Business objectives Edexcel International GCSE Business revision

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In plain words

An objective is a target a business sets itself. Without one, nobody knows what they are working towards or whether the business is doing well.

The target is not always profit, and it changes as the business does.

6 things to know

  1. Objectives give direction, help in making decisions, motivate staff, and let the business measure its success.
  2. Common objectives: survival, profit, growth, increasing market share, and providing a service to the community.
  3. Owners may also have personal objectives: independence, being in control, and the satisfaction of a challenge.
  4. Objectives change: a new business aims to survive, an established one to grow or raise profit, and in a recession survival comes first again.
  5. Private sector businesses mainly aim for profit. Public sector organisations aim to provide a service.
  6. Success can be measured by revenue, profit, market share, growth, and the satisfaction of customers, owners and employees.

Tips and tricks

  • Market share is a percentage: the business's sales as a proportion of all the sales in the market.
  • If a question describes the business's situation, pick the objective that fits it: just opened, in a recession, or well established.
5 questions, about 2 minutes.

It lands in your notebook with its questions as flashcards.

Business objectives: 5 questions and answers

These are the quiz’s questions. Do the quiz first, then come back here for the ones that got you.

  1. Which objective is a newly opened business most likely to have?
    • survival (the answer)
    • taking over competitors
    • becoming a multinational
    • paying high dividends

    It must first get through its early months.

  2. A business's sales are $2 million in a market worth $20 million. What is its market share?
    • 2%
    • 10% (the answer)
    • 18%
    • 20%

    2 ÷ 20 × 100 = 10%.

  3. What is the main objective of most public sector organisations?
    • to maximise profit
    • to provide a service (the answer)
    • to pay dividends
    • to increase market share

    They are run for the benefit of the public.

  4. Why might a business change its objective from growth to survival?
    • Its profits have doubled.
    • The economy has gone into recession. (the answer)
    • It has gained market share.
    • It has opened new branches.

    When sales fall sharply, staying in business comes first.

  5. Which is a non-financial objective?
    • higher profit
    • higher sales revenue
    • being independent and in control (the answer)
    • higher market share

    It is about the owner's satisfaction, not about money.

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