Business Studies

You will learn by completing projects and assignments that are based on realistic workplace situations and activities.  Lessons are delivered in a boardroom-style layout. You will learn about the fundamentals of Business covering the core areas of Marketing, Finance and Human Resource Management.

The Extended Diploma is a two-year, full-time course which consists of examinations and coursework units. The BTEC Business course is for learners who want to progress to higher education courses in business areas before entering employment. It can also support learners who want to progress directly to employment in job roles in business or business management and Higher Apprenticeships.  The course consists of a combination of theoretical and practical units to help students gain an in-depth understanding of the environment around them.

What independent study will I have to do?

Students spend at least 3 hours a week completing case studies or working independently outside of lessons on their assignments.

Who is suitable to study this course and what are the entry requirements?

Students need 5 GCSEs grade 9-5, including English and Maths. No prior experience of studying Business is required.

What other courses complement BTEC Business?

A Business qualification is an ideal complement to any course.

What are the options post-18 and what are the career pathways if you study this course?

BTEC Nationals have been developed in the Business sector to provide full time learners the opportunity to enter employment in the business sector or to progress to Higher Education (University). Also, it provides learners the opportunity to develop a range of skills and techniques, personal skills and attributes essential to successful performance in working life.

The department has a 100% pass rate with the vast majority of students achieving a Merit or Distinction in 2022. Most of the BTEC Business Students got their places in University on a variety of Undergraduate Degrees.

Internal Assessment Units are assignments and coursework which is set and marked by The Warren Business Department and externally verified by Edexcel.

External Assessment Units are either written exams or a controlled assessment completed in 3 hours on a set date.

How will I be assessed?

You will complete 13 Units over the two years. Students can achieve Pass, Merit and Distinction on each of their units.  Units that are studied include:

• Investigating the Business Environment
• Developing a Marketing Campaign *
• Personal and Business Finance *
• Managing an Event
• International Business
• Principles of Management *
• Business Decision Making *
• Recruitment and Selection process
• Creative Promotion
• Investigating Customer Service

Units marked with an asterisk (*)will be assessed externally. This will be through either an exam or a controlled assessment task. Other units will be assessed internally via a set of assignments.

Exam board: Pearson Edexcel

Useful Links:

https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/qualifications/btec-nationals/business-2016.html

www.businessballs.com  – Contains a comprehensive set of resources focused upon leadership and management.

www.businesscasestudies.co.uk – Contains case studies on business organisations which cover a range of business themes including globalisation.

The teachers in our Business and Economics department always aim to demonstrate the real world to our students so that they gain a better understanding of how local, national and international businesses work and how they impact on their lives, both now and in the future.

Our aim is to open avenues for our students and to be innovative and creative in our delivery of the concepts under study.

The courses available for students are dynamic in nature. They allow students not only to develop academically and acquire many transferable skills for the future, but also gain a practical view of how things work in a wider context.

Students develop their knowledge in a supportive and stimulating environment enabling virtually all to progress and achieve real success. The courses available set solid foundations for higher education as well as for the job market.

We share a keen interest in the subject, a positive approach to our work and a commitment to bring out the full potential of each and every one of our pupils.

We aim to involve pupils in a variety of approaches and experiences. We encourage independence of thought yet also provide opportunity for our pupils to work in a co-operative manner, sharing ideas and developing communication skills.

There is a real emphasis on making the learning of concepts fun, interactive and visual. We use many mediums to give our students understanding of topics and this is also supported by well-designed, and heavily resourced, schemes of work, ensuring that the specifications and learning criteria are met fully.

Why study Business?

A Level Business is an academically rigorous and thoroughly engaging subject which is very popular at Sixth Form level. Completing the A Level in Business Studies enables students to gain a range of crucial knowledge and skills.  For example:

• being able to develop a critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the processes of adding value
• being aware that business behaviour can be studied from the perspectives of a range of stakeholders
• acquiring a range of skills including decision-making and problem-solving. 

Course description

The A-Level Business Studies course lasts two years, covering a multitude of concepts related to the business world. At present we will follow the Edexcel course.

In Year 12, the specification introduces candidates to the challenges and issues of starting a business, including financial planning and marketing a product. It then focuses on how established businesses might improve their effectiveness by making tactical decisions at a functional level.

In Year 13, the specification considers strategies for larger businesses and how managers might measure the performance of the business. Finally, it considers the effects that external factors can have on businesses and how a business can plan for and manage change, including leadership style and change in business culture.

How will I be assessed?

Edexcel Advanced GCE in Business is structured into four themes and consists of three externally examined papers. Students are introduced to business in Themes 1 and 2 through building knowledge of core business concepts and applying them to business contexts to develop a broad understanding of how businesses work. Breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding, with applications to a wider range of contexts and more complex business information, are developed in Themes 3 and 4, requiring students to take a more strategic view of business opportunities and issues. Students are encouraged to use an enquiring, critical and thoughtful approach to the study of business, to understand that business behaviour can be studied from a range of perspectives and to challenge assumptions.

Theme 1: Marketing and people

Theme 2: Business Decisions and Strategy

Economists study how governments, businesses and households can make the best decisions with the limited information and resources at their disposal.

The social science of economics has gained increasing prominence since the credit crunch of 2008 with resources, such as money and housing, in critical shortage and seemingly inadequate for a population with unlimited needs and wants. These pressures are evident in and around The Warren School as the government seeks to cut spending on health and education in an area of population growth and youth unemployment. Our department wants to make students aware of how these economic events may influence their lives.

A Level Economics has never been more popular as a course choice and the increasing presence of economics in the national media and consciousness makes this an ideal time to study the subject. At The Warren School we seek to make the study of economics as fascinating, accessible and challenging as possible. We hope that you, and your child, will consider studying the subject with us.

Why choose this subject?

The products and services you use every day are only available because of an increasingly complex system of global markets. Economists seek to understand how households, business and governments interact and make decisions that influence our present and future living standards.

You should choose economics if you want to understand the challenging decisions that face modern political and business leaders in their attempts to manage resources more effectively (not necessarily ethically). Economics is widely respected as a challenging subject by universities and employers. 

This course works well in combination with Geography, Sociology, English Literature, languages or Maths.

This course is essential if you go on to a career in financial services (banking, accountancy, stockbroking), law, politics, journalism, business consultancy or teaching.

Course Description

A Level Economics

Theme 1: Introduction to markets and market failure

An introduction to economic principles and how they influence the markets for goods and services. We will study how some markets can fail societies and what the government can do to reduce such problems.

Theme 2: The UK economy – performance and policies

This unit is based on identifying the UK macroeconomic objectives and how economic performance can be measured. You will then study the policies the government uses to meet these objectives and their impact upon living standards.

For Year 1, students will sit 2 x 90-minute exams on each Theme.  Exams consist of a mixture of multiple choice, data response and extended open response questions. You will have one exam based on each theme.

Theme 3: Business behaviour and the labour market

Citizens in developed economies are dependent on the goods and services that businesses provide. You will study how a firm’s objectives, behaviours and profits are influenced by the level of government intervention and market structure in which it operates.

Theme 4: A global perspective

This unit applies theory covered in Unit 2 to other developed countries with an additional focus on emerging and developing economies. You will identify causes of poverty and inequality and constraints on economic development and competitiveness. Students will study the financial sector and its significant impact on globalisation.

The A Level will be assessed on 3 x 2-hour exams at the end of Year 13. Each exam consists of a mixture of multiple choice, data response and extended open response questions.

Paper 1: Markets and business behaviour (Themes 1 and 3) - 35% of the course

Paper 2: The national and global economy (Themes 2 and 4) - 35% of the course

Paper 3: Microeconomics and macroeconomics (All themes) = 30% of the course

Recommended Reading List

• 50 Economics Ideas: You Really Need to Know – Edmund Conway
• Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman
• GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History, Diane Coyle
• The idea of Justice, Amartya Sen
• Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class Owen Jones, 2012
• Leftover Women: The Resurgence of Gender Inequality in China by Leta Hong Fincher
• Microfinance and Its Discontents: Debt in Bangladesh by Lamia Karim
• The Two Forms of Production under Capitalism by Mary Inman

Further useful reading and websites:

https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/topics

https://www.theguardian.com/business/economics

https://www.tutor2u.net/economics/blog/my-top-30-books-for-economics-and-business-reading-in-2017

• Grave New World: (Stephen King) – Former head of Economics at HSBC looks at the fracturing global economy
• If I Could Tell You Just One Thing…: Most Valuable Advice from Remarkable People: (Richard Reed)
• Inequality (AB Atkinson) – a superb book on one of the defining economic/political issues of the age
• Inner Lives of Markets: How People Shape Them—And They Shape Us (Sharman and Fishman)
• Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioural Economics (Richard Thaler) – Superb biography
• Poor Economics: Rethinking Ways to Fight Global Poverty (Banerjee & Duflo) – development economics
• Positive Linking – Networks and Nudges (Paul Ormerod) – good introduction to network economics
• Rise and Fall of Nations: Ten Rules of Change in the Post-Crisis World (Richir Sharma)

Course description

Currently the (A-Level) Diploma in Financial Studies is course spread over two years covering a multitude of concepts related to the financial world. The course is run by the London Institute of Banking and Finance (LIBF).

What does the course cover?

As an Applied General qualification, the Diploma in Financial Studies (Dip FS) is primarily designed for students aged 16–19 and provides an in-depth exploration of the key concepts of financial capability and how they are applied to achieve longer-term financial sustainability. Its purpose is to prepare students for further study through the development of the core skills of independent thinking, critical analysis and evaluation, synthesis, verbal communication (through classroom discussion) and written communication.

The second year builds on the skills and knowledge acquired through successful completion of the first year and extends this to include areas such as financial sustainability within the wider financial services system, and the long-term impact of debt. Within Dip FS the student explores the political, economic, social, technological, ethical and legal impacts of personal finance in the short, medium and longer terms. Through this, a greater understanding of the impact that global events can have upon consumers and the wider financial services industry is developed. Dip FS therefore enhances the ability to make informed financial decisions through effective planning to manage the risks and challenges involved in personal finance.

Key content areas

• Importance of financial capability in the immediate, short, medium and long term.
• The impact of external influences at different stages in the personal life cycle.
• Risk and reward in managing personal finance.
• Personal and external factors that lead to change.
• Maintaining financial sustainability and avoiding long-term debt.
• The financial services system and financial sustainability (individual and general).
• Marketing techniques.

Key skills developed

• The qualification will encourage students to:
• analyse financial data and information, financial services products and services and make judgements about suitability for people in different circumstances;
• develop an understanding of the concept of financial sustainability and ethics to enhance financial literacy;
• analyse, synthesise, evaluate and reflect;
• demonstrate numeracy skills including the ability to manipulate financial and other numerical data to reflect the conceptual activity of financial maths;
• use appropriate data and information to make arguments;
• structure and communicate ideas logically and coherently; and
• learn independently in preparation for further / higher academic study

How will I be assessed?

Students will sit two external examinations for each unit of work covered.

Year 12:

• Unit 1: Financial Capability in the Immediate and Short Term
• Unit 2: Financial Capability in the Medium and Long Term

Year 13:

• Unit 3: Sustainability of an Individuals Finances
• Unit 4: Sustainability of the Financial Services System

What are the options post-18 and what are the career pathways if you study this course?

This qualification develops knowledge and understanding of the financial services sector and enhances skills that are valued within that sector, but does not qualify students for direct entry to a particular occupational role. Students will be in a position to make informed choices, whether this be to pursue a career within the financial services sector immediately or after further study, or whether to apply the financial skills that they have developed to other careers or study options. For students seeking to continue in education, Dip FS provides a foundation for further study in business and finance-related disciplines, as well as a wide range of other commercial or not-for profit sectors. For students who choose to move straight into employment, Dip FS may support access to employment in areas such as in insurance, banking, and office administration, or in the voluntary sector such as with Citizens Advice.

Congratulations to our Year 13 students on achieving

93% A*-C in Business

100% A*-C in Economics

100% A*-C in Finance

• Specification
• www.businessballs.com – Contains a comprehensive set of resources focused upon leadership and management.
• www.businesscasestudies.co.uk – Contains case studies on business organisations which cover a range of business themes including globalisation.

Revision guides 

Student resources and google classroom

Congratulations to our Year 13 students on achieving

66.7% Grades A*-C in Business Studies