BUSINESS STUDIES

Subject Department: BUSINESS STUDIES

Examination Board: OCR

Specification Summary
The course encourages students to develop a critical understanding of business organisations, the context in which they operate and the markets which they serve. This is achieved by taking a problem-solving approach to the subject which is so crucial in today's business environment. As such, the examinations for each module are based on case studies or data response questions. At A2 level, there is the option of undertaking a business project of 4000 words based on a business problem or decision, rather than undertaking the Thematic Enquiry examination paper.

Aims of the Course
At both A/S and Advanced Level, students are encouraged to develop a critical understanding of business organisations and the markets in which they operate. This involves studying the internal workings and management of organisations, together with the process of decision-making in a dynamic external environment. The different perspectives of customers, owners, managers, employees and suppliers will be considered, as will the economic, environmental, ethical and international issues which constantly arise. Students will be expected to acquire a range of skills including the ability to interpret and evaluate the significance of all these issues and to make their own decisions, quantifying and managing information where appropriate.

Prior Level of Attainment
No previous study of Business Studies at GCSE level is required and no specific previous qualifications are needed. Students will be expected to have achieved good GCSE grades and be able to demonstrate ability to question and to link different parts of the syllabus in order to analyse and evaluate business problems. Students will obviously need to be interested in and keep well informed about current business-related events and news items as they occur.

Methods of Assessment
The 1 year AS course can be taken as a stand-alone qualification. This will also form the first half of the full 2 year Advanced (A2) course. For the AS qualification, 3 modules will be taken, comprising 3 separate written papers – 2 containing pre-issued case studies and the third including a data response paper with 4 compulsory questions. At Advanced (A2) level there are a further 3 modules. One module is based on an unseen case study, another is coursework based and the third is built around a pre-issued case study covering the synoptic assessment requirements of the course.

Units of Assessment
The specific details of the modules are as follows:

Links to Higher Education, Careers and Employment
Business Studies is a popular A-Level subject, which works well with the sciences, arts, languages and humanities; each year, students successfully combine Business Studies with subjects from all these areas. Many students continue with Business Studies at university, either as a single honours course or jointly with another subject, leading to many exciting career opportunities e.g. in marketing, law, accounting and finance and general management. Others, who have chosen different career paths, have found that the course has been invaluable to them, as they will have to interact with the business world in some way, either professionally or in their personal lives.

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