Minimum Grade Requirement:
Grade 6 in Maths and Grade 6 in English Language OR Grade 6 in Business
Assessment:
Exam board: AQA
Paper 1 – What is business, managing marketing and finance (33.3%)
Paper 2 – Managing operations and people (33.3%)
Paper 3 – Business and society, business and the external environment, and business strategy (33.3%)
Course Overview
Business A level focusses on issues that are relevant to today’s society, including digital technology and how this can impact on business. Areas such as globalisation are linked throughout topic areas. All types of business contexts are considered – large and small, domestic and global, as well as service and manufacturing. The course helps to develop an understanding of the competitive markets businesses operate in and how a range of factors can affect decision making.
Decision making and planning is fundamental in any business and the success of this may be determined by the quality of data used, the research and certainty, as well as influences such as the environment and ethical issues. There is a core focus on the decision making within the functional areas marketing, finance, human resources and operations, and the interrelationship between these functions and decisions made. Stakeholders are an integral part of any business and the impact of decision making will be considered as well as their response.
Real life businesses are a central part of the course. An interest in current affairs is essential to enable participation in class discussion and develop your understanding of business. As a consequence, reading around the subject forms a vital part of the course. Keeping up to date with the news will broaden your knowledge and support further development of your answers. Extended writing and numeracy forms a major part of the assessment of the course, so the ability to use numerical information and write essays is essential. The use of non-quantitative and quantitative data in decision making is expected (including the interpretation of index numbers and calculations such as ratios and percentages.
Strategic decision making builds on the decision making within the functional areas. Influences such as corporate and social responsibility and the changes in technology will impact on strategic decisions. The subject will allow you to engage with the business world giving you the ability to think critically about business situations in order to make considered decisions.
Future Opportunities
The course will help to prepare you for the world of business, whether you are following a path of employment or taking further studies at university after leaving OSH. The course will open up a range of opportunities that may include pursuing a career in any aspect of business such as marketing, finance or management; completing a higher level apprenticeship or entering higher education.
For those who choose to continue studying, you will gain the skills, knowledge and understanding to progress into higher education on a business-related programme such as Business, Business Management, Marketing, Business and Finance, Business and Economics, and Accounting. It will also allow students to choose non-business related degree programmes such as Law, Accountancy, Finance and Investment Management and History to name a few.