Y11 Business Studies
Below you will find information on what you have covered during your course and how you will be assessed.
In my mock examination I will be asked to show I can demonstrate my knowledge of...
Multiple choice questions, plus a combination of short and long essays 12-marks max
Business maths
- Percentage change: increase and decrease – new-old/old X 100 = X%
- (Use 000, of thousands, 000,000 of millions)
Unit 1 – Business in the real world
- Objectives of entrepreneurs
- Opportunity cost – what is given up as a consequence of a particular decision
- Business objectives – different objectives & explanations of their meaning – profit/profit maximisation, customer satisfaction, growth, increase market share, increase sales, sustainability, etc.
- Measures of success – increasing productivity, customer satisfaction, shareholder value, reputation, quality.
- Impacts of economic cycle – downturns/recessions, increasing unemployment; impact on business.
- Factors of production – land, labour, capital, enterprise
- Business ownership – sole traders, partnerships; benefits and drawbacks of different set ups; explanation of each;
- Business planning – benefits of business plans e.g. setting targets, co-ordination, manage change, track progress, allows stakeholders to assess business e.g. banks
- Business location,
- Expanding a business (EOS & growth)
Unit 2 – Influences on business
- Technology
- Ethics & the environment
- Economic climate
- Globalisation
- Legislation
- Competitive environment,
Unit 4 – Human Resources
- Health & safety law – effect on business and explanation of its effect e.g. training, increased costs, inspections, risks of not following legislation, etc.
- Organisational structures – tall, flat; spans of control;
- Recruitment and selection processes – benefits and drawbacks of effective R&S; stages in the R&S process - Job analysis
- Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs – differences between needs and wants and explanations of each
- Methods of motivation – methods of motivation financial & non-financial; profit sharing – benefits and drawbacks
- Benefits of centralised recruitment – specialist HR departments with specialist HR staff, staff have knowledge of employment law, centralised advertising, standardised approach, job adverts maintain legal requirements, HR staff in one place – no duplication of staff.
- Delayering – benefits and drawbacks; cost; redundancy payments; ethics of redundancy on business stance
- Training – benefits and drawbacks; costs; consequences of poor/no training e.g. lack of skills, demotivation of staff etc.
Unit 6 – Finance
- Sources of finance
- Cash flow
- Financial terms & calculations
- Analysing financial performance
- Breakeven chart – calculating the margin of safety,
- Profit – calculating gross profit; Gross profit margin; sales revenue; percentage increases on gross profit margin
- Methods of customer payment – credit schemes, benefits and drawbacks,
- Methods to improve financial performance – increasing sales, targeting new markets – issues with supply, meeting demand, managing supply/supply chains, increasing output
How will I be assessed?
Title or Topic | Format | Length | Date |
---|---|---|---|
Paper 1 – Influences on business and HRM activity | Written Paper | 60 minutes | Fri 26 Nov 1.40pm |
Paper 2 – Influences of finance & HRM activity on business activity | Written Paper | 60 minutes | Tue 30 Nov 1.40pm |
What should I do to revise and prepare for this assessment?
To prepare for this assessment:
- Use the booklets from lessons and exercise books to consolidate notes and create revision cards and mind maps to connect key topics and ideas
- Use the Revision Guides loaned to you to help for revision
- Create or buy flash cards to test yourself with friends & family
- Use previous paper questions, topic test and PPE questions, mark schemes and examiner reports to develop answers
- Use the AQA Business Revision guide and textbook chapter reading
- Use Past Papers to develop exam question exposure & complete past paper questions from the Home Learning Resource Centre
- Revision apps such as Quizlet, Padlet, Popplet Lite for mind maps
What useful websites/resources could I use to help me prepare?
Online study notes to support core topics in GCSE Business are available and you may wish to bookmark these for future revision.
Tutor2U – GCSE Business
https://www.tutor2u.net/business/blog/gcse-igcse-business-studies-revision-notes-master-listing
BBC Bitesize
Learn techniques for taking your GCSE Business exam with example questions, answers and case studies.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/examspecs/zvwb382
Padlet Resources
Here are some examples of resources available on Padlet:
https://padlet.com/cpcooke/year10
https://padlet.com/spope2/theme2
https://padlet.com/igrimshaw/kzvkuiwz49a3