BUSINESS STUDIES GCSE

Why study Business Studies?

Students who wish to pursue careers in any aspect of business, including finance, marketing, customer relations or business strategies will find this course provides an invaluable foundation. Equally anyone with an interest in how businesses actually work or who wishes to study Business, Management, Finance, Accounts, Marketing, or Economics individually or in combination at degree level will find this course extremely useful. The material studied would be useful for candidates intending to pursue careers in any area of business.

Ashbourne’s Business department is headed by Brendan Casey who studied at London School of Economics. He also teaches Economics and Accounting. 

Prerequisites

The specification provides a smooth transition to AS or A2 Level Business Studies. No prior learning is necessary for candidates to undertake a course of study based on this specification.

Course Content and Design

Through this course students will develop a critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the process of adding value. This will involve consideration of the internal workings and management of organisations and, in particular, the process of decision-making in a dynamic external environment. Students will examine the role of businesses from a variety of perspectives, including those of customers, managers, creditors, owners/shareholders and employees. In addition, students will explore the economic, environmental, ethical, governmental, legal, social and technological issues associated with business activity. Students will be encouraged to acquire a range of skills, including decision-making, problem-solving and the quantification and management of information; Students will also examine different types of business organisation including large and small, manufacturing and service, local, regional, national and multinational and profit-making and non profit-making enterprises. The course is designed for the AQA specification but contains topics common to the core specification of other major boards. Students will be guided in the application of techniques of Business Studies to all types of examination question, whether short answer questions, source based stimulus response questions or essays and techniques in preparing for and answering compulsory questions. Students can expect each week a minimum of 6 hours of classroom tuition plus one or two substantial pieces of homework based on previous past papers.