Business Studies

Subject Leader: Mr Lennon - mlennon@tqacademy.co.uk

AIMS OF THE BUSINESS STUDIES DEPARTMENT

To 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.

To develop as enterprising individuals with the ability to think commercially and creatively to demonstrate business acumen, and draw on evidence to make informed business decisions and solve business problems.
To develop as effective and independent students, and as critical and reflective thinkers with enquiring minds.
To use an enquiring, critical approach to make informed judgements.
To develop and apply quantitative skills relevant to business, including using and interpreting data.

BUSINESS STUDIES CURRICULUM

OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 4 CURRICULUM

Course Title: GCSE Business

Examining Body: Pearson

Course Lead: Mr Lennon

What will I study?

Theme 1:

Content overview

Topic 1.1 Enterprise and entrepreneurship
Topic 1.2 Spotting a business opportunity
Topic 1.3 Putting a business idea into practice
Topic 1.4 Making the business effective
Topic 1.5 Understanding external influences on business

Theme 2:

Content overview

Topic 2.1 Growing the business
Topic 2.2 Making marketing decisions
Topic 2.3 Making operational decisions
Topic 2.4 Making financial decisions
Topic 2.5 Making human resource decisions

How and when will I be assessed?

Theme 1 – Paper 1

Paper 1 Written exam

Business in the real world
Influences on business
Business operations
Human resources
90 marks

Theme 2 – Paper 2

Paper 2 Written exam

Business in the real world
Influences on business
Marketing
Finance
90 marks

Both papers:

Section A has multiple choice and short answer questions worth 20 marks.

Section B has one case study/data response stimuli worth approximately 34 marks.

Section C has one case study/data response stimuli worth approximately 36 marks.

The Pearson Edexcel Level 1/Level 2 GCSE (9–1) in Business consists of two externally-examined papers.

Students must complete all assessments in May/June in any single year.

Further study

BTEC Level 3 in Business Studies

OVERVIEW OF KEY STAGE 5 CURRICULUM

Course Title: Level 3 Extended Certificate in Business Studies

Examining Body: Pearson

Course Lead: Mr Lennon

Course description

The business qualification has been written in collaboration with both businesses and universities to ensure that the content is up to date and supports many different career paths. We will explore the purposes of different businesses, their structure, the effect of the external environment and how they need to be dynamic and innovative to survive.

Marketing is a dynamic field central to the success of any business. You will gain an understanding of how a marketing campaign is developed. You will explore different stages of the process that a business goes through when developing its campaign and develop your own campaign for a given product/ service.

You will investigate aspects of both personal and business finance. It is vital you understand the financial decisions you will need to take throughout your life and how risk can affect you and your choices. You will learn that successful recruitment is key to maintaining the success of a business, as people are often considered to be the most valued resource.

What will I learn?

The learning programme covers the following content areas:

business environments
finance
marketing
human resources

The optional units have been designed to support choices in progression to business courses in higher education and to link with relevant occupational areas. All knowledge will be applied to real business scenarios and support work placements.

Course structure

You will complete 4 units during the 2 years:

Unit 1 - Exploring Business

Unit 2 - Developing a Marketing Campaign

Unit 3 - Personal and Business Finance

Unit 8 - Recruitment and Selection Process

Unit 2 and 3 are externallyassessed.

Where could it lead?

If you have plans to go to university, then you need to be aiming for Distinction.

This course is equivalent to an A Level and should not be considered as a weaker alternative. What will matter at the end of Year 13 is your result, i.e. distinction rather than pass, not whether you did a BTEC or A Level in business.

This qualification will support many different career paths for many different subject areas including running your own business as well as human resources, sales, marketing, accountancy, financial analysis and management consultancy.

CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN TO UNIVERSITY

Top 5 UK universities to study Business:

University of Bath
University of Warwick
University of Loughborough
London School of Economics
University of Exeter

CAREERS INFORMATION

This qualification in business will:

Enable students to understand more about the business world.
Motivate and challenge students, and prepare them to make informed decisions about further study and career pathways.

Students can progress from this qualification to a number of different academic and vocational qualifications at Level 3, including: GCEs in Business, History, Geography, Economics and Psychology and BTEC Nationals in Business.

The knowledge and skills gained from GCSE Business support students’ entry into employment or other training in specific aspects of business, such as apprenticeships and vocational qualifications which focus on more specialised business areas. GCSE Business provides a strong foundation for employment, with students progressing, with further training, to a wide range of careers training such as banking, sales, product management and general management.

Examples

Lawyer - £25-100,000 - Use deep knowledge of law to ensure that interactions are fair and law abiding.
Business Manager - £28-60,000 - Working in a sector where transactions are key! Steering products and businesses through a myriad of variables.
Accountant - £22-60,000 - Deal with all things financial in the fascinating world of business.
Market research analyst - £31,114 - £50,000
Entrepreneur/Business owner - Unlimited salary

EXTRACURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES

Dragons Den
Year 9 young enterprise project
Business breakfast meetings
The Apprentice