Business
BackThis subject is not taught at KS3.
Did you ever wonder how you go about starting your own business or the secret behind companies like Apple’s continued success? If so, then business may be the subject for you. The course covers a whole range of areas from business in the real world, how to successfully promote a business, finance and accountancy, the psychology and ways of managing workers, along with the issues and decisions involved in running a huge global corporation.
For more information about each key stage, please click on each of the sections below.
Key Stage 4 (Years 10, 11)
GCSE Business
Year 10
Sections 1, 2, 4 and 5. These introduce students to starting up a business, looking at the real world examples. The business environment is constantly changing so we need to appreciate the need for businesses to be dynamic to face challenges such as new technology and laws. We explore the role of people in a successful business and how recruitment, training and motivation can get the best from a workforce. The final topic in Year 10 is Marketing. This includes identifying a target market and using effective pricing and promotion to get customers to buy a great product which meets their needs.
Year 11
Section 3 and 6. Operations is the bread and butter of what any business does. This involves choosing the best suppliers, deciding what type of production is the most appropriate way to meet customers’ needs profitably. Of course a key to this is how well we manage quality, Our final unit is Finance. This is largely about how businesses are financed and how they then manage their money to try to ensure that they have all the cash they need, and most importantly, maximise profit.
Sixth Form (Years 12, 13)
A level Business
The A level business course aims to provide you with an understanding of the key functional areas required to lead a business or manage specific areas. This includes the legalities of starting your own business, introduction to accounting, leadership and management of workers, marketing techniques, managing production and operations. In Year 13 the focus switches to how to make strategic decisions for businesses from local sole traders to multinationals, all the while learning how businesses can adapt to change.
Cambridge Technical (CTEC) Business
CTEC Business has much in common with A level Business. You will start by looking at the environment businesses operate in before going on to explore the internal workings of business and their individual functions. This leads onto a particular focus on Customers and communications, which is strongly linked to the unit on Marketing. The final unit is an Introduction to HR, looking at the role of people in business. The key difference between CTEC and A level is that CTEC is 50% coursework, allowing you to see your progress as you go.
For more information about this subject at KS5, please click here and go to the relevant subject leaflet.