Business touches on nearly every aspect of modern society, and so studying business is useful for both future careers and a student’s personal life, as well as being actually very interesting to study. Business Studies is one of the most popular fields of study at universities worldwide, and there are very good reasons for this.
Business students are in high demand with employers and are some of the most employable. Pupils will find that business is both a theoretical and a practical discipline, meaning that students not only gain a great range of knowledge, but also learn the skills needed to apply this knowledge to real life settings, again assisting with employability.
Teacher
Mrs White
Aims
Business Studies aims to give pupils the opportunity:
- to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of key business terminology, principles and decision-making procedures
- to develop the ability to use and apply appropriate skills, concepts and techniques
- to analyse problems and issues
- to evaluate arguments and case study evidence, making informed judgements and recommendations
- to develop the skills of numeracy, literacy and ICT
Overview of work
Pupils can study Business Studies at GCSE and A-level. At GCSE, pupils are examined on Starting a Business and Developing a Business, and undertake a controlled assessment in Planning a Business. A-Level Business Studies contributes to an understanding of business and enterprise and helps students develop many of the skills and attitudes required for employment. They address Strategic Decision Making and the Competitive Business Environment and in exams students answer compulsory structured data responses based on unseen case studies. Business Studies students develop transferable skills of research, decision-making, problem-solving and evaluation of information.
Extracurricular Opportunities
The department supports the specification by embracing the many opportunities on offer through our subject. For example, we organise industrial visits to Tayto and IKEA, and recently visited Isaac Agnew Volkswagen. We have also competed in the Stock Market Challenge (Form 4) and in the Queens University Investment Challenge (Lower 6).
Careers
Many students who take Business Studies at A Level continue with the subject at university, often combined with other disciplines such as marketing, finance, law or languages. Business Studies can lead directly to a wide variety of careers in both the public and private sectors, including management, accountancy, entrepreneurship, banking, business law and advertising.
Useful links
www.bbc.co.uk › Schools Home › Secondary - Ages 11-16
http://issuu.com/gavinwalker90 (Business First Magazine)
www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/
