Business by its nature lends itself to the aphorism:
In the business world, the rear view mirror is always clearer than the windshield
Warren Buffett
It’s all about the money
Vincent Kennedy McMahon
Business at A level aims to develop an understanding of the objectives, organisation and management of firms and public sector enterprises and of the social, economic and technical environments which constrain their actions and provide opportunities for growth and profitability. Hence Business is concerned with the main functions of business – marketing, human resource management, finance and accounts and operations management – and their interaction with society. At A2 a more holistic approach is required, developing strategies to solve business problems and developing strategy, drawing on knowledge from across the specification.
Business Courses
The College offers the Eduqas specification, building on the expertise we have developed over a number of years with its sister board WJEC. The course runs over a two-year period but, in each year, we aim to cover the majority of the syllabus in good time to allow plenty of time for revision and a thorough analysis of past papers. This is considered vital to the attainment of high grades in the June examination.
Although some students may have studied Business (or Economics) at GCSE, no previous knowledge of the subject material is either expected or assumed. We would, however, normally expect that you have achieved a combined GCSE tariff of at least 12-13 for English and Mathematics. Competence in both these subjects is a prerequisite for success in A level Business. The subject can successfully be combined with the full range of other subjects.
The course is likely to appeal to those students who:
• Have an interest in how a business operates;
• Enjoy studying a subject that is relevant to their own lives and experiences;
• Would like to do a subject that offers opportunities for a career in business;
• Would like to learn how to make business decisions and solve business problems;
• Want to keep their options open – Business can be a useful choice for a wide range of careers and can be combined with a wide range of subjects.
What You Will Learn
• How to develop a critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the process of adding value;
• The internal workings and management of organisations;
• The process of decision-making in a dynamic external environment;
• How business behaviour can be influenced by a range of people and organisations including customers, managers, creditors, owner/shareholders and employees;
• What outside factors influence the operations of a business, such as the state of the economy, the environment, ethical considerations, the government, the law, social and technological issues associated with business activity;
• Techniques to analyse and solve business problems;
• The importance in a business of setting objectives;
• How a business markets its products or services, what production is all about, financial control of businesses and how human resources are planned.
