The document provides an overview of what is covered in a Business Studies course. It discusses how business is relevant to everyone's lives and why it is advantageous to understand how businesses work. The Business Studies course examines topics like marketing, finance, human resources and entrepreneurship. It involves analyzing real-world business situations and recommending courses of action. To do well, students need to think critically about factors influencing businesses and apply concepts to different scenarios. The course aims to equip students with skills valued by employers.

1. Why study Business?

2.  Everything in life involves Business.
 Everywhere around us there is a business.
Someone selling us something.
 Business is a major part of everyone’s life
and anybody who has a good idea about
how businesses work are at a distinct
advantage

3. Why study business studies?
 Many people take it at A-level without
taking it at IGCSE, so it shouldn't
discourage you.
 Anyone with a general interest in business
structures, ethics, the economy, finance,
marketing, human resources,
management, etc. will enjoy the course.
 Lets look at few marketing ideas

4. Some questions that can be
answered after studying business
studies.
 How did the founders of YouTube manage to
create a business worth over £800m in less
than two years?
 Should Chevrolet have moved production to
China?
 Why is Toyota one of the few car companies
to make any profit?
 What should tobacco companies do to
maintain sales if smoking is banned in the
UK?
 Should the banks be nationalised?

5. Analysing issues….
You are expected to analyse the factors
involved and have to recommend the best
course of action for a business given its
existing position:
1. Should it launch a new product?
2. Should managers increase staff pay or give
more to investors?
3. Should a business recruit internally or
externally?
4. How should you raise the money needed to
start up your own business – should you
borrow from a bank or friends and family?

6. AS level – Business start-ups
 Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Richard Branson,
Stelio Haji Ioannou and Bill Gates are all
highly successful entrepreneurs
 What about Levi Roots and his Reggae
Reggae Sauce and Duncan Goose at
OneWater.
 How did they come to be so successful?
 What makes an entrepreneur?
 Why do some business start-ups succeed but
many others fail?
 What makes a successful business idea?

7.  Watch One Water advert
 Watch Babies water advert

8. AS level
 Looks at established businesses and puts you in
the position of the manager of that organisation.
 Your aim is to improve the effectiveness of the
business by making decisions relating to:
1. Marketing - How do you differentiate your
coffee shop from everyone else's?
2. People - (how do you select the right staff),
3. Operations (how do you make sure your
products work properly and are not returned)
4. Finance (how do you make sure you make a
profit and have money in the bank when you
need it?)

9. A2 level
 We look at bigger businesses and focus on
the broader environment such as the
economy, social trends and technology.
 What is the impact of the inflow of
employees from other countries on an
economy?
 Is the growth of China a threat or an
opportunity?
 What is the credit crunch and how bad it
is for your business?

10. A2 level
 We also consider the importance of managing
change
 Think about what impact change has on the
music companies and book publishers at the
moment with the rise of downloads?
 We look at the importance of leadership
 We look at how Michael O'Leary the chief
executive at Ryanair made it so successful or
how Terry Leahy the managing director of
Tesco turned it into the UK's most successful
retailer

11. Paper 3
 You need to analyse a particular business
situation and recommend what the firm should
do next for example:
1. Should you try to double the size of your
business?
2. Should you sell your stores and move online?
3. Should you try to enter the Indian market?
To do well on this paper you need to be able to
demonstrate the skills of a business consultant and
come up with a plan that would really work

12. Unit 4
There is a research task where you study an
important contemporary business issue such
as globalisation or the effect of the internet
on a business
You also have to write essays on a themes:
Examples:
1. Business culture (why does Microsoft have
bean bags in its offices?) or why was
Google voted the Best Company to Work
for?

16. Some Business themes in essay
writing
2. Information management (what do the
supermarkets do with the data from its
loyalty card holders)
3. Growth (why did Unilever buy Ben and
Jerry's?)

17. What does the “Business” involve?
 Understanding customers and why they buy
products so that you can meet their needs
effectively. Most people buy flowers on a
Monday – why do you think that is and why
is it significant?
 Understanding how to raise the money you
need for you business (should you a. beg b.
steal or c. borrow?)
 how to manage the money effectively so it is
not wasted (we will watch a documentary
and learn about Nick Leeson who gambled so
much of Baring bank's money that the
company ended up being sold for £1)

18. What does Business Studies
Involve?
 Understanding where to base your
business
 How to produce efficiently and effectively
(what happened when Cadbury's products
had salmonella, or when Dell's PCs started
to explode? How was this allowed to
happen?)

19. What does Business Studies
involve?
 Understanding how to manage people –
 How can some of the best football players
in the world be put together in one
England football team and end up with an
average performance?
 This must be an issue with selection, team
building and motivation – all key issues in
managing a business effectively.

20. What does Business Studies
Involve?
 Understanding how businesses relate with
their external environment – what
happens to Zimbabwe firms if the
Zimbabwe economy crashes?
 What will happen to Zimbabwe firms
when the Zimbabwe dollar comes back?
 Why do exchange rates matter to firms
such Rolls Royce that export?

21. Who should study Business
Studies?
 Business suits students who like business!
 If you enjoy watching the Apprentice or
Dragon's Den then this is the subject for
you.
 Do you read the news everyday?
 You need to want to know more about
why people set up in business, what
makes them successful and how can they
do things even better.

22. How do you do well in Business
Studies?
 To do well you have to develop the ability
to analyse issues and decide on how a
business is most likely to react in a given
situation given the various constraints,
threats and opportunities it faces.

23. The exam
 The exam is in a case study format.
 To do well you must consider what a given
business would do in a particular situation
rather than repeat textbook theory.
 This means you need to be flexible in your
thinking- your need to understand the
concepts and theory but be able to apply this
to different situations rather than just repeat
your notes.
 The ability to construct an argument is
important and at A2 the final paper does
involve two essays so essay writing skills are
helpful by that stage!

24. How we teach Business Studies
 We make it relevant so that you can see how
it applies to the real world.
 Lessons are highly interactive because we
want to know what you think – how would
you solve this business problem? Why would
you do it like that? We ask a lot of questions!
 Everyone has a chance to air their views and
defend them.
 Perhaps most importantly Business helps you
to develop a critical approach to business
issues – to think why something happened,
to consider what really matters and to look
for the best solution in any given situation.

25. What might the subject lead into?
 The A level provides a good ground in
many subject areas
 It will enable you go on to a range of
degree courses including Marketing, Public
Relations, Sociology and Law.

26. Make up your mind to do the
greatest subject on earth!