3. Market-Based Pricing
- •12.4. Competition-Based Pricing
- •12.5. Problems with Demand- and Competition-Based Pricing
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘What Price Promotion?’
- •Unit 13. Monitoring business performance
- •13.1. Accounting for Business Control
- •13.2. Budgetary Control
- •Variance analysis
- •13.3. Ratio analysis
- •Test Questions
- •Case Study ‘Business Performance’
- •Unit 14. Preparing a business plan
- •14.1. What Is a Business Plan?
- •14.2. The Purposes of a Business Plan
- •14.3. Legal and Insurance Implications
- •Insurance
- •14.4. Business Resources
- •14.5. Potential Support for a Business Plan
- •Some review questions
- •Unit 15. Producing a Business Plan
- •15.1. Business Objectives and Timescales
- •15.2. The Marketing Plan
- •15.3. The Production Plan
- •15.4. The Financial Plan
- •15.5. Conclusion
- •Some Review Questions
- •Case Study ‘Business Plan’
Case Study ‘Satellite Supplies’
You work for a small but rapidly growing firm called Satellite Supplies producing and distributing Satellite TV equipment. The firm started as a sole trader business, with the owner undertaking all of the various tasks needed to run the firm. The tasks varied from banking cash, to ordering supplies, sending out invoices, chasing late payers, taking new orders, and marketing and delivering the goods.
Now the firm has a turnover of £300,000 per annum and employs 5 people. However, it is still being run without any proper business systems, and all decision-making and paperwork still depend for action on the original owner. Recently, because of the heavy workload, it has been decided to look at the kinds of systems that other, more established firms use and then adopt the best of these for Satellite Supplies.
You have been asked to prepare a report explaining the administration system used in a firm (or firms) that you have chosen for investigation (this could be a work experience firm, your school/college administration system, or any firm known to you).
Your report should include the following discussion elements:
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Why firms need administration systems.
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The kinds of tasks requiring administrative systems at Satellite Supplies and the business functions that would undertake them.
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The kinds of international quality standards which could be used by the firm to improve the quality of its administration.
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How the suitability of any administrative systems introduced could be evaluated.
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The use of a questionnaire to find out the opinions of users, employees, and customers, to help guide the design of an administrative system that could be employed by Satellite Supplies.
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How the introduction of computers could help the operation of the administration system, in terms of work load, productivity and other improvements.
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What software applications you would recommend to the firm to use in administration.
Use word processing or desktop publishing computer software to prepare your report, to cover Information Technology core skills. Present the main conclusions and recommendations of your report in an oral presentation to your class group, using slides and handouts if appropriate.
Unit 5. Communications Systems
Key words: communication, communication channel, open channels, restricted channels, verbal and non-verbal communication, face-to-face communication, agenda, cascading, videoconferencing, cellular phone, memorandum, minutes, reports, bulletins, modem, e-mail, Internet, facsimile (fax), telex, teletext, pager, voice messaging
5.1. Why Do Businesses Need Communications System?
What is communication?
Communication is a process which enables information to be passed from one person or organisation to another. To be effective, communication will require:
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a transmitter: a source or sender of information;
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a transmission: a message or content;
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a channel: a route through which information is passed, e.g. different employees and organisations;
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a medium: a method through which information is passed, e.g. a telephone;
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a receptor: a person or audience to whom the information is sent;
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feedback: to indicate whether not the receptor has understood the message.
Thus, for communication to be effective, information passed between two parties must be understood and acceptable to those sending it and to those receiving it. If both the person transmitting information and the person receiving it are within the same organisation, communication is said to be internal. If information is passed between one organisation and another, it involves external communication.
Success in business depends on being able to respond to changes in the market and to the actions of competitors quicker than other firms. One very important means of gaining a competitive advantage over rival firms is through fast and efficient communications. Fast and accurate communication means that a firm can find out quickly what is going on in the market and can communicate its response – whether in terms of price changes or the introduction of new or revised products – to its own staff and to customers as quickly as possible.
Channels of communication
We can define a communication channel as either a formal or informal route between people or organisations along which information passes. There are the following types of communication channels:
One-way channels exist to provide people and organisations with information which requires no direct feedback, for example, managers passing simple instructions or other information via a vertical channel to workers on the shop floor.
Two-way channels exist to provide reciprocal exchange of information, for example, managers asking employees for their opinions on some business matter.
Multi-track channels exist when information is passed on by one transmitter to a number of receptors, for example, wholesalers providing product information onto retailers.
If a channel of communication is open, it means that anyone can share in the information being transmitted. For example, a notice board at work is used to transmit information to anyone who reads it.
However, some information will be confidential, and access to it will be restricted. For example, if managers are planning to introduce new machinery which is likely to lead to redundancies, they will need information on which to base this decision, but will not wish their workforce to know until their plans are finalised. An organisation will also wish to keep new product developments secret, so that rival firms are unable to copy their ideas.
Communications technology
The way in which business organisations communicate has changed significantly in recent times. Information Technology has revolutionised our ability to store, retrieve, and send information to different users. For example, computers and satellites have improved the speed at which information can be passed over long distances. Both sound and vision can be transmitted around the world in just a few seconds. The large number of people who have such equipment as telephones, TVs, videos and computers means that business can communicate with a large audience. This is especially important to firms advertising their products to national and international markets.
However, information technology can be expensive to buy and staff may need a lot of training if they are to use the new equipment effectively. People and firms unable to afford new equipment might be excluded from some communications. The security of information is also threatened by telephone bugging and computer hacking (unlawful access to other peoples and organisations computer files).