1. The Business Environment

2. The Business Environment
The GCSE course deals with how ICT is used in business
You need to understand certain issues relating to the business environment
Aims and objectives
Criteria for judging success
Stakeholders and their interests
Business structure

3. Types of Business The UK is a mixed economy, with:
Public sector organisations – non profit-making, run by (local) government
Private sector – profit-making businesses
Voluntary sector – e.g. charities
We will mainly look at the private sector.

4. Aims and Objectives A company might have many aims: Survival
Increased profits
Greater market share
Higher customer satisfaction
Diversification
Expansion

5. Measuring Success How can a company judge its success? Size Value
Market share
Reputation
Customer satisfaction
Profits and turnover
Brand name recognition

6. Stakeholders Stakeholders are people who are affected
directly by the operation of the business
Internal – these are people inside the organisation, such as:
Employees
Governors
External – these are people outside the organisation, such as suppliers, shareholders and members of the community

7. Stakeholders Who would be the stakeholders for: A restaurant?
Customers
Suppliers
Waiters, chefs and other staff, etc.
A hospital?
Doctors, nurses and other staff
Patients
Pharmaceutical companies

8. Stakeholder Interests
Who would be affected if the restaurant
moved to Wales?
Staff
Suppliers
Customers
Neighbours who might be affected adversely by noise, lack of parking, etc.

9. Business Organisation
There are different levels of responsibility
in a business:
Strategic – deciding on long-term plans
Tactical – deciding what needs to be done to effect the long-term plans
Operational – doing the work to make it happen!
Who decided the restaurant would move to
Wales? Who would find new staff and
suppliers? Who would do the moving?