Key Stage 4

The GCSE Business Studies course offered is provided by AQA …… specifically Business Studies B option. The course aims to encourage students to ……. Make effective use of business terminology, concepts, and methods of analysis Apply their knowledge and understanding to a range of current issues and problems in the wider business environment Understand the complexity of modern business activity and how it affects society as a whole

How is the Course structured ?

The content covers the following areas or topics…….

• The Ownership and control of business
  Within this section students will understand the variety of forms of business organisation …. From sole trader to plc, from small to medium to multi national ….. and for each how decisions are made, objectives of the different stakeholders involved, and how the different forms of organisation are financed.
• Production
  Here students will learn about the advantages of large scale production, and the problems that raises, the different types of production methods employed, the difference between capital intensive and labour intensive and what involved location decisions.
• The management of people in business
  This section considers the organisation and control of business, for example looking at how to motivate staff, the different styles of leadership as well as recruitment issues.
• Finance of business
  The areas focused on here include the sources of finance available to different organisations, record keeping via Profit and Loss accounts, Balance Sheets, Cash Flow Charts and Break Even Analysis as well as then measuring liquidity and performance of business by a number of ratios.
• Marketing activities
  Once firms have produced their products or services, they then need to consider how to sell them to consumers in the market place. This section explains how business communicates with potential consumers, what strategies are used to persuade or inform and how business discovers what consumers want … market research.
• External Environment and business
  Finally, consideration must be given to the complex issues that affect business from outside its control ….. government policy for instance, economic conditions, legal or social developments ……. But also how business affects society around it for the good and sometimes for the “bad”.

How is GCSE Business Studies assessed ?

Students sit three exam papers.

Paper One 1 ¼ hours - A series of structured questions based around an unseen case study

Paper Two 1 hour - A problem solving exercise again based on data provided. (This paper replaces Coursework.)

Paper Three 1 ¼ hours - A further series of structured questions set on two or more short case studies of business situations.

The exam can be taken at two different levels……

• Foundation grades C-G
• Higher grades A*- D

The main text books used on the course are ……..

AQA GCSE Business Studies - Denby and Thomas Published by Hodder and Stoughton

And

Business Studies for you - Needham and Dransfield Published by Stanley Thornes

Business Studies Homepage

Useful websites

What's the difference between Economics and Business
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