Business

There’s a strong argument to say that in the future everyone will need to have a business education. Whatever you become in life—a scientist, an engineer or an artist—you will need to understand how business works. These professionals need to manage a budget, supervise teams and meet legal requirements.

The aim of the AQA Business A-level course is to introduce students to the subject and give them the skills necessary to begin to analyse the behaviour of businesses. They will develop an ability to apply  concepts and theories through a critical consideration of the wider business environment. The emphasis will be on using real world resources such as newspapers, companies’ annual reports and the internet. Students will use real world resources to support the theoretical discipline of the subject and make it  relevant.

Students will be expected to organise and present ideas in a logical way drawing conclusions from the evidence that is used. Students will develop problem-solving skills and they will learn to interpret statistics and data from a variety of sources. The second year of the course will develop the analytical nature of the subject and deepen students’ understanding of Business Studies.

The AQA A-level Business specification will include studying profitability, raising finance, motivating employees and the functional areas of the business including finance, marketing, production and human resources all in the context of the external factors that influence business decisions.

The course also consists of looking in at business decision-making and strategy, managing change and a study of globalisation and its impact on business and commerce.

Business links well with geography, history, languages, mathematics and English but can also be taken with other subjects, as it does not necessarily require the support of another discipline.

Business and management courses in higher education are very popular. Many institutions offer a combination of subjects, which enable students to choose the path that best suits their particular talents. There are several routes to achieving a business or management degree including marketing, accounting and finance, operations management and international business management. Many students combine a language with business to allow them to work overseas after graduation.

Today’s organisations value the subject knowledge and transferable skills which business students have to offer. A business qualification could lead to a career in management consultancy, accountancy or banking, marketing, advertising or public relations or human resources and recruitment. Taking part in the Tycoon Programme provides you with a clearer understanding of the business world.