Business Studies
Recommended Entry Requirements
at least 5 GCSE’s A*-C including Maths and English. This course combines particularly well with ICT, Maths, English, RE, Geography and Media. Â
Business - Edited.mp4AS Course Construction – Year 12
This specification is divided into a total of 4 units: 2 AS units and 2 A2 units. Weightings noted below are expressed in terms of the full A level qualification.
AS Unit 1 - Business Opportunities (15%) - 1 hour written examination. Short answer and structured questions covering business opportunities, business start-ups, SMEs and other types of business organisations and the markets in which they operate.
Learners will need to study the content areas below:
Enterprise
Business plans
Markets
Market research
Business structure
Business location
Business finance
Business revenue and costs
AS Unit 2 - Business Functions (25%) - 2 hour written examination. Data response questions covering the full AS content.
Learners will need to study the content areas below:
Marketing
Finance
People in organisations (human resources)
Operations in management
A2 Course Construction – Year 13
The above plus a further two units. The full A level comprises the AS and the A2 units. In assessing the full A level, it will be assumed that learners can draw upon their knowledge and understanding of the AS content.
A2 Unit 3 - Business Analysis and Strategy (30%) -Â 2 hour written examination. Data response plus structured questions covering business strategy and analytical techniques used in the business decision-making process.
Learners will need to study the content areas below:
Data analysis
Market analysis
Sales forecasting
Analysing financial performance
Analysing non-financial performance
Decision-making models
Investment appraisal
Special orders
Aims and objectives
Strategy and implementation
Growth strategies
Marketing strategies
Human resource strategies
Operations management strategies
A2 Unit 4- Business in a Changing World (30%) - 2 hour written examination. Case study plus one essay from a choice of three. The examination covers the full A level content.
Learners will need to study the content areas below:
Change
Risk management
PEST factors
Ethical, legal and environmental factors
Globalisation
The European Union