Welcome to Business Studies

Whatever your future plans and career goals, business is a subject which will support you, as you will be working within a business organisation or running your own business.

Business supports you to develop essential communication skills (through verbal presentations and discussions), in addition to building your literacy (through the writing of academic essays and reports) and numeracy skills (through the study of business finance).

In studying business you’ll develop a broad knowledge of business operations, such as customers, marketing, finance, strategy, communications and IT.  

You’ll typically also be challenged to explore these fields within a local, national, and international context, through case studies and independent investigations. 

You will gain valuable transferable skills and knowledge, which can be put to use in both everyday life and your further education.  

The study of business leads to a range of careers including, accountant, economist, entrepreneur, financial advisor, human resources manager, marketing professional, project manager and social media marketer. 

Within the department there are many opportunities for students to develop Christian values, which support the Academy Christian Ethos. We teach and actively encourage respect between students and other adults in all lessons and this is evident when listening quietly to others opinions, for example.  We promote forgiveness in lessons, by encouraging students to reconcile and accept differences in opinion yet promote courage in speaking out loud and sharing opinions with peers. We explore the importance of community by relating to local and true to life case studies when exploring theoretical concepts.  Within assessments and independent work we encourage self-control and stillness to promote reflection and deeper thought. We endorse endurance and reverence, especially when considering extending reports and essays which can span the entirety of a term to complete.  Honestly is an important element in the teaching of malpractice, particularly around formal coursework submission.  

Within business at KS4, two Themes are covered; In Year 10 (Theme 1) the focus is on Investigating Small Business; In Year 11 (Theme 2), the focus is on Building a Business.

Theme 1 concentrates on the key business concepts, issues and skills involved in starting and running a small business. It provides a framework for students to explore core concepts through the lens of an entrepreneur setting up a business.

In this theme, students will be introduced to local and national business contexts and will develop an understanding of how these contexts impact business behaviour and decisions. Local contexts refer specifically to small businesses or those operating in a single UK location and national contexts relate to businesses operating in more than one location or across the

UK. Students must develop an understanding of the interdependent nature of business activity through interactions between business operations, finance, marketing and human resources, as well as the relationship between the business and the environment in which it operates. Students must understand how these interdependencies and relationships underpin business decisions.

● Topic 1.1 Enterprise and entrepreneurship – students are introduced to the dynamic nature of business in relation to how and why business ideas come

about. They also explore the impact of risk and reward on business activity and the role of entrepreneurship.

● Topic 1.2 Spotting a business opportunity – students will explore how new and small businesses identify opportunities through understanding customer needs and conducting market research. They will also focus on understanding the competition.

● Topic 1.3 Putting a business idea into practice – this topic focuses on making a business idea happen through identifying aims and objectives and concentrating on the financial aspects.

● Topic 1.4 Making the business effective – students will explore a range of factors that impact on the success of the business, including location, the marketing mix and the business plan.

● Topic 1.5 Understanding external influences on business – students are introduced to a range of factors, many of which are outside of the immediate control of the business, such as stakeholders, technology, legislation and

Theme 2 examines how a business develops beyond the start-up phase. It focuses on the key business concepts, issues and decisions used to grow a business, with emphasis on aspects of marketing, operations, finance and human resources. Theme 2 also considers the impact of the wider world on the decisions a business makes as it grows. Students are introduced to national and global business contexts and will develop an understanding of how these contexts impact business behaviour and decisions. National contexts build on those in Theme 1 and relate to businesses operating in more than one location or across the UK. Global contexts relate to non-UK or transnational businesses.

Students must develop an understanding of the interdependent nature of business activity through interactions between business operations, finance, marketing and human resources, as well as the relationship between the business and the environment in which it operates. Students must understand how these functional areas influence business activity and how interdependencies and relationships between them underpin business decisions.

● Topic 2.1 Growing the business – students are introduced to methods of growth and how and why business aims and objectives change as businesses evolve. The impact of globalisation and the ethical and environmental questions facing businesses are explored.

● Topic 2.2 Making marketing decisions – students will explore how each element of the marketing mix is managed and used to inform and make business decisions in a competitive marketplace.

● Topic 2.3 Making operational decisions – this topic focuses on meeting customer needs through the design, supply, quality and sales decisions a business makes.

● Topic 2.4 Making financial decisions – students will explore the tools a business has to support financial decision making, including ratio analysis and the use and limitation of a range of financial information.

● Topic 2.5 Making human resource decisions – growing a business means that decisions relating to organisational structure, recruitment, training and motivation need to be made to influence business activity. These aspects are considered in this final topic.

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All Year 11 subjects