BUSINESS STUDIES (AQA)

A2 Course Outline

What is Business Studies at A2?

A2 Business Studies considers strategies for larger businesses and how managers might measure the performance of the business. It starts with a comparison of the objectives of the company as a whole and distinguishes them from the objectives of each company department which specialises in performing a particular type of task. Businesses have to plan how they will achieve their objectives: long term planning to achieve objectives is known as strategy.

Unit 3 - Strategies for Success

• Functional strategy is long term planning to achieve its objectives and Unit 3 focuses on these departmental strategies which all managers will be involved in at various stages. Financial objectives are looked at and in particular cash flow targets and the methods of measuring returns to shareholders. Students will learn how to analyse balance sheets and profit and loss statements.
• Operations management looks at how products and services are created whilst the section on human resources management focuses on the advantages to a business from making good use of the education, training experience and skills of its workforce.

Unit 4 - The Business Environment and Change

• The final unit A2 Unit 4 is much broader in scope: it looks at the wider business environment and discusses the external forces that affect companies including economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and inflation. Other issues include globalisation, politics, business ethics and the physical environment.
• It then shifts from the external to the internal and deals with issues relevant to how companies respond to change, such as leadership, management and organisational culture.

The Business Studies course helps students develop a number of skills:

• how to assemble data and assess it.
• how to analyse companies' strategies and tactics
• problem solving skills in relation to companies and their existing and potential strategies
• knowledge of business models and their application
• the relation of companies to the wider business environment

Structure of the Course

This course will be taught for 6 lessons per week. Homework will be set weekly and should be submitted on time. Reading of textbooks and other quality sources such as business periodicals is essential. Students will be assisted by the use of case studies based on actual companies and organisations. Many examples will be used based on reports of company organisations from leading periodicals.

Recommended Reading
Business Studies A Level Pearson Longman 4th Edition

Fees and Dates