Applied GCE AS/A2 Double Award Business

Applied GCE AS/A2 Double Award Business

The course is designed to enable you to:

• Apply your business knowledge and understanding in realistic business contexts, such as discovering the problems and opportunities faced by a range of businesses
• Have the ability to organise your time effectively and develop your presentational skills through producing a report or making a presentation
• Use ICT effectively to produce documents in Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint
• Have an understanding how the four functions of business operate together
• Have an understanding of how external influences affect the running of a business

Is it for me?
The course suits those keen to learn how to tackle problems independently, who enjoy the subject enough to become predominantly business students and enjoy working as part of a team. This is a 2 year course equivalent to 2 A levels. Assessment is mainly coursework based.

What's involved?
Investigating People at Work
In this unit you will look at the aims and objectives of contrasting businesses. You will learn about how and why people work in organisations and what influences them at work.
Investigating Business
In this unit you will produce a business plan for a new business idea. You will investigate how to market a new business and how to a produce a financial plan for its first year of operation.
Investigating Marketing
In this unit you will research into the possibility of developing a new product for a major business. You will need to research the needs and wants of your target market and decide on the marketing mix for this new product.
Investigating Electronic Business
In this unit you will investigates the websites of two contrasting organisations. You will be making a judgement on what makes a good website. Finally you will produce your own simple website.
Investigating Customer Service
In this unit you will investigate how important customer service is to two contrasting organisations. You will also investigate the systems in place in one organisation to monitor and improve customer service. You will then make justified suggestions on how the business could improve the customer service it offers.
Investigating Promotion
In this unit you will understand how promotional tools can be used to help achieve objectives for an organisation. This unit will involve looking at the promotional techniques used by several different organisations.
Business Development
In this unit you will be constructing a business plan for a small business. The plan will need to be of a standard that could be presented to a bank to actually raise finance on a new venture.
Managing and Developing People
In this unit you will look at the management, training, development and motivation of individuals within an organisation. You will also produce a personal development plan and skills audit for yourself. You will also analyse management and leadership styles through a project management activity.
Marketing Decisions
In this unit you will learn about the type of decisions that have to be made to bring a product to market. You will look into what internal and external factors affect these decisions and how they contribute to the overall marketing plan.
Impact of Finance on Business Decisions
In this unit you will learn how to analyse, evaluate and use financial information. You will use the accounts of an actual business to do your analysis and evaluation. You will then investigate whether you would invest your own money into this business.
International Dimensions of Business
In this unit you will have the opportunity to investigate two businesses which trade on an international scale and to consider their reasons for doing so. You will also learn about the effect these businesses have on the countries they operate in.
External Influences on Business
In this unit you will learn about the external influences that affect a business and how the business has reacted to them. You will write this assignment in the style of a chairman's report to shareholders and will be based on an educational visit to Cadburyworld in Birmingham.

Progression
Students who have gained a double award in Applied Business have gone on to study Business at degree level and a variety of business related subjects at university to include Marketing, Accounting and Consumer Behaviour.