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uk

Business Growth

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Business Growth

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Financing Growth

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Financing Growth
To grow a firm needs to be able to expand plant, equipment, buildings, human resources, etc. To do this it needs to acquire finance There are two basic sources:

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Internal Sources
Private funds personal savings Profits retained profit ploughed back into the business. This assumes the business is successful Internal sources tend to mean growth is slower
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Firms like Marks and Spencer have been around for many years, their growth has been primarily internal but has taken time.
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External Sources
Loans from banks and financial institutions Venture Capital specialist groups who provide capital may take over ownership of the firm, build it up then sell it on at a profit in a few years Leasing allows a degree of flexibility in finance arrangements EU/Government Grants
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Overtrading
Sudden growth can mean a sharp increase in demand or be the result of it! The firm may try to cater for this growth but not be able to meet demand Investment may be made in new capacity which incurs extra cost but customers may not pay at the same rate leading to cash flow problems and possible insolvency
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External Growth

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Takeovers
One firm buying/securing a controlling interest in another, the taken over firm may lose its identity (e.g. Morrisons takeover of Safeway will eventually lead to the disappearance of the name Safeway) Horizontal a business at the same stage of the production process Vertical a firm at different stages of the production process.
Forwards towards the market Backwards towards the source

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Mergers
The amalgamation of two or more firms Each firm may retain some degree of identity e.g. Cadbury Schweppes, Horizontal mergers at the same stage of the productive process Vertical at different stages of the productive process

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Conglomerate Growth
Conglomerate Growth the acquisition of firms in different production areas from its core market Kingfisher own Comet, B&Q, Woolworths, MVC and Screwfix
Many people may not have recognised Kingfisher plc as a business but are likely to have heard of the branded businesses they own. Sponsorship of Dame Ellen MacArthurs sailing exploits have helped raise the groups profile.
Title: Vendee Globe Challenge. Copyright: Getty Images, available from Education Image Gallery

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Internal Growth

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Internal Growth
Internal growth can come from:
Innovation new product development, new processes, new systems, etc. which can improve the efficiency of the firm Competitive Advantage the means by which a firm is able to make itself stand out from its rivals innovation could be one source of competitive advantage

Others might include:

After sales service Quality Price Cost advantages Brand image Environmental consciousness

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Managing Growth

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Managing Growth
Businesses are human organisations humans are difficult to manage! Larger organisations may suffer from diseconomies of scale Larger organisations may necessitate changing roles for the managers/leader/owners There may be a divorce between ownership (the shareholders) and control (the Board)
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