This lesson plan aims to help students understand the differences between objectives in the public and private sectors. In the lesson, students will be split into groups to investigate objectives on local government websites and private company profiles. They will look at services provided by local councils and infer objectives like profit from company mission statements. Finally, the class will come together to discuss their findings and create agreed lists of key objectives for each sector.

1. Business Objectives: Public and Private Sector - Lesson Plan
Business Objectives: Public and Private Sector Aims -
Lesson Plan: 1 x 1 hour lesson
A series of 'off the shelf' lesson plans and resources for use in the classroom. This lessons deals
with Business Objectives: Public and Private Sector Aims and is relevant to the following
specifications:
AQA: Module 3: 12.4, 12.5
Edexcel: Unit 1: Sections 1 and 2
OCR: Unit 2871
Aim:
To investigate the competing aims of businesses in the private and public sector.
Learning Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, students should understand the following:
The difference between a public sector organisation and a private sector organisation
The major objectives of business activity in the public sector
The major aims of business activity in the private sector
Resources:
PowerPoint Presentation -Business Activity [121 KB]
Mind Map - Business Objectives
Activity - Business Objectives: Public and Private Sector Aims
Access to PCs (if this is not possible, use literature from a local authority)
Lesson Structure:
1. Begin the lesson with a review of the purpose of the lesson: the big picture.Using the
mind map is recommended here. Students can be given a handout with the lesson
objectives and space to write some responses underneath each one as a means of
reviewing the work they do. (5 minutes)
2. The class could be split into two groups at this point, with each group given the task of
investigating the objectives of a sector. Alternatively, students can follow through the
investigation for both sectors themselves.
3. Students should look at two (probably no more than this) Web sites for local councils.
The aim is to find out what services the local councils are responsible for. Students can
be guided to the different activities of County Councils and District Councils (the

2. government online service is a good resource for lots of useful information and this is a
good opportunity to make students aware of its existence). Students should then write
down the services provided on the handouts or on a large sheet of paper. Ask students to
think of how the services might be funded. For example, councils will come and
exterminate rats and wasps - but do householders have to pay? (In general, they do not
for rats but do for wasps!)
The sites below are particularly useful - students need to be able to locate the resources
quickly rather than spend hours going through search engines, etc!
o A-Z of Council Services - Bradford Council
o Two tier councils - SomersetOnLine
o Directgov
4. The second investigation involves accessing information on aims and objectives from a
selected group of companies in the private sector. The source of information for this is
the Biz/ed Business Profiles . Students should look at the mission statements for the
companies - they will notice that there is no direct reference to 'making profits' but it
could be inferred from the information in the mission statements. (Not all companies
have a mission statement included so students will have to be selective.)
5. These activities should take up the bulk of the lesson - maybe 40 minutes. If splitting the
class into groups with different tasks, this can be shortened to 20 minutes to allow time to
share ideas.
6. Bring the class togeteher to discuss their findings - the aim is to get an agreed list of key
objectives for public and private sector organisations.
7. A short plenary can be held at the end to summarise the points discovered - the use of the
PowerPoint Presentation at this point can help to reinforce the investigations carried out.
Business Objectives - Mind Map
Mind Maps have been produced to introduce topics and give students an overview of key topics
being studied. This mind map introduces Business Objectives.
Business Objectives - Mind Map
Mind Maps have been produced to introduce topics and give students an overview of key topics
being studied. The maps can be viewed as a whole page or, for those who prefer a more linear
approach, as a text version.

3. View larger version of the mind map.
Business Objectives
1. Profit
2. Global power
3. Brand Recognition
4. Reputation and Image
5. Share Price
6. Satisficing
7. Ethical Issues
8. Efficiency
9. Personal Satisfaction
10. Make a Fortune!
11. Environment
12. Long Term Survival
13. Market Share
14. Social Issues
15. Turnover
16. Customer Satisfaction
17. Brand loyalty
18. Market Power