chapter 5 the economic context
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The Economic Context
- Demand and supply- The impact of Interest rates- The impact of exchange rates
- The Impact of the business cycle- Business decisions and stakeholders
Commodity Markets
• Examples include steel, copper, oil and coffee beans
• The price of commodity products will depend on
two factors: DEMAND and SUPPLY
A commodity market is a product that is sold on the basis of price rather than brand qualities. In other words, there is almost no difference in the product irrespective of where you buy it.
Demand and Supply
Supply • This shows the quantity of a
product a business is prepared to make and sell at a given price
Demand• Shows how consumers will
react to changes in price
Quantity demanded
Pric
e
Pric
e
Quantity Supplied
Equilibrium point
Manufacturers can sell at the price where the two lines cross
• When demand for a product increases but supply remains the same, the price of
the product will rise • When demand for a product decreases
but supply stays the same, the price of the
product will fall
Interest Rates • The rate of interest is effectively “THE
PRICE OF BORROWING MONEY”
If the Bank of England puts interest rates up, a typical person will either:
So reduce their spending in shops
Will have less money to spend in shops (disposable income)
Borrow less money since it now costs more
Have to pay more money back on their mortgage
The effect of interest rates on
businessesReduce or cancel
planned investment, e.g. the purchase of
new machinery
Reduce borrowing which may mean cutting costs, e.g.
labor
Reduce production, since they expect to sell less if consumers
have less money
If interest rates increase then a business may:
Who controls interest rates
• Since money is a commodity, a currencies value is determined by demand and supply
• Changes in exchange rates can have HUGE effects of businesses
The exchange rate is “the price of one currency expressed in terms of another currency”
How Exchange Rates Affects Businesses
Increase in the value of the pound
Decrease in the value of the pound
Affects on imports into the UK
Become cheaper so will increase
Become more expensive so will fall
Affects on exports out of the UK
Become more expensive so will fall
Become cheaper so will increase
The Business CycleThe economic stages that the UK goes through can be referred to as the Business Cycle, or sometimes the Trade Cycle
Stage of business cycle
Key features Likely reactions by businesses
Recovery/ expansion - Increasing consumer spending- Investment increases- production rises
- Opportunity to increase prices- new business start
boom - Inflation increases- some firms unable to satisfy demand- Interest rates rise
- Prices likely to rise- wage rise- demand fall
recession -demand is low-Investment falls- profits fall
- Firms look for new markets- Workers are laid off- many firms close
slump - Increasing no. of bankruptcies- High unemployment- low levels of spending
-Firms lower prices-Factories are closed- Redundancies occur
Stakeholders• Stake holders are people or groups who have
an interest – or stake – in the activities of a business
• Stakeholders may be able to influence what a business does
• Some stakeholders have more influence than others
Who are the stakeholders?
• Shareholders• Managers• Suppliers• Workers • Governments• Financiers• Local community• Pressure group
• Owners• Suppliers• Workers• Government• Financiers• Local community
Stakeholders of a small businessStakeholders of a large business
Types of Stakeholders
Internal Stakeholders• These are the people who
work for the business and are involved daily
External Stakeholders• These are people who do
not work for the business are not involved on a day-to-day basis. As such they are outside the business
Primary Stakeholders Secondary Stakeholders
• These are the people who can help a business succeed and are usually internal:- Owners- employees- Customers
• These are the people who see themselves as stakeholders even if the business doesn’t:- local residents- local government- pressure groups
What do stakeholders want?
• Stakeholders are affected by the decisions a business makes
Owners will want more
profits Workers will want to work in a pleasant environmentSuppliers will
want a business to buy more from
them
External factors and stakeholders
• All businesses will be affected by the things that happen outside the business that they cannot control
• These are called external factors• Pest analysis:
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