Business
Business is one of the most internationally studied subjects in the world. It can focus on specialist topics such as accountancy, human resources, management, marketing, finance and organisation, and provide students with a range of transferrable skills which will support them in everyday life.
To support student understanding inside the classroom, we undertake a range of visits to help students to develop an understanding of key business concepts. At GCSE level, we visit Cadbury World (marketing), Mini factory (operations) and Amazon (operations). At A Level we take a trip to New York to see businesses in an international context. Students will experience an excellent talk and tour of Macys focusing brands and promotions as well as a walking tour of Wall Street and behind the scenes at Madam Tussauds. Of course this wonderful trip also allows students some free time to explore the delights that New York has to offer! We also offer opportunities for speakers to come to school, including businesses such as Lacka Food (marketing), to both GCSE and A Level students.
Reading is of particular importance in Business. After all, this is why our students select Business at GCSE and A Level, to grasp an understanding of what is going on out there in the big wide world! Regular reading is encouraged throughout their Business journey with particular focus on current affairs that impact on both businesses and the economy. This can be accessed simply by using news websites (such as the BBC or the Guardian) or even following them on Twitter to get the latest developments as they happen. Passion for Business certainly comes alive when you can see it in action! Students can also opt to focus their reading depending on their field of interest. For example, those studying at A Level that are interested in understanding the work of entrepreneurs, a recommended read could be ‘Elon Musk by Ashlee Valance’. Alternatively those that have a keen interest in environmental and sustainability, might like to opt for ‘There is no Planet B by Mike Berners-Lee’. There are vast opportunities available for students to read around the subject for their own pleasure.
Year 9 - Foundation Year
Year 9 will be a Foundation Year to explore the basics of the nature of business activity and the wider business world. This includes an understanding of why businesses exist and why the business world is a dynamic one. This principle understanding of Business is crucial in this year before students’ progress to understand the functional behaviours of businesses. Students will begin to understand how to apply knowledge to different scenarios and understand that how the business world operates will be very different for all businesses.
Topics Covered
- Business activity
- Influences on business
- Business operations
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
- 5 hours of guided classroom learning
- 3 x 40 minutes of guided independent homework
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
- The Ride of a Lifetime – Robert Iger
- The Google Story – David A Vise
- Grinding it Out The Making of McDonalds – Ray Kroc
Websites
- Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
- Tutor2u: https://www.tutor2u.net/business
- GCSE Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zpsvr82
Journals
- Real Business
- Wired
- Campaign
To Watch
- Panorama (BBC iPlayer)
- Despatches (4OD)
- Amazon – what they know about us (BBC iPlayer)
- How to save the high street (BBC iPlayer)
- Heathrow: Britain’s busiest airport (ITV Hub)
- Made in Britain (ITV Hub)
To Listen
- Business Wars
- Outside In
- The Disrupters
To Follow
Business Twitter
- Broadcast news
- @bbcbusiness
- @sky news
- Journals
- @TheEconomist
- @HarvardBiz
- Tech Giants
- @JeffBezos
- @tim_cook
- @BillGates
- Retail
- @the_brc
- Other
- @times2resources
- @tutor2uBusiness
- @business studies
- @bankofengland
Key Stage 4
When students commence their GCSE in Business, they will explore these key functional areas (operations, marketing, human resources and finance) and consider how these functions work all the while considering how different businesses do it on different scales. The core principle is not necessarily just understanding key Business models (such as the marketing mix or types of production methods) but being able to apply to contextualised situations that show the impact that different influential factors can have. For example how the rapid advancement in technology might impact on retailers vs. airlines.
Exam Board/Qualification: AQA - Business
- 2 papers at the end of Year 11
- Paper 1 assesses “Influences of operations and HRM on business activity” Business in the Real World; Influences on Business; Business Operations & Human Resources.
- Paper 2 assesses “Influences of marketing and finance on business activity” Business in the Real World; Influences on Business; Marketing; Finance.
- Each paper is worth 50% of the total GCSE marks
Topics Covered
Unit 1 – Business in the real world
Unit 2 – Influences on Business
Unit 3 – Business Operations
Unit 4 – Human Resources
Unit 5 – Marketing
Unit 6 – Finance
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
- 5 hours of guided classroom learning
- 3 x 40 minutes of guided independent homework
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
- The Ride of a Lifetime – Robert Iger
- The Google Story – David A Vise
- Grinding it Out The Making of McDonalds – Ray Kroc
Websites
- Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
- Tutor2u: https://www.tutor2u.net/business
- GCSE Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zpsvr82
Journals
- Real Business
- Wired
- Campaign
To Watch
- Panorama (BBC iPlayer)
- Despatches (4OD)
- Amazon – what they know about us (BBC iPlayer)
- How to save the high street (BBC iPlayer)
- Heathrow: Britain’s busiest airport (ITV Hub)
- Made in Britain (ITV Hub)
To Listen
- Business Wars
- Outside In
- The Disrupters
To Follow
Business Twitter
- Broadcast news
- @bbcbusiness
- @sky news
- Journals
- @TheEconomist
- @HarvardBiz
- Tech Giants
- @JeffBezos
- @tim_cook
- @BillGates
- Retail
- @the_brc
- Other
- @times2resources
- @tutor2uBusiness
- @business studies
- @bankofengland
Key Stage 5
Invicta students enjoy their GCSE Business journey and many progress their learning to A Level. This is also an opportunity for students that have not studied GCSE Business to take it as an option. As students step up their knowledge to A Level requirements, we begin to explore the wider business environment in more depth and focus more on the size and scale of businesses. More models and theorists are introduced to support and rationalise choices (such as Blake Mouton leadership styles and Greiner’s growth model) as well as greater emphasis on understanding the behaviour of firms and now industries. A Level Business gives students a technical understanding of the business world in clear context to real-world examples.
Exam board/Qualification: AQA - A Level Business
- 3 papers x 120 minutes at the end of Year 13 - each paper is 33.3% of qualification.
Topics Covered
Year 12
- What is business?
- Managers, leadership and decision making
- Decision making to improve marketing performance
- Decision making to improve operational performance
- Decision making to improve financial performance
- Decision making to improve human resource performance
Year 13
- Analysing the strategic position of a business
- Choosing strategic direction
- Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies
- Managing strategic change
Timetable
Over a fortnightly timetable students receive:
- 10 hours of guided classroom learning
- 10 hours of guided independent homework
Enrichment and Extra Curricular
To Read
- Elon Musk – Ashlee Vance
- There is no Planet B – Mike Berners-Lee
- The Ride of a Lifetime – Robert Iger
- The Lean Startup – Eric Ries
- The Google Story – David A Vise
- Ringtone – Yves Doz and Keeley Wilson
- Sam Walton: Made in America – Sam Walton
- Start with Why – Simon Sinek
- Grinding it Out The Making of McDonalds – Ray Kroc
Websites
- Newsround: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround
- Tutor2u: https://www.tutor2u.net/business
- GCSE Bitesize: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/subjects/zpsvr82
Journals
- Real Business
- Wired
- The Economist
- Campaign
- The London Business Journal
To Watch
- Panorama (BBC iPlayer)
- Despatches (4OD)
- Amazon – what they know about us (BBC iPlayer)
- How to save the high street (BBC iPlayer)
- Heathrow: Britain’s busiest airport (ITV Hub)
- Made in Britain (ITV Hub)
- The Station: Trouble on the Tracks (ITV Hub)
To Listen
- Business Wars
- Outside In
- Business Daily
- The Bottom Line
- The Disrupters
To Follow
- Broadcast news
- @bbcbusiness
- @sky news
- Journals
- @TheEconomist
- @HarvardBiz
- Tech Giants
- @JeffBezos
- @tim_cook
- @BillGates
- Retail
- @the_brc
- Other
- @times2resources
- @tutor2uBusiness
- @business studies
- @bankofengland
Careers
We have a wealth of information on our Careers page - Please click here to visit.
