- •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 ‘Can You Communicate?’
You have been employed as a consultant to report on the effectiveness of communications in an organisation and on the kinds of measures, including the introduction of new technology, which can be taken to improve communication in the organisation.
Undertake a study of a communications system used in any organisation that you know (this could be in your school/college or a local firm). You should consider the operation of both the formal and the informal (‘grapevine’ ) system.
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Identify communications channels between different employees and departments within the organisation and with external organisations What information is passed along these channels, and why? In each case identify whether channels are formal or informal, open or restricted, one-way, two-way, or multi-track.
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Describe the communications system and evaluate its effectiveness in supporting the functions of the business - production, sales and marketing finance and accounts, personnel, etc. Compare this to the kinds of purposes which you think a good communications system should fulfil. In making a judgement about effectiveness, survey the views of the users of the system (e.g. employees, customers, and suppliers).
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Identify various equipment used by the organisation for the purpose of communications. What exactly is the equipment used for?
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Report on how Information Technology has changed communications within the organisation and on how it might do so in future.
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Recommend possible improvements to equipment and its use, staff training, and channels of communication, and how these might have a positive or negative impact on individuals and/or the organisation.
You should prepare a written report in a business-style format preferably using a computer word-processing package, and also present your findings and recommendations to the rest of your group using handouts and a variety of visual aids.
Unit 6. Information Processing
Key words: information processing system, manual systems, electronic systems, wordprocessor, spreadsheet, database, graphics package, desktop publishing, mailmerge, multimedia, computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacture, open systems
6.1. The Purposes of Information Processing
Handling business information
Businesses transmit and receive vast quantities of information each day. Information about incoming orders, sales, outstanding debts, payments, receipts, purchases, production costs, outputs, personnel, and many other items all have to be handled, interpreted, and distributed to those who need to use the information. Finally, the information must be recorded and stored for future reference.
In order to handle this information as efficiently as possible, businesses set up information processing systems. An information processing system is a set of rules or procedures designed to handle information and turn it into a manageable and understandable format which can be referred to in future. The primary purpose of an information processing system is to convert large quantities of data into manageable information.
Manual and electronic systems
Information processing systems can be manual – for example, a paper-based filing system – or electronic, involving the use of powerful computers to sift, store, and make sense of large volumes of information. Improvements in technology have expanded the capacity of organisations to retain and process ever-increasing amounts of information, from personnel records and market research observations, to financial data. Most firms combine both manual and electronic systems. Paper-based files provide an important extra back-up in case of computer failure or theft.
Information processing will, therefore, involve some or all of the following tasks:
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