• Business Studies 1
  • Business Studies 2

Business Studies

Why study Business Studies?

Business Studies provides students with an opportunity to extend their understanding of the world of commerce, how the economy works in relation to providing the infrastructure for all types of businesses to operate. Students will gain an insight into Marketing, Operations Management, Accounting and Human Resources. The role of the Entrepreneur, risk and reward, data analyses, decision making and importantly provide a platform for understanding all forms of businesses ranging for the small sole trader to multinational business and brands. This subject helps prepare students for further education and the workplace by introducing them to carrying out calculations, interpreting data, making and presenting arguments, making and justifying business decisions, identifying problems and proposing solutions, recognising that a problem exists, conducting research and challenging assumptions.  

Business Studies is for imaginative, forward thinking, practical minds, it compliments and balances the other  A levels be they the Sciences or the Humanities.

Course Outline

A2 level

Unit 3: BUSS3

Strategies for Success: This unit introduces students to functional objectives and strategies, and examines their appropriateness in the context of corporate objectives. We examine the financial objectives of larger businesses, the ways in which financial performance might be measured and the strategies they may deploy to ensure survival and competitive advantage. In addition we further explore scientific marketing and operational strategies for product development.  

Unit 4: BUSS4

The Business Environment and Managing Change: This unit is designed to be synoptic and draws upon all other units of the specification including the AS units. It considers the relationship between businesses and external factors. It examines how external factors can impact upon businesses, and the responses they may take. The unit also examines a number of themes which are important in the strategic management of businesses, for example, leadership and corporate culture, and the management of change. This unit draws heavily on real businesses and corporate events.

How is it assessed?

A2 Code 2131

Unit 3: Strategies for Success

Constitutes 25% of A Level,1 hour 45 minutes examination, worth 80 marks

Questions requiring extended answers based on an unseen case study drawing upon knowledge from AS units.

Available January and June

Unit 4: The Business Environment and Managing Change

Constitutes 25% of A Level, 1 hour 45 minutes examination, worth 80 marks based on a Pre-release research tasks leading to the first section of a two section examination. Second section will consist of choice of essays. All questions will be essay style and synoptic therefore drawing upon knowledge from all four units.

Available January and June

Related Careers/University courses

Business Studies A-Level provides students with essential skills which will prove invaluable to students wishing to undertake internships in all areas of Business. It also provides students with transferable skills for higher education, and is an excellent bases for students wishing to pursue undergraduate courses in Management, Accounting, Finance, Banking and Actuarial Sciences, just to mention a few.

Reading list

Marcouse I, Surridge M, Watson N, Swift I, Hammond A: AQA Business Studies, for AS (3rd rev Ed), Hodder Arnold
ISBN 9780340958643

Jones R, Hall D, Raffo C, Anderton A, Chambers I, Gray D: AQA AS Business Studies (4th Ed),Causeway Press ISBN 9781405892209

Malcolm Surridge and Andrew Gillespie: AQA For A2 , Third Edition, Hodder

Lines D, Martin B, Marcouse I: Complete A-Z Business, Studies Handbook,(5th rev Ed) Hodder Arnold ISBN 9780340915165