Welcome to Business Studies!

In the Business Studies department we are passionate about educating students who themselves have a passion for business. Theoretical knowledge and business experience can be passed on by teachers who have worked in organisations across London prior to becoming teachers. Many Business Studies students have left Carshalton Boys to embark on successful careers or moved on to degree level education.

Students will be taught skills that will be useful throughout their school career and well beyond. Effective presentation skills are taught throughout the course; a skill essential for anyone wanting to embark on a career in business. Business literacy is also taught. An understanding of the language of business is central to the course and also of great importance, is a basic understanding of the workings of the UK economy and the wider environment that businesses work within.

Our vision as a department is to produce creative thinkers, who are able to 'work' through problems and deliver solutions, whilst also having the ability to present these solutions with clarity and confidence.

 

Our Curriculum

At Key Stage 4 students study for the OCR Cambridge Nationals Enterprise and Marketing Level 1/2 Certificate. This qualification is aimed at students studying a Key Stage 4 curriculum, who wish to develop applied knowledge and practical skills in enterprise and marketing. It is designed to sit alongside other GCSEs and contains both practical and theoretical elements, which will prepare students for further study of qualifications in enterprise, marketing or business. The Cambridge National in Enterprise and Marketing is graded pass, merit and distinction for Level 1 and pass, merit, distinction and distinction* for Level 2.

The Cambridge National in Enterprise and Marketing will equip you with sound specialist knowledge and skills for everyday use. It will challenge all students, including high attaining learners, by introducing you to demanding material and skills; encouraging independence and creativity; and providing tasks that engage with the most taxing aspects of the National Curriculum.

The qualification design will allow you to explore more deeply the things that interest you as well as providing a good opportunity to enhance your learning in a range of curriculum areas.

You may be interested in this if you want an engaging qualification where you will use your learning in practical, real-life situations, such as:

• Carrying out market research
• Planning a new product and pitching it to a panel of experts
• Reviewing whether a business proposal is financially viable

 

This qualification has three mandatory units:

R067: Enterprise and Marketing Concepts

This is assessed by an exam

In this unit, you will learn about the key factors to consider and activities that need to happen to operate a successful small start-up business.

Topics include:

• Characteristics skills, risk and reward for enterprise
• Market research to target a specific customer
• What makes a product financially viable
• Creating a marketing mix to support a product
• Factors to consider when starting up and running an enterprise.

 

R068 Design a Business Proposal

This is assessed by a set assignment

In this unit, you will identify a customer profile for a specific product, complete market research to generate product design ideas, and use financial calculations to propose a pricing strategy and determine the viability of their product proposal.

Topics include:

• Market research
• How to identify a customer profile
• Develop a product proposal for a business brief
• Review whether a business proposal is financially viable
• Review the likely success of the business proposal.

 

R069 Market and Pitch a Business Proposal

This is assessed by a set assignment

In this unit, you will develop pitching skills to be able to pitch your business proposal to an external audience. Finally, you will review your pitching skills and business proposal using the learning, self-assessment and feedback gathered.

Topics include:

• Develop a brand identity to target a specific customer profile
• Create a promotional campaign for a brand and product
• Plan and pitch a proposal
• Review a brand proposal, promotional campaign and professional pitch.

 

At Key Stage 5 students study the Cambridge Technical Extended Certificate in Business. This qualification will provide learners with the opportunity to develop the core specialist knowledge, skills and understanding required in the business sector through applied learning.

Learners will take five units. There are three mandatory units and two optional units. All pupils will study the following mandatory units:

• The business environment

• Working in business

• Customers and communication

Business Environment will give learners an understanding of the wider external contexts in which businesses operate and of internal business functions and their interdependencies. The unit will allow them to appreciate how legal, financial, ethical and resource constraints can affect business behaviour and the influence that different stakeholders can have and how businesses must respond.

Working in Business will give learners an understanding of the type of critical skills needed when working in business, such as organisation, prioritisation and effective communication. The unit will allow students to learn how to use different business documents and about organisational protocols that most businesses would expect employees to follow.

Customers and Communication will allow learners to appreciate how vital customers are to the success of a business. It will give students an understanding of how important it is for businesses to know their customers and factors that influence customer behaviour. In this unit they will understand how to communicate with customers.

The optional units cover a wide range of topics to give them the opportunity to take a unit that is relevant to a specific aspect of business; for example marketing, accounting, human resources or business planning.

 

Destinations

These courses, combined with other qualifications, will provide learners with the skills, knowledge and understanding to progress into Higher Education (HE) on business-related programmes such as Business, Business Management, Marketing, Business and Finance, Business and Economics and Accounting. It will also allow them to choose non-business related degree programmes or take them into employment where they would continue to study.

 

Subject Leader: Hugh Diamond - hdiamond@carshaltonboys.org