KS4 Business Studies
Our aim is for students to understand the business world in which we live and what happens in a business environment. We prepare students for the world of work by introducing students to how businesses are set up, organised and run. We do this by introducing students to types of businesses, how they contribute to society and study in depth the various functional areas (departments) within a business. This enables our students to understand how businesses operate on a day to day basis, which will prepare them for further study and / or being part of a workforce.
This subject will not be available for students starting Year 10 in Sept 2024
Exam board:
How is this course examined?
- Paper 1 : Influences of operations and HRM on business activity. (50%). 1 hour 45 minutes
- Paper 2: Influences of marketing and finance on business activity. (50%). 1 hour 45 minutes
- There is no coursework.
How is the course structured?
| Year 10 | Year 11 |
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Term 1 & 2: Business in the real world An investigation into different types of business and the entrepreneurs that started them. Including the core knowledge which underpins the course such as products, services and needs and wants. Term 3 & 4: Influences on business An in-depth look into the range of factors which can influence a business and its successes. For example e-commerce, ethical, environmental, economic and legal influences. Students also study the basics of globalisation and the impact of operating in global markets. Term 5 & 6: Human resources Students study the different types of worker and contracts of employment. Human resources also investigates how businesses are organised internally. We also look at the various ways organisations recruit, train and motivate. |
Term 1 & 2: Operations This unit begins with studying the different ways businesses produce products and how efficient these production methods are. We then study suppliers and the supply chain and different quality systems which can be used and all aspects of customer service. Term 3 & 4: Marketing Whilst studying this topic students are taught how it is important to meet customers needs and wants. We investigate the different ways in which customers are segmented, the different types of market research and how it is used. We finish the topic with a detailed study of the marketing mix (Price, Product, Place and Promotion). Term 5: Finance Involves studying how businesses raise finance, some basic costs and profit calculations. It will also include investigating cash flow forecasts. Finally students end the course with studying what makes up a business’ financial accounts. |
Why is the course sequenced in this way?
Business in the real world and influences on business are covered first as the content as this is the basic business knowledge that underpins the rest of the course. This is especially important as students will not have studied the subject prior to Year 10. Human Resources is covered at the end of Year 10 as the knowledge is needed to study Marketing and Operations in Year 11.
Operations opens our Year 11 course by building on the knowledge from human resources Marketing is after this we build upon the knowledge of how products are produced to see how this affects pricing. Finance is covered last as it is a short topic and includes many calculations. This is left last as our students will have developed better mathematical ability and come across some basic financial calculations in the other topics.
Recommended revision materials:
https://www.tutor2u.net/search?q=GCSE+Business+revision This website is useful for lots of different revision materials including revision guides (which we do have available in school electronically), practice past papers, quizzes and revision presentations.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zvwb382 useful for revision quizzes
https://senecalearning.com/en-GB/ lots of revision materials including end of topic tests
https://www.cgpbooks.co.uk/secondary-books/gcse/business/buar43-gcse-business-aqa-revision-guide-for-the-gr CPG Revision guide
https://www.daydreameducation.co.uk/pocket-poster-business-studies-gcse-pocket-posters-pp-bs-10218 short revision posters which condenses the revision. We do have a small number of these at Ashton Park so feel free to ask to borrow before purchasing.
