Business

12 

What students will learn 

How it builds on learning 

In Year 12 student will learn about what a business is, how it may be managed/led, and the different functional areas. Topics studied include:  

Topic 1: What is a business?  

1.1 Understanding the nature and purpose of business  

1.2 Understanding different business forms  

1.3 Understanding that businesses operate within an external environment  

Topic 2: Managers, leadership and decision making: 

2.1 Understanding management, leadership, and decision making  

2.2 Understanding management decision making 

2.3 Understanding the role and importance of stakeholders 

Topic 3: Marketing management  

3.1 Setting marketing objectives  

3.2 Understanding markets and customers  

3.3 Making marketing decisions, segmentation, targeting, positioning  

3.4 Making marketing decisions, using the marketing mix 

Topic 4: Operational management 

4.1 Setting operational objectives  

4.2 Analysing operational performance  

4.3 Making operational decisions to improve performance: increasing efficiency and productivity 

4.4 Making operational decisions to improve performance: improving quality 4.5 Making operational decisions to improve performance: managing inventory and supply chains 

Topic 5: Financial management 

5.1 Setting financial objectives 

5.2 Analysing financial performance 

5.3 Making financial decisions: sources of finance 

5.4 Making financial decisions: improving cash flow and profits 

Topic 6: Human Resource Management. 

6.1 Setting human resource objectives 

6.2 Analysing human resource performance  

6.3 Making human resource decisions: improving organisational design and managing the human resource flow 

6.4 Making human resource decisions: improving motivation and engagement  

6.5 Making human resource decisions: improving employee-employer relations 

A Level Business Studies build upon student’s general knowledge of the businesses they use and come into contact with on a day to day basis. Some of the topics taught also build on prior learning from maths and PSHE including careers education. 

If a student has already studied a business related course at Key Stage 4 they will also develop a more in depth and broader understanding of what they have already been taught. However, there is no requirement for a Business Studies course to have been taken prior to starting A Level Business Studies as the relevant theory will be revisited and built upon.  

In all topics students will use the maths skills that they have previously been taught to enable them to complete calculations relevant to business. These include being able to calculate percentages and percentage changes. Students will learn calculate and interpret data that is linked to how a business is performing, for example financially.  

13 

What students will learn 

How it builds on learning 

The focus of Year 13 is on business strategy, it includes the following topics:  

Topic 7: analysing the strategic position of a business 

7.1 Mission, corporate objectives, functional objectives and strategy 

7.2 Analysing the existing internal position of a business to assess strengths and weaknesses: financial ratio analysis 

7.3 Analysing the existing internal position of a business to assess strengths and weaknesses: overall performance 

7.4 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: political and legal change 

7.5 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: economic change 

7.6 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: social and technological 

7.7 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: the competitive environment 

7.8 Analysing strategic options: investment appraisal 

8: Choosing strategic direction  

8.1 Strategic direction: choosing which markets to compete in and what products to offer 

8.2 Strategic positioning: choosing how to compete 

9: Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies 

9.1 Assessing a change in scale 

9.2 Assessing innovation 

9.3 Assessing globalisation and internationalisation 

9.4 Assessing greater use of technology 

10: Managing strategic change 

10.1 Managing change 

10.2 Managing organisational culture 

10.3 Managing strategic implementation 

10.4 Problems with strategy and why strategies fail 

The Year 13 course content builds on the content from Year 12. In Year 13 the focus is on strategic decision making, having studied what a business is along with the different functional areas in Year 12.  

The Year 13 content encourages students to follow real life business developments and to think critically about business issues.  

Students will have spent some time researching and looking at real business examples in Year 12, as part of the Year 13 content students will develop this understanding in more depth. They will also learn how to explore key issues in a business situation as well as how to compare these with different situations.