Business Management

Business Management students will develop their knowledge and understanding of business theories. They analyse, discuss and evaluate business activities in a local, national and international context. The course covers the key characteristics of business organisation and environment and the business functions of human resource management, financial accounting, marketing and operations management.

Through the exploration of four underpinning concepts (creativity, change, ethics and sustainability), the course allows students to develop a holistic understanding of today’s complex and dynamic business environment. The conceptual learning is firmly anchored in business management theories, tools and techniques and placed in the context of real-world examples and case studies. Links between the topics are central to the course.

The course encourages the appreciation of ethical concerns at both a local and global level. It aims to develop relevant and transferable skills, including the ability to: think critically; make ethically sound and well-informed decisions; appreciate the pace, nature and significance of change; think strategically; and undertake long-term planning, analysis and evaluation. The course also develops subject-specific skills such as financial analysis.

• Introduction to organisations: students learn to analyse organisations’ internal and external environment, the forms of business ownership and strategy models.

• Marketing: students gain an appreciation for how marketing strategies and practices are both a reflection of and an influence on the culture in which they are applied.

• Human resources: students explore how businesses recruit, organise, develop and lead their people.

• Finance and accounts: students examine accounting systems through both quantitative and qualitative methods.

• Operations management: students return to the fundamental rationale of business management: to make goods and services that meet consumers’ needs and wants.

The course is based around four key concepts: creativity, change, ethics and sustainability. The course allows students to explore these concepts from a business perspective and they are central to our curriculum and approach to teaching and learning.

• enable students to develop the capacity to think critically

• enhance the student’s ability to make considered decisions

• enable students to appreciate the pace, nature and significance of change

Higher Level

External assessment – 80%

• Paper 1: pre-released statement that specifies the context and background for the unseen case study– 25%

• Paper 2: structured questions and a ‘concept based’ extended response question – 30%

• Paper 3: Based on unseen stimulus material about a social enterprise - 25% 

Internal assessment – 20%

Students produce a research project about a real business issue using a conceptual lens (word limit - 1800 words)

Standard Level

External assessment – 70%

• Paper 1: pre-released statement that specifies the context and background for the unseen case study– 35%

• Paper 2: structured questions and a ‘concept based’ extended response question – 35%

Internal assessment – 30%

Students produce a research project about a real business issue using a conceptual lens (word limit - 1800 words)

A background in business is helpful in a wide variety of disciplines. However, it is also very useful in the study of law, international studies, political sciences, a wide range of business-related courses, and certain engineering courses.