Head of Department: Miss C Morgan cm@forest.org.uk

Business is a challenging and relevant subject that will help students to understand the key issues involved in setting up, expanding and managing a business in the 21st Century. Some of these key issues are raising finance, managing people, meeting customer needs and coping with change. In Business, students will study important theories and concepts from all the main elements of a business (marketing, finance, operations and people). The course offers a management-style, skills building approach that is grounded in current business developments and concerns. Application to real businesses and market examples is important throughout the course.

In Business, students will study important theories and concepts from all the main elements of a business (marketing, finance, operations and people). It is a dynamic subject where students will apply the knowledge learnt in the classroom to

Pupils will have opportunities to engage with the subject both within and beyond the specification.

Our rich curriculum includes:

  • Trip to the Bank of England
  • A walking tour of the city’s financial district
  • Support with external competitions
  • Academic stretch sessions for sixth form students applying for scientifically rigorous university courses

A-level Overview

The Edexcel A Level in Business qualification enables students to:

  • Gain a holistic understanding of business in a range of contexts.
  • Develop a critical understanding of organisations and their ability to meet
  • society’s needs and wants.
  • Understand that business behaviour can be studied from a range of perspectives.
  • Generate enterprising and creative approaches to business opportunities, problems and issues.
  • Be aware of the ethical dilemmas and responsibilities faced by organisations and Individuals.
  • Acquire a range of relevant business and generic skills, including decision. making, problem solving, the challenging of assumptions and critical analysis.
  • Apply numerical skills in a range of business contexts.

Assessment at A-level

Paper 1: Marketing, people and global businesses. This is a two-hour paper consisting of questions drawn from themes 1 and 4, and from local, national, and global business contexts. It makes up 35% of the total qualification.

Paper 2: Business activities, decisions and strategy. This is a two-hour paper consisting of questions drawn from themes 2 and 3, and from local, national, and global business contexts. It makes up 35% of the total qualification.

Paper 3: Investigating business in a competitive environment. This is a two-hour paper that will assess content from all four themes as well as a pre-released context document issued on the Edexcel website in late November/ early December of the previous year. It makes up 30% of the total qualification.

Curriculum Maps – All Years

The-Academic-Curriculum-Prospectus-2024

Forest Curriculum Map – Year 12 – Business

Forest Curriculum Map – Year 13 – Business

 

Future career paths

Due to the vast array of multifaceted skills developed through the course student are able to access a wide array of courses at university or competitive apprenticeships which leads to a diverse set of career choices. This can include working within the financial sector, marketing, human resource management, the world of fashion or corporate law.

Key skills gained include:

Cognitive skills

  • Non-routine problem solving – expert thinking, metacognition, creativity.
  • Systems thinking – decision making and reasoning.
  • Critical thinking – definitions of critical thinking are broad and usually involve general cognitive skills such as analysing, synthesising and reasoning skills.
  • ICT literacy – access, manage, integrate, evaluate, construct and communicate.

Interpersonal skills:

  • Communication – active listening, oral communication, written communication, assertive communication and non-verbal communication.
  • Relationship-building skills – teamwork, trust, intercultural sensitivity, service orientation, self-presentation, social influence, conflict resolution and negotiation.
  • Collaborative problem solving – establishing and maintaining shared understanding, taking appropriate action, establishing and maintaining team organisation.