Business Studies

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    • Darren Holland,Head of Business Studies, Economics & Law

    Mr Holland is a very experienced teacher with over 30 years teaching experience.  He has been a writer of Economics examination papers for AQA, an Assistant Principal Examiner for Business AQA, a senior examiner for Economics Edexcel and an examiner for AQA, Edexcel and OCR for Business and Economics.  He has held many positions in schools including Assistant Head Teacher, Director of Post 16 Studies, Director of Business Specialism and Head of Faculty.  In his own time he enjoys travelling and is an ardent Wolverhampton Wanderers FC supporter.

     

    Business Studies

    Key Stage 4:
    GCSE Business
    Examination Board: Edexcel

    Business GCSE examines how businesses start and grow. Now, pupils are consumers but one day they will work in a business. GCSE Business will provide helpful knowledge and understanding to make this transition.

    Business is a subject that gives pupils the opportunity to develop a wide range of transferable skills.

    The aims of this qualification are to enable students to develop:

    • Business will offer practical opportunities to use skills gained in maths as well writing persuasive arguments in favour of one course of action over another.
    • Business will help pupils to extract salient information, whether in text or tabular and graph format, and use this information in responses to questions.
    • Pupils will become skilled in making decisions, being creative, solving problems, understanding finance, analysing data and working as part of a team. Each pupil will not only gain business knowledge and understanding, but will gain the opportunity to put it into practise through a range of business activities and projects.
    • Business gives pupils the opportunity to understand the world that we live in and to become more aware of global issues and events.

    Course Content

    1.PAPER 1: Investigating small business (50%)
    • Enterprise and entrepreneurship
    • Spotting a business opportunity
    • Putting a business idea into practice
    • Making the business effective
    • Understanding external influences on business
    2. PAPER 2: Building a business (50%)
    • Growing the business
    • Making marketing decisions
    • Making operational decisions
    • Making financial decisions
    • Making human resource decisions
    Extra-curricular

    Students will be able to set up and run a business with other members of the group. Visits to businesses will take place as and when appropriate.

    A Level Business
    Examination Board: Edexcel

    A Level Business looks at how businesses are created. It also examines how internal and external factors impact upon their decision-making.

    The aims of this qualification are to enable students to develop:

    • Business will offer opportunities to use skills gained in maths as well writing persuasive arguments in favour of one course of action over another.
    • Business will help students to extract salient information, whether in text or tabular and graph format, and use this information in responses to questions.
    • Students will become skilled in making decisions, being creative, solving problems, understanding finance, analysing data and working as part of a team.
    • Business gives students the opportunity to understand the world that we live in and to become more aware of global issues and events.

    Course Content

    1.Paper 1: Marketing, people and global businesses (35%)
    • Meeting customer needs
    • Market, marketing mix and strategy
    • Managing people
    • Entrepreneurs and leaders
    • Globalisation, global markets and marketing and business expansion
    • Global industries and companies (multinational corporations)
    2. Paper 2: Business activities, decisions and strategy (35%)
    • Raising finance
    • Financial planning and financial management
    • Resource management
    • External influences
    • Business objectives and strategy
    • Business growth
    • Decision-making techniques
    • Influences on business decisions
    • Assessing competitiveness
    • Managing change
    3. Paper 3: Investigating business in a competitive environment (30%)
    • A case study synoptic paper testing the knowledge from the entire course
    Extra-curricular

    Students will have opportunities to attend Business conferences and local businesses, when appropriate.

    Open Events

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