Business Studies
Subject Intent
Business Studies is designed to develop enterprising minds. This is about inspiring students to become enterprising and commercially minded individuals. It involves developing entrepreneurship and enterprise, to look for business opportunities, put ideas into practice and understand the decisions that must be made to grow a business.
Aims
The main aim of the Business curriculum is to provide a broad engaging scheme of work that allows pupils to achieve to the best of their ability. We aim to equip pupils with a love for business and for them to develop their knowledge and understanding of the subject. The curriculum for Business aims to ensure that all pupils:
- Can investigate how small businesses are set up and how to grow a business.
- Are competent in quantitative skills
- Develop an understanding of how business decisions are made and their impact on stakeholders
- Acquire a wide vocabulary of key command words in Business
- Improve their knowledge of how business operate and the impact the wider world has on business
- Provide a broad range of topics in business so pupils can identify future areas of interest for further study or careers.
Q. What will I study?
The GCSE Business qualification has become an exam-based course that will be entirely assessed via examination. The content of the course will cover some of the following areas:
- E-commerce and digital communication.
- The sales process and the importance to businesses of providing good customer service, including Product knowledge, customer engagement and post sales service.
- The role of procurement and the impact of logistical and supply decisions on businesses.
- Gross and net profit ratios, break even and average rate of return.
- Entrepreneurial qualities and enterprise activity.
- Small business start-up and building a business.
- People management and the wider world effects on business.
Q. How is the course assessed?
The whole course will be assessed via examination. You will be assessed by 2 exams which will be 90 minutes each.
Q. Anything else I need to Know?
There will be a high level of written work and the use of spreadsheets to analyse data. The work is theoretical, and we will not be setting up a “real business”. We can’t guarantee to make a businessperson of you! We will teach you the fundamental theories of business and hopefully you will remember us when you make your first million!
Retail Business
Q. What will I study?
The Level 2 Award gives you a foundation in the areas of Retail Business which is designed to help you develop your knowledge and understating of the Business world. You will be involved in project work, where you will investigate the customer service of a selected retail business. You will design visual merchandising and marketing materials in response to a given brief. Retail Business will give you good IT knowledge, great analytical skills, and excellent problem-solving skills. This means when it comes to potential careers, there will be lots of choice.
Q. How is the course assessed?
Unit 1 – The business of retail – written paper is worth 40% of final grade.
Unit 2 – Customer service for retail business – Non exam assessment (Group work) worth 30% of final grade.
Unit 3 – Merchandising and marketing of retail products – Non exam assessment worth 30% of final grade.
Q. Anything else I need to know?
No prior knowledge is needed to join this course; if you thrive in a face-paced environment, dream of starting your own business one day, have a positive attitude to approach new learning and are prepared to participate in project work and written work then this is the course for you.