Business (A Level)

This course is relevant to people with an interest in what is going on in the world around them, especially in terms of the behaviour of small, medium sized and large businesses. It is for people who want to understand, analyse and evaluate why businesses do what what they do. It is not a course about how to set up a business but you will learn lots of useful things if that is what you want to do.

What you will learn

It teaches you to be critical, analytical and to write extended evaluations, giving you the necessary theoretical models so that you can evaluate real business decisions for yourself. This includes the following topic areas:

1. What is business?
2. Managers, 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
7. Analysing the strategic position of a business
8. Choosing strategic direction
9. Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies
10. Managing strategic change

How you will learn

There will be the following teaching styles:

• Note making on basic knowledge, key terms, theoretical frameworks and calculations
• Practice using knowledge in business based scenarios
• Analysing and evaluating case studies in context
• Practising calculations, how to interpret the answers and how the answers help make decisions.
• Practical activities
• Paired / small group work
• Whole class questioning and discussion
• Independent learning, including research, note making and problem solving
• Self assessing one’s own work and action planning revision
• Responding to advice and other feedback

Year 1

What is business?; Managers, leadership and decision making; Marketing; Operations; Finance; Human Resources

Year 2

Strategic positioning; Strategic direction; Strategic methods and Managing change.

Assessment 1: Paper 1, written exam, 2 hours in length. 33.3% of final grade.

Two compulsory sections and two where there is a choice of questions.

• Section A has 15 multiple choice questions (MCQs) worth 15 marks.
• Section B has short answer questions worth 35 marks.
• Sections C and D have four essay questions (choice of one from two in each section) worth 25 marks each.

Assessment 2: Paper 2, written exam, 2 hours in length. 33.3% of final grade.

Three data response compulsory questions worth approximately 33 marks each and made up of three or four part questions.

Assessment 3: Paper 3, written exam, 2 hours in length. 33.3% of final grade.

One compulsory case study followed by approximately six analysis and evaluation questions.

College minimum entry requirements plus:

• Grade 5 or above in GCSE Mathematics

Where next?

Traditional OR apprenticeship degrees OR the world of work. Example subjects that Business students move onto are as follows: Accounting, Business, Business Management, Business Administration, Economics, Human Geography, International Business, International Relations, Law, Management, Marketing, Operations Management, Politics, Psychology, Sociology.

Course combinations

Business is a good subject for combining with almost any other subject as it is so broad and uses expertise from other subjects. Really good combinations include the following: Design Technology, Economics, English Language, English Literature, Geography, Law, Mathematics, Media, Politics, Psychology and Sociology.