Business Studies

What skills will I need for Business Studies?

This subject is both active and enjoyable. You need to be good at communicating and explaining your ideas and not be afraid of learning new concepts and working with numbers to solve business problems. You will learn how to be a creative thinker and make decisions. You will also learn about the world of business through research and investigation, as well as through practical tasks.

Business GCSE prepares you for the world of work and you learn about all aspects of business. I hope to study business at A Level and at university and take a year out to work and get experience. Student

Teachers

Mr J Neophytou - Acting Head of Department

Mr M Benhadj

Mr A Pappas

In Business we offer a whole range of opportunities designed to enable students to enhance their skills and engage themselves in the discovery of business and enterprise related issues. Staff member

Curriculum Map

Tech Award in Enterprise Curriculum Map

GCSE and A Level Curriculum Map

I really enjoy business; it provides a better understanding of how businesses are run, from operations to people management. Student

KS4

OCR Business GCSE

Pupils follow the OCR (Specification J204) course at GCSE. Pupils have two lessons per week as part of their GCSE Business Studies course. Homework is set as per the homework timetable and recorded in student journals and Satchel:One (homework)

Key skills required to complete this course:

Know and understand business concepts, business terminology, business objectives, the integrated nature of business activity and the impact of business on individuals and wider society
Apply knowledge and understanding to contemporary business issues and to different types and sizes of businesses in local, national and global contexts
Develop as enterprising individuals with the ability to think commercially and creatively to demonstrate business acumen, and drawn on evidence to make informed business decisions and solve business problems
Develop as effective and independent students, and as critical and reflective thinkers with enquiring minds
Use an enquiring, critical approach to make informed judgements
Investigate and analyse real business opportunities and issues to construct well-argued, well-evidenced, balanced and structured arguments, demonstrating their depth and breadth of understanding of business
Develop and apply quantitative skills relevant to business, including using and interpreting data.

Topics covered

Unit 1: Business activity, marketing and people

1hour 30mins examination which equates to 50% of the total GCSE

The role of business enterprise and entrepreneurship
Business planning, ownership, aims and objectives
Stakeholders in business
Business growth
The role of marketing
Market research and segmentation
The marketing mix
The role of human resources
Organisational structures and different ways of working
Communication in business
Recruitment and selection
Motivation and retention
Training and development
Employment Law

Unit 2: Operations, finance and influences on business

1hour 30mins examination which equates to 50% of the total GCSE

Production processes
Quality of goods and services
The sales process and customer service
Consumer law
Business location
Working with suppliers
The role of the finance function
Sources of finance
Revenue, cost, profit and loss
Break-even
Cash and cash flow
Ethical and environmental consideration
The economic climate
Globalisation

The interdependent nature of the business

The interdependent nature of business operations, finance, marketing and human resources within a business context
How these interdependencies underpin business decision-making
The impact of risk and reward on business activity
The use of financial information in measuring and understanding business performance and decision-making.

L1/L2 Tech Award in Enterprise

Pupils follow the Pearson BTEC (Specification). Pupils will have two lessons per week and a period 6 lesson(every month). Homework is set once a week according to the homework timetable and students are to record this in their student journals. Homework is also uploaded onto Satchel:One Weekly.

Course Outline

The Tech Award in Enterprise is a two-year course and consists of 3 components overall. Component 1 & 3 are usually taught for Year 1, Component 2 is completed in Year 2.

Component 1: Exploring Enterprises (Internal/ Assignment)

Component 2: Planning for and Pitching an Enterprise Activity (Internal/Assignment)

Component 3: Promotion and Finance for Enterprise (External/ 2 Hour Exam)

What will I learn in BTEC Business?

The nature of the course is very ‘hands on’. We will be involving local businesses in the delivery of the course in Component 1. There is an emphasis on written work, research skills, working in groups and presenting findings to a target audience. Throughout the two years there will be an opportunity to test out your enterprise skills, looking at the promotion and financial aspects in Component 3 and preparing and presenting your micro enterprise activities in Component 2.

If you have ever considered becoming the next Lord Alan Sugar or fulfilling your dreams through starting you own business, then this is the course for you!

Key skills for Tech Award in Enterprise:

There is an emphasis on ‘learning by doing’. Students will learn to work using their own initiatives. You will also be able to demonstrate self-motivation and organisational skills through meeting regular deadlines, along with carrying out independent research skills for a range of tasks and activities. Communication and interpersonal skills will be developed through regular presentations and discussions in relation to the components throughout the course.

Future Directions

Which courses could GCSE Business Studies lead to?

A2 Level -Business Studies / Economics
AS Level Business Studies / Economics
BTEC Level 3 National Certificate in Business

Which careers could GCSE Business Studies lead to?

Business Studies in KS4 is a popular subject choice. Our main aim through the curriculum is to equip students with the skills needed to progress into employment; self- employment; further training; or higher education, according to their individual abilities and ambitions. A large percentage of our students progress into university.

Studying GCSE Business provides a starting opportunity to work in a wide variety of sectors to name a few:

Marketing and Advertising
Finance and Accounting
Human Resources (HR)
Sales
Logistics
Public Relations
Trading
Consulting
Teaching and Education

KS5

A Level Business

Course outline

AQA A Level Business Year 1:

1. What is Business?

2. Management, Leadership and decision-making.

3. Decision-Making to Improve Marketing Performance.

4. Decision-Making to improve Operational Performance.

5. Decision-Making to improve Financial Performance.

6. Decision-Making to improve Human Resource Performance.

AQA A Level Business Year 2:

7. Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business.

8. Choosing strategic Direction.

9. Strategic Methods, how to pursue strategies.

10. Managing Strategic Change.

What type of student succeeds at Business Studies A Level?

Business Studies is a rigorous subject and requires students to be independent learners as well having a good grasp on the English language and numeracy as they have to interpret and analyse data and explore a range of thoeries.

Subject requirements at GCSE

Minimum of five GCSEs, grades 9*-4 including a grade 5 in Mathematics (as there is a need to interpret graphs and data, as well as carrying out some calculations) and a grade 5 in English GCSE. Additionally, all students must complete the holiday homework set.

Complementary subjects

Business studies is typically understood to include a fairly wide group of courses, some highly specialised and others more interdisciplinary, thus there are a wide variety of subjects that compliment an A-level in Business, some are: Sociology, Maths, Economics, Modern languages, ICT, Media and English.

Homework

Students receive homework after every lesson. It varies in form in order to continue to engage and familiarise students with current affairs and the jargon used in Business from essay questions based on case studies, podcasts and newspaper articles, to creating mark scheme for examination questions. Students are armed with a pack from the outset that contains revision guides, past papers and mark schemes in order to aid their independent study.

“Business is a major part of everyone’s life and anybody who has a good idea about how businesses work are at an immediate advantage in the future.”

Future Directions

Which university courses require Business Studies A Level?

Business Studies covers a number of disciplines hence no course requiring you having studied it.

Which university courses look favourably on Business Studies A Level?

A Level Business is known as an inter-disciplinary subject where you combine elements of accountancy, management science, economics, social psychology and law. Therefore, punctiliously reading a subject such as this is attractive to universities and employers alike, as it shows that you are knowledgeable about how a business works. There are many transferable skills.

What are the entry requirements to study Business Studies at university?

Business Studies is taught in all Universities thus the entry requirement ranges from DDC to AAA depending on the institute and course.

Which careers could Business Studies A Level lead to?

There is an opportunity to work in myriad of different sectors to name a few; Finance, Accounting, PR, Trading, Consultancy, Advertising, Logistics and Distribution, HR, Management, Analyst and Marketing.

BTEC Business Level 3 Extended Certificate:

Course Outline Year 1:

Unit 1 - Exploring Business (Assignment)

Unit 2 - Developing a Marketing Campaign (EXAM)

Unit 3 - Personal and Business Finance (EXAM)

Course Outline Year 2:

Unit 8 - Recruitment and Selection Process (Assignment)

What type of student succeeds at BTEC Business

BTEC Business Level 3 requires students to be independent learners as well having a good grasp on the English language and numeracy as they have to interpret and analyse data they will also have to have good organisational skills and have the ability to meet deadlines.

Subject requirements at GCSE

Minimum of five GCSEs, grades 9*-4 including a grade 4 in Mathematics (as there is a need to interpret graphs and data, as well as carrying out some calculations) and a grade 4 in English GCSE. Additionally, all students must complete the holiday homework set.

Complementary subjects

BTEC Business studies is typically understood to include a fairly wide group of courses, some highly specialised and others more interdisciplinary, thus there are a wide variety of subjects that compliment BTEC in Business, some are: Media, ICT, Sports, Health and Social care and Music.

Homework

Studying BTEC Business has helped me to opens doors to many different sectors and fields of interest.

Future Directions

What are the entry requirements to study Business Studies at university?

Pass, Merit and Distinction grades depending on the institute

Which careers could BTEC Business Studies lead to?

There is an opportunity to work in myriad of different sectors to name a few; Finance, Accounting, PR, Trading, Consultancy, Advertising, Logistics and Distribution, Human Resources and Marketing.

Studying Business is based on ‘real’ organisations and applying theory within those situations. Student