Business Studies

Business Studies provides students with insight into the operation of both small and large enterprises. GSCE Business studies follows the Edexcel syllabus and introduces students to the theory of starting a business and seeing that business grow to become a multinational corporation. Students will undertake two external examinations.

Business Studies encompasses a wide variety of topics, all in the form of modules, ranging from marketing to finance.

This course will enable you to understand:

• The importance in a business of setting objectives;

• How businesses make their decisions;

• How businesses are organised;

• How business behaviour can be influenced by a range of people and organisations including customers, managers, creditors, owners/shareholders and employees;

• What outside factors influence the operations of a business such as the state of the economy, and the environment;

• How a business markets its products or services;

• How businesses price their products

• What production is all about;

• How businesses recruit and select the right people for work

Areas of core study for all specifications:

• Business activity

• Influences on business

• Business operations

• Finance

• Marketing

• Human Resources

Assessment and duration

• Paper 1: 105 minutes (50% of final grade) - Multiple choice questions, short answer questions, extended-writing questions based on a business context

• Paper 2: 105 minutes (50% of final grade)  - Multiple choice questions, short answer questions, extended-writing questions based on a business context

Who would this course be suitable for?

To achieve in this course, you must be enthusiastic and passionate about understanding and creating new business ideas. You must also be willing to create products and research which might be out of your comfort zone, so be prepared to get creative! Business Studies will give you a good foundation of knowledge for going onto either further academia or the working world. We will show you the challenges new businesses face, and what it’s like to be in the workplace. This will prepare you for your next steps after your time at the academy.

Pupils choosing this option should be ready to take on new challenges and apply skills acquired in Mathematics and English. Pupils will need an open mind, in order to generate ideas and will also need to be able to conduct market research tasks to find key information required for the tasks and coursework. Basic computer skills will also be required (word processing, internet, PowerPoint, Publisher), however these will be refreshed throughout the course.

Potential career paths