Course Overview (With Case Studies Used)

Course Overview (with case studies used)

Topic Title / Topic Content / Case Studies Used
Business Ownership / Types of business ownership:
-Sole trader
-Partnership
-Private limited company
-Public limited company
-Franchise
-Not for profit/ charities/ voluntary
Advantages and disadvantages for each of these (e.g. legal liability) / N/A
Business Sectors and External Environment / Reasons why a business starts.
Types of activity: primary, secondary, tertiary
Changes to the external environment (e.g. new competitor, change in economic conditions, new legislation).
-Consequences to a business of these changes / Changes to the external environment:
-Smoking ban and pubs in 2007 (legislation)
-Apple releasing IPhone in 2007 competing with Nokia (new competitor)
-Pound land and recession (economic conditions)
Functional Areas / Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Operations, Administration and ICT.
-Operational tasks of these functions.
-Consequences to a business of not operating together / Toyota- when their functional areas do not operate together.
Mission Statement, Aims and Objectives / Definition of mission statement, aim and objectives. Importance of them to a business. / Harris Academy Greenwich
Stakeholders and Their Interests / Customers, Suppliers, Employees, Employers, Shareholders, Local Community, Pressure Groups. Government.
-Their differing interests
-Possible conflicts
-Consequences to business of not listening. / Stakeholder Conflict: Town of Whitby (local community) against Tesco (shareholders)
Consequences of not listening: Tesco
Enterprise in business. Employee/ Employer Relationship / How businesses can operate in enterprising ways. How employees can help business operate in enterprising way. Benefits to business of operating in enterprising way.
What employers/employees expect of each other.
Legal framework- main acts.
How employers/ employees develop a good working relationship. / Google – how they have developed a good working relationship.
Changing Use of ICT in Business / Different types of ICT. Purpose of ICT in business activities.
Potential benefits/ drawbacks of upgrading ICT provision to a business (labour saving benefits, cost saving benefits, growth of e-commerce) / Changing use of ICT:
-HAGR letting students have Apple Ipads.
-Footlocker introducing a stock monitoring system
Responding to Changes in Business Environment / Reasons why business environment is uncertain.
Ways in which businesses can change existing business practices in order to be successful.
-Consequences to business of not making changes/ taking risks. / Examples of a change in business practices: Co-op
Consequences of not making changes: Apple
Ethics and Sustainability / Meaning of ethics and sustainability. Ways in which businesses can act ethically and sustainably.
Consequences to business of not behaving in an ethical manner. / McDonalds- examples of ethical and unethical practices
Consequences of not behaving ethically - Nike
Economic Terminology / Inflation, interest rates, exchange rates and taxation.
Effects of these economic factors on businesses (consumer spending, costs, expansion) / N/A