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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:
Level |
Unit |
Mode
of Assessment |
Weighting |
AS |
Advanced
A2 |
| AS |
Businesses,
their Objectives and Environment |
Written
1 hour |
30
% |
15
% |
| AS |
Business
Decisions |
Written
45 mins |
30
% |
15
% |
| AS |
Business
Behaviour |
Written
1 hour 15 mins |
40
% |
20
% |
| A2 |
Further People in Organisations |
Written 1 hour 30 mins |
|
15
% |
| A2 |
Business Project |
Coursework |
|
15 % |
| A2 |
Business
Strategy |
Written
2 hours |
|
20
% |
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.
| For a presentation
on the differences between Economics and Business Studies, click
here. |
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