During the course students will study the following:

  • Business in the real world which includes purpose, objectives, stakeholders, location and types of legal structure.

  • Influences of business which considers legal, economic, technological, social, and political factors.

  • Business operations which focuses on the methods of production used by firms.

  • Human Resources which looks at the different approaches to managing people in business.

  • Marketing which concentrates on research and the key elements of the marketing mix.

  • Finance considers profitability, working capital issues and future capital investment in businesses.

HOW STUDENTS WILL STUDY

The course allows students to learn in a variety of ways including producing reports, analysing case material, completing research and presentations.  The focus is on developing students as strong independent learners who are capable of applying skills developed to a range of business problems and scenarios.

The course looks at how the key functional areas of business affect how an organisation operates in the modern economy.  The new GCSE also explores the effects of external factors such as the economy, social change, technological and legal influences in much greater depth. There is also much more emphasis on the calculation and interpretation of data in written answers.

DEPARTMENT STRENGTHS AND RESOURCES

The Business staff have extensive experience of teaching the GCSE qualification and provide access to a subject specific revision website plus revision guides.  The results for the GCSE are always strong as teachers focus on improving students’ skills to access the higher level skills in assessments. 

HOW STUDENTS WILL BE ASSESSED

Paper 1 – Influences of HRM and operations on business activity is worth 50% of the GCSE

Paper 2 – Influences of finance and marketing on business activity is worth 50% of the GCSE

Both are examined in the Summer of Year 11.

PROGRESSION ROUTES

Students can progress onto a range of Business related qualifications including:

  • A-Level Business

  • A-Level Economics

The course allows students to move onto business related apprenticeships with an improved level of knowledge and understanding of actual business management.

More info:

Head of Department:

Mr P Aston - Head of Enterprise paston@hswv.co.uk

Student Quote

 

‘The course is really enjoyable and really gets you to think about the way a business is run and what it can do to improve itself’.