All six topics
Everything in Unit 3, spec point by spec point
Open any topic straight in the app.
How businesses set objectives and choose strategy — mission statements and corporate objectives, Ansoff's matrix, Porter's strategic matrix, portfolio analysis, strategic and tactical decisions, SWOT analysis, PESTLE and Porter's five forces.
- aMission, Corporate Aims and Corporate ObjectivesMission statement · corporate aims · corporate objectives · critical appraisal
- bAnsoff's Matrix & Porter's Strategic MatrixMarket penetration · diversification · cost leadership · differentiation
- cThe Aim of Portfolio AnalysisPortfolio analysis · Boston Matrix · product portfolio
- dStrategic and Tactical DecisionsStrategic and tactical · human resources · physical resources · financial resources
- eSWOT AnalysisStrengths · weaknesses · opportunities · threats · internal considerations
- fExternal InfluencesPESTLE · changing competitive environment · Porter's five forces
Why businesses grow and how — the objectives of growth, organic and inorganic growth, mergers and takeovers, and the problems that arise from growth.
- aWhy Businesses GrowInternal & external economies of scale · market power · market share · profitability
- bOrganic GrowthOrganic vs inorganic growth · methods of growing organically · advantages & disadvantages
- cMergers and TakeoversMerger vs takeover · horizontal & vertical integration · conglomerates
- dInorganic Growth: Risks & RewardsFinancial risks & rewards · advantages & disadvantages of inorganic growth
- eProblems Arising From GrowthDiseconomies of scale · internal communication · overtrading
The quantitative techniques behind business decisions — sales forecasting, investment appraisal, decision trees, critical path analysis and contribution — with the calculations, how to interpret them and their limitations.
- aQuantitative Sales ForecastingMoving averages (three period/four quarter) · scatter graphs · line of best fit · extrapolation · limitations
- bInvestment AppraisalSimple payback · average rate of return · net present value · interpreting the figures · limitations
- cDecision TreesConstructing a tree · expected values · net gains · interpreting the figures · limitations
- dCritical Path AnalysisNature and purpose · completing a network · earliest start time · latest finish time · total float · limitations
- eContributionContribution per unit · total contribution · contribution as a decision-making technique
What shapes a business’s strategic decisions from the inside — its corporate culture, how that culture forms and why it is hard to change, whose interests it serves (stakeholders or shareholders), and the ethics of the choices it makes.
- aCorporate CultureStrong and weak cultures · power, role, task and person cultures
- bForming and Changing a CultureHow a culture is formed · difficulties in changing an established culture
- cStakeholder Model Versus Shareholder ModelInternal and external stakeholders · stakeholder objectives · profit-based vs wider objectives
- dBusiness EthicsProfit vs ethics trade-offs · pay and rewards · corporate social responsibility
How to judge a business from its financial statements, its ratios and its workforce data — and the HR strategies that raise productivity and retention.
- aFinancial StatementsStatement of comprehensive income · statement of financial position · stakeholder interest
- bRatio AnalysisProfit margins · current & acid test ratios · gearing · ROCE · limitations
- cHR MeasuresLabour productivity · labour turnover & retention · absenteeism · limitations
- dHR StrategiesFinancial rewards · employee share ownership · consultation · empowerment
How businesses manage change and plan for risk — what triggers change and what it affects, the key factors in successful change, managing resistance to change, and contingency planning through risk assessment, business continuity and succession planning.
- aTriggers, Effects & Speed of ChangeCauses & effects of change · productivity · competitiveness · stakeholders · time/speed of change
- bCulture, Size & LeadershipOrganisational culture · size of organisation · transformative leadership
- cManaging Resistance to ChangeWhy staff resist · ways to reduce resistance · choosing an approach
- dIdentifying Key RisksRisk assessment · natural disasters · IT systems failure · loss of key staff
- ePlanning for Risk MitigationBusiness continuity · succession planning · is a contingency plan worth it?
Unit overview
What you need to know for WBS13
- Objectives shape every decision
- Every strategy question requires you to link back to business objectives. Short-term vs long-term, stakeholder conflicts and the mission statement all matter.
- Quantitative tools have limits
- Decision trees, CPA and investment appraisal give useful numbers, but examiners reward you for evaluating their limitations — estimated data, external changes, qualitative factors.
- Competitiveness is relative
- A business is only competitive compared to its rivals. Use the financial statements, ratio analysis and human resource measures such as labour productivity and labour turnover to analyse competitive position — and always consider the market context.
- Change depends on key factors
- Whether change succeeds depends on organisational culture, the size of the organisation, the time and speed of change, how resistance is managed and transformative leadership. Contingency planning identifies key risks through risk assessment, then plans for business continuity and succession.
Exam paper info
WBS13 at a glance
Assessment details
- Exam paper
- WBS13
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Total marks
- 80 marks
- % of A-Level
- 25%
- Question types
- 4820
- Data response
- Yes — Section A
- Essay questions
- Sections B & C — one essay each, no choice
Keep going
Continue revising
- Unit 2: Managing Business ActivitiesWBS12 · Finance, operations, resource management, external influences
- Unit 4: Global BusinessWBS14 · Globalisation, global markets, international marketing, MNCs
- Written PracticeAI-marked exam answers with instant feedback
- WBS13 Past PapersPractise with real exam questions and mark schemes