Overview
The fundamental philosophy of the Business Studies department at St Marylebone is that, in order to understand the nature of business; students must have an acute awareness of the issues that it faces in the 21st Century. Students apply their knowledge and understanding to different business contexts ranging from small enterprises to large multinationals and develop an understanding of how these contexts impact business behaviour. Students develop their quantitative skills and use this to analyse the performance of various businesses.
Key Stage 4 GCSE. Years 10-11
Why Choose Business?
By studying Business at St Marylebone, you will develop an understanding of how businesses behave in the 21st century. This course is fantastic for budding entrepreneurs who wish to set up and run a business, social enterprise or charity in the future. You will be using case studies of companies you are familiar with, to explore the activities of a business and the reasons for its success or failure. You will see the challenges faced by businesses trying to balance profit-making ventures against satisfying their environmental, ethical and social obligations.
Students will apply their knowledge and understanding to business decision making including:
- the interdependent nature of business activity, influences on business, business operations, finance, marketing and human resources, and how these interdependencies underpin business decision making
- how different business contexts affect business decisions
- the use and limitation of quantitative and qualitative data in making business decisions.
By studying Business, students will develop the knowledge and understanding to:
- use business terminology to identify and explain business activity
- apply business concepts to familiar and unfamiliar contexts
- develop problem-solving and decision-making skills relevant to business
- investigate, analyse and evaluate business opportunities and issues
- make justified decisions using both qualitative and quantitative data including its selection, interpretation, analysis and evaluation, and the application of appropriate quantitative skills
Course Content
THEME 1 CONCEPTS: INVESTIGATING SMALL BUSINESS
Enterprise and entrepreneurship: Spotting a business opportunity; Putting a business idea into practice; Making the business effective; Understanding external influences on a business.
THEME 2 CONCEPTS: BUILDING A BUSINESS
Growing the business; Making the marketing decisions; Making operational decisions; Making financial decisions; Making human resource decisions.
Exam Board – Edexcel
Final Grade – Grades 1-9
Structure of Assessment
Year 11 (May Final Examinations)
Minimum 10% Quantitative Skills
Paper 1: 50% of the final GCSE grade (1.5 hours).
Paper 2: 50% of the final GCSE grade (1.5 hours).
Both papers include multiple-choice questions, short and extended answers.
