Business

Course shortcode: BUS09 A Level Business Studies gives students an understanding of business organisations, the markets they serve and the process of adding value from a variety of perspectives. Whatever your ambitions, you can expect to learn a range of activities involved in setting up a small business, such as source ideas, generating plans and sourcing finance. The course also covers the importance of operational decisions, marketing and issues affecting competitiveness. In the first year you will learn how financial measures can be used to indicate how well a business is managed, as well as the actions that can be taken to improve financial performance. In second year, you will examine the financial objectives of larger businesses, the ways in which financial performance can be measured and the strategies they may deploy; development of their marketing strategies through a scientific approach to decision making; and strategies they may use to achieve success in their particular markets. Through this, you will gain an understanding of how businesses plan for and manage change, and how external and internal change is linked.

Changes to A Level Courses in 2015 and 2016 The government has implemented a number of changes to AS and A Level courses starting in September 2015, which affect all schools and colleges in England. The main changes will be: • AS qualifications will still be available as a high quality, stand-alone qualification • All assessment in A Levels will be at the end of two years of study • There will also be more emphasis on exams and less on coursework, with most subjects being assessed entirely on exams We will continue to enter all students into exams at the end of their first year, as we believe it will give students, parents and tutors useful feedback on their progress in the first year; help students to decide which higher education course to apply for; and give universities an indication of their expected grades. It will also give them the ability to transfer to other courses or move onto employment with recognised qualifications, if they choose to.