Business organisation and environment

Table of Contents

1. Topic pack - introduction
2. 1.1 Nature of business activity - notes
3. 1.1 Nature of business activity - questions
4. 1.2 Types of organisation - notes
5. 1.2 Types of organisation - questions
6. 1.3 Organisational objectives - notes
7. 1.3 Organisational objectives - questions
8. 1.4 Stakeholders - notes
9. 1.4 Stakeholders - questions
10. 1.5 External environment - notes
11. 1.5 External environment - questions
12. 1.5 External environment - simulations and activities
13. 1.6 Organisational planning tools - notes
14. 1.6 Growth and evolution - notes
    1. Economies and diseconomies of scale
    2. Types of economy of scale
    3. Internal and external economies and diseconomies of scale
    4. Economies and diseconomies of scale - examples
    5. Small versus Large Organisations
    6. Internal and external growth
    7. Internal growth
    8. External growth
    9. Joint Venture and Strategic Alliance
    10. Mergers and takeovers
    11. Porter's generic strategies
    12. Franchises
    13. Ansoff matrix
15. 1.7 Growth and evolution - questions
16. 1.7 Growth and evolution - simulations and activities
17. 1.6 Change (HL only) - notes
18. 1.9 Globalisation - notes
19. 1.9 Globalisation - questions
20. Print View

External growth

There is often a limit to how much a firm can grow internally. This limit is the result of:

• Lack of funds
• Inadequate knowledge of new markets
• A desire to grow more quickly

External growth has the advantages of being:

• a faster way to grow and diversify
• a method of reducing competition
• able to grow market share
• an excellent way of gaining new skills, experience and ultimately customers

However, external growth tends to be an expensive method of growth and can radically change the nature and culture of a business.

There are three methods of external growth:

1. Joint venture
2. Strategic alliances
3. Mergers and takeovers