OLA 6th Business
Business at A Level is a popular option at OLA. It is an exciting and relevant course with the focus on acquiring the necessary business skills to help in decision making and problem solving.
The reality is that students will enter the world of work at some time; gaining knowledge and understanding of how organisations of all types are run and managed is a useful and valuable life skill. This is important whether the intention is to run your own business or to play an important part in the management of another. Career aspirations in the traditional professions of law or accountancy will be enhanced by the study of Business.
Awarding body: AQA
Specification: 7132
The specification is stimulating and up-to-date. In Year 1 focus is on the four functional areas of business: marketing, finance, human resource management and operations, with emphasis on decision-making. In Year 2 pupils study more complex strategic decision making, looking at strategic direction and planning to manage change in the business environment. Examination of the internal and external environment in which all organisations operate, is key. The specification requires students to have an appreciation of the local, national and international business environment and examination questions include case study stimulus materials.
Emphasis is placed on student-based learning wherever possible and the course is particularly suited to those prepared to offer their views and opinions about the real world business environment. Keeping up to date with current business news stories is essential and lessons incorporate real business examples where appropriate.
The increasing importance and relevance of business is reflected in the wide range of Management and Business courses on offer at universities. As a preparation for life it is invaluable and if you have a genuine interest, a desire to succeed and an enquiring mind then it may be the course you are looking for!
Subject content
1. What is business?
2. Managers, leadership and decision making
3. Decision making to improve marketing performance
4. Decision making to improve operational performance
5. Decision making to improve financial performance
6. Decision making to improve human resource performance
7. Analysing the strategic position of a business
8. Choosing strategic direction
9. Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies
10. Managing strategic change
Assessment of the A Level
Paper 1: Business 1
What is assessed
All subject content
Assessed by
•Written examination: 2 hours
• 100 marks in total 33.3% of A Level
Questions
Three compulsory sections:
• Section A 15 multiple choice questions worth 15 marks
• Section B short answer questions worth 35 marks
• Sections C and D two essay questions (choice of one from two) worth 25 marks each
Paper 2: Business 2
What is assessed
All subject content
Assessed by
• Written examination: 2 hours
• 100 marks in total 33.3% of A Level
Questions
Three data response compulsory questions worth approximately 33 marks each and made up of three or four part questions
Paper 3: Business 3
What is assessed
All subject content
Assessed by
• Written examination: 2 hours
• 100 marks in total 33.3% of A Level
Questions
One compulsory case study followed by approximately six questions
Preparatory work for studying Business in the Sixth Form
Be aware of the world. As discussed above, we draw on situations which occur in the world around us. An interest in current affairs is essential to good performance in Business. Try to catch up with the news as often as you can, ideally every day but certainly a couple of times each week. The following are good places to start:
• Download news apps to your phone – try the BBC News app and personalise your newsfeeds to include UK Business, World, Technology and Politics. Also, try ‘Flipboard’ and again tailor your newsfeeds.
• News on the TV – BBC News and Channel 4 News tend to have the best coverage of business and economic issues. Aim to make a particular point of watching programmes based on how businesses work such as ‘The Apprentice’
• Newspapers and Journals – The Times, The Independent, The Daily Telegraph Business pages and The Guardian offer both UK business and International business news. The Financial Times is good but maybe a little too technical at this stage in your studies. Be aware of ideological bias in the news and try to get a balanced view. The Economist is a very good source of information.
Read books. A growing number of businesses and entrepreneurs are choosing to publish their stories. These can be useful sources of information about what makes businesses successful and the challenges which need to be overcome. There are several out there and you can choose business which you find interesting. The ones listed below are companies you may have heard of:
● The Everything Store (Stone)
● Grinding it Out (Kroc)
● How Google Works (Schmidt & Rosenberg)
● Megachange: The World in 2050 (The Economist)
● What you see is what you get (Sugar)
● The Upstarts: How Uber and Airbnb are changing the world (Stone)
● Business for Punks (Watt)
Alternatively look at books such as:
● No Logo (Naomi Klein)
●23 Things they didn’t tell you about Capitalism (Ha-Joon Chang)