A LEVEL Business

Exam Board

AQA

 

Overview

The ever changing climate of the business world is fascinating. The impact of the external environment on organisations, and how they react, illustrates how successful managers/CEOs can be.  The influence of finance on business organisations and how money is managed makes the business world a very competitive place. By studying business you could end up being part of a global company helping to provide the best possible service to clients using problem solving, communication and team working skills.

 

Why Choose This?

Whether you see yourself as an entrepreneur, someone who wants to work for one of the world’s largest organisations as a CEO, or just an individual who would like to know more about the world of business, then this course could be for you! Staff have years of experience running their own businesses, working for large organisations and in teaching.

 

This course is suited to those who will be able to retain information and complete 3 examined units. A level business focuses on the four functional areas of operations, finance, human resources and marketing. Students will become aware of the importance of aims, objectives and strategy at a corporate and functional level. Students will also become aware of political, legal, ethical, social, environmental and technological issues affecting business decisions.

 

Areas of Study & Assessment

There are 10 units

Unit 1 What is business?

Unit 2 Managers, leadership and decision making

Unit 3 Decision making to improve marketing performance

Unit 4 Decision making to improve operational performance

Unit 5 Decision making to improve financial performance

Unit 6 Decision making to improve human resource performance

Unit 7 Analysing the strategic position of a business

Unit 8 Choosing strategic direction

Unit 9 Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies

Unit 10 Managing strategic change

 

Units 1- 6 are taught in Year 12

Units 7 - 10 are taught in Year 13

 

At the end of Year 13 there are three examinations

Each examination is worth 100 marks

Each examination is worth 33% of the overall A level

 

What Our Students Say

Studying business at A level was a very important step in my journey as a young professional. At first, I wasn’t sure of my hopes and aspirations but learning business at Lordswood Sixth Form Centre helped me to develop a goal of becoming successful in the business industry. Business is a part of everyday life so I found it very interesting looking into why businesses make certain decisions to react to changes. In my first year I was able to focus on the four main functional areas in business: finance, marketing, operations and human resources. All were very engaging, as I gained an insight into how very different businesses operate to achieve their corporate objectives and fulfil their mission statement. I especially enjoyed the finance topic, as I was able to develop my maths skills to work out profit margins, break even etc. In my second year we looked at a changing environment and how major components like the economy and competition impact a business’ strategy. Overall the course was very enjoyable, with the excellent support from staff helping me to gain a place at Manchester Metropolitan University to study business management.