Business Enterprise

Cambridge IGCSE Business Enterprise encourages learners to develop their understanding and the practical skills associated with the work environment and the running of a small enterprise. The syllabus provides the knowledge associated with running a small enterprise and an opportunity for learners to apply this knowledge in a practical and engaging way when running their own enterprise project.

Learners are encouraged to study enterprise in a local as well as a global context, while enhancing their skills of investigation, analysis, interpretation, evaluation and practical problem-solving.

Cambridge IGCSE Business Enterprise provides opportunities for learners to meet with and talk to a range of people involved in enterprise such as:

• people who have set up and run their own enterprise

• people involved in supporting enterprises, e.g. financiers, local business organisations, and government organisations

• people who have shown enterprising skills, e.g. innovators, inventors, marketing professionals.

The curriculum provides a thorough knowledge of the business world and represents excellent preparation for students looking to study Business at the IB and University level.

The aims of the IGCSE Business Enterprise course are to enable students to:

• understand what it means to be enterprising, and the skills required to be enterprising

• develop the ability to work in an enterprising and independent way

• develop and apply knowledge, understanding and skills to contemporary enterprise issues in a range of local, national and global contexts

• appreciate the roles and perspectives of a range of other people and organisations involved in enterprise and the importance of ethical considerations

• investigate the world of work and entrepreneurial organisations

• develop the ability to communicate effectively, in a variety of situations, using a range of appropriate techniques

• make effective use of relevant terms, concepts and methods when discussing enterprise and enterprising behaviour

iGCSE Business Enterprise – syllabus and programme

1.1 What is meant by enterprise

1.2 Ways for students to be enterprising in everyday life

2.1 Setting up a new enterprise

2.2 The enterprise process as shown below

Six stages of the enterprise process:

1 identifying the problem or need or want

2 exploring creative solutions

3 action planning

4 implementing the plan

5 monitoring progress

6 evaluation of successes and failures.

2.3 Types of business organisation

3.1 Skills of enterprising people

3.2 Behaviours of entrepreneurs

4.1 Identifying opportunities

4.2 Risk management

4.3 Legal obligations

4.4 Ethical considerations

5.1 The negotiation process

6.1 Sources of finance

6.2 The concept of trade credit

6.3 Financial terms

6.4 Financial records

7.1 Business planning

7.2 Action planning

7.3 Business plans

8.1 The purpose of marketing

8.2 Market research

8.3 Customer retention

8.4 Marketing communications

9.1 Sources of help and support

10.1 Types of communication

10.2 Meetings and presentations

Students will complete two assessments for iGCSE Business Enterprise:

Component 1

1 hour 30 minutes Written Paper 50%

100 marks

Short-answer, structured and open-ended questions

This paper is based on a pre-released case study

Candidates answer all questions Externally assessed

Component 2

Coursework 50%

60 marks

Portfolio of evidence from tasks based on candidate’s own enterprise project

Internally assessed and externally moderated

This course is particularly appropriate for students wishing to pursue a career in business: marketing, human resource planning, accounting, management, as it covers a range of appropriate skills and real life experiences.

Resources

Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies coursebook

(Fisher, Houghton & Jain, Cambridge University Press, 2014)

Cambridge iGCSE Enterprise

(Houghton, Bryant & Jain, Cambridge University Press, 2018)

The department makes extensive use of eLearning, on which many of the resources can be found, as well as the use of Google Classroom and a department blog.