Business Studies AS / A Level

BUSINESS STUDIES AS / A LEVEL
At Scarborough Sixth Form College, we offer the OCR Business Studies modular syllabus at both A level (two year course) and AS level (one year course). The AS Level forms the first year of the A level course

What and how will I studying?
Business Studies draws upon a number of other disciplines - the course is varied with diverse topic areas such as marketing, managing human resources and finance.

The subject is problem solving by nature and involves students using and applying theory to specific businesses.

AS - Year 1
The first year consists of two units:

Introduction to business .This unit, by definition, provides an introduction to the subject. Students will learn about how businesses are classified and how and why they set objectives. They will also learn about the many external influences that have an impact on the success of a business. For example, students will consider the impact of the law and the economic environment on business performance.

Business functions . In this unit students will learn about the four key functional areas of business. These are: marketing, accounting and finance, human resources and operations management. Students will learn how these functional areas can effectively work together to make a business successful.

A2 - Year 2
In the second year students will study one of three optional units:

Marketing . Students will learn how markets are segmented into their various parts, how businesses carry out market research, and how businesses choose the most effective advertising and promotional methods. They will also learn how businesses develop an appropriate pricing strategy.

People in Organisations . Students will learn about human resource management. This involves examining how employees are recruited, trained, rewarded, controlled, and their performance monitored. Students will also learn to appreciate to subtleties of how employees are motivated and effectively managed.

Business production . Students will learn how businesses organise their production in the most efficient way. They will learn how the costs of projects and products can be calculated. The significance of technology and the importance of research and development will also be examined.

They will also take the compulsory unit:

Strategic management . Students will learn how businesses devise and apply strategies in order to achieve success. The opportunities provided and constraints placed upon organisations by the changing external business environment will also be considered. A key focus of the unit is how businesses manage change

What skills will I need and be developing during this course?
Sound communication skills are advantageous in order to gain the most from class discussion. Inevitably some aspects of the course are numerical; students will learn how to perform basic calculations such as those relating to profit, cost and labour turnover. More importantly, the course aims to develop skills of analytical thought and evaluation. In order to demonstrate the latter, students must be able to confidently make informed judgements e.g. which of two options should a business choose, and why?

How will the course be assessed? Unit name
: Duration of exam
: Availability of exam
: Method of Assessment
: Weighting
:
AS
: A
:

An introduction to business
: 1 hour
: January/

June
:The examination paper consists of short-answer questions and questions based on a business case study

: 40%
: 20%
:

Business functions
: 2 hours
: January/

June
:The examination paper will have two parts. The first part will be one question, broken down into six component parts. There will also be further questions which will be based on a pre-released business case study

: 60%
: 30%
:

Marketing

: 2 hours
: January/

June
:For each of these units, the examination will require students to answer questions based on a business case study
:
: 20%
:

People in organisations

:
:

Business production

:
:

Strategic management
: 2 hours
: June
:The examination will require students to answer four questions based on a pre-released business case study. One of the questions will include a specified numerical element

:
: 30%
:


What career options are there?
Business Studies provides a valuable base for a wide number of careers in a variety of fields.

Most occupations now involve some degree of business knowledge - this course provides students with an insight into current practice and the various facets of management.

Students may choose to follow the subject at a higher level and specialise in specific fields such as Marketing, Human Resources, Management or Accounting.

Or students may choose to go directly into employment or, for example, on to an accountancy or management training scheme

and what else?
The course aims to apply business concepts to practical business problems. Students are encouraged to take an active interest in the business world. Following the successes and failures of businesses as described by the media will enable students to gain far more from the course. Equally, watching television programmes such as 'The Apprentice' and 'Dragons' Den' will help to develop the critical skills of analysis and evaluation.