Business Studies - Key Stage 4

BUSINESS STUDIES GCSE

This new and exciting three-unit Business Studies course covers starting up a small business and developing it into a successful enterprise. Some businesses are very successful, whereas others are not and often end in failure. This new course will give you real insights about what makes the difference between success and failure in business.

Unit 1

Introduction to Small Business. This unit covers five topic areas:

  • Spotting a business opportunity
  • Showing enterprise
  • Putting a business idea into practice.
  • Making the business start-up work well
  • Understanding the economic context

Unit 2

Investigating a Small Business.  This is a coursework unit that covers the same topic areas as for Unit 1 (above).  It will involve you in selecting one Edexcel-set task from a choice of five.  Examples of coursework tasks are: 

  • What is the most important way in which the business you are studying competes with its rivals?
  • What is the most important way the business you have chosen to study markets its products?
  • You then research a local business and write up your investigations, showing evidence of the skills of information presentation, analysis and evaluation.

Unit 3

Building a Business.  This unit builds on Units 1 and 2, and examines how a business develops beyond the start-up phase.  It covers the practical methods used to build up a business, with an emphasis on marketing, customer service, financial issues and people management.  It also considers the impact of the wider world on the success or failure of a business.  There are five topics: 

  • Marketing
  • Meeting customer needs
  • Financial management
  • People management
  • The wider world affecting business.

Assessment:

Unit 1 – 45-minute exam answering multiple choice questions with a total of 40 marks.
Unit 2 – coursework worth 40 marks internally marked by teachers and checked by Edexcel.
Unit 3 – 90-minute written exam answering case study questions with a total of 90 marks.

Further Education:

GCSE Business Studies will serve you well for taking most A-level courses in the Sixth Form and nearly all Degree course at university, including: Accountancy, Business Management, Economics, Human Resource Management, Information Technology, Journalism and Law.

Careers:

Accountant, advertising manager, banker, business manager, financial controller, investment manager, insurance broker, lawyer, market researcher, marketing manager, personnel manager, retail shop manager, sales manager, stockbroker.

BTEC FIRST DIPLOMA IN BUSINESS (Edexcel)

Key highlights:

  • New course covering exciting businesses!
  • More practical work than GCSE courses!
  • Study trips included! 
  • Worth four GCSEs!
  • No testing in an exam hall!
  • All coursework completed in lessons!
This new course explores a wide range of businesses selling goods and services that are of great interest to young people. These include fashion wear, cosmetics, jewellery, confectionery, fast food, soft drinks, hairdressing services, beautician services, CD and online music, mobile phones, and music devices like iPods. 

Many well known businesses feature in the course, including: Apple, Cadburys, Christian Dior, Claire’s Accessories, iTunes, Innocent Drinks, Jimmy Choo, Pizza Express, Subway, Toni & Guy and Top Shop.  Plus there are lots of businesses in the live music entertainment sector to explore, such as major concerts like the Glastonbury Festival and the Reading Music Festival, as well as clubs like ‘The Works’ and ‘Oceana’ in Kingston.  Also, ‘not-for-profit’ social enterprises are covered (eg. charities like Save the Children Fund).

The BTEC course has nine units of study:

  • Unit 1: Exploring Business Purposes 
  • Unit 11:Customer Relations in Business
  • Unit 2: Business Organisations
  • Unit 17:Starting a Small Business
  • Unit 3: Financial Forecasting for Business
  • Unit 18:Working in Business Teams
  • Unit 4: People in Organisations
  • Unit 21:Promoting and Branding in Retail Business
  • Unit 10:Personal Selling in Business 
There is quite a lot of interesting research to be done in covering these units but it’s very practical work focused on real businesses. Study trips are an essential part of the course.  Working well throughout the course means that you will learn the key skills of how to start up and run a small business.

Assessment:

There are no exams; therefore, there is no need to revise.  All your work will be assessed as coursework.  Not all of this needs to written up in the usual way.  There are lots of opportunities to show coursework evidence in other ways, eg. posters, PowerPoint presentations, leaflets, role play activities, etc.

Further Education:

 The BTEC First Diploma in Business will enable you to take up a wide range of A-level courses and BTEC Nationals (worth 1-3 A-levels).  It will also count as four GCSEs if you want to apply to do a degree course at university.  Possible university courses include: Business Management, Finance and Accountancy, Human Resource Management, Marketing and Retail Management.

Careers:

 The BTEC course will equip you with a set of skills to enter the world of work in areas such as advertising, business administration, customer services, marketing, sales management, retail shop management, human resource management and e-retailing.  You might also one day start up your own business!