aqa gcse unit 1 scheme of work business studies

GCSE Business Studies

Scheme of Work

• Unit 1 Setting up a Business

Teacher Resource Bank / GCSE Business Studies / Scheme of Work Unit 1 / Version 10

klm Copyright © 2009 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. 1

GCSE BUSINESS STUDIES SCHEME OF WORK The purpose of this scheme of work is to provide advice and guidance to teachers, not to prescribe and restrict approaches to the delivery of the specification. Please bear in mind that there is no requirement to use this scheme of work. All items included are suggestions and intended to provide guidance. ALLOCATION OF TEACHING HOURS This scheme of work is based on an average of 2 ½ hours’ contact time each week, and a 32 week teaching year giving a total teaching time of 80 hours. RESOURCES Business Studies published by Nelson Thornes (ISBN 978-1-4085-0435-2) Setting Up a Business by Denby & Hamman published by Hodder Education (ISBN 978-0-340-97492-6) The following websites may provide useful content or links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/ has good basic content. http://www.businessstudiesonline.co.uk/ has some useful fun activities and may provide you with ideas so that you can develop your own. http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/ for some applied concepts http://sixthsense.osfc.ac.uk/business/index.asp Oldham 6th form college has produced some student friendly resources http://www.tes.co.uk/ has resources that you can download following free registration. You can also upload your own ideas for others to use. http://www.businessballs.com/ is complex but you can get some interesting ideas from here


Copyright © 2009 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. klm 2

UNIT ONE, SETTING UP A BUSINESS (TOTAL TIME ALLOCATION: 80 HOURS)

CONTENT RESOURCES AND OTHER GUIDANCE APPROX.HOURS

1 Starting a Business Enterprise Candidates should be aware of what a business is (within the service, primary and manufacturing sectors) Enterprise and entrepreneurs, risk and rewards, motives for becoming an entrepreneur.

Some discussion about the nature of business linking to types of business. Producing goods and services. Unit may be introduced by inviting in outside business people. Local businesses / entrepreneurs. Activity to encourage candidates to work in teams / individually to devise own business idea. Strengths and weaknesses: What a venture capitalist looks for in an investment opportunity - news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4439788.stm

5

2 Business Aims and Objectives • types • purpose • measures of success • influence of the stakeholder

Candidates can make themselves familiar with the role of objectives in running a business and how success is judged by how well objectives are realised, by applying chosen objectives to their own business.

Candidates can investigate well known businesses and their objectives.

A discussion may help the understanding of the importance of stakeholders in influencing the objectives of their small business.

5

3 Business Planning • content • purpose • uncertainty and risk

Candidates can be made aware of the type of information that is required in a business plan, and its function in terms of determining the feasibility of the business and the plan’s use in attracting finance. Whereas time needs to be spent on understanding the main sections of a business plan, the emphasis should be placed it being a tool to aid an entrepreneur. Candidates may draw up a business plan, but as an aid to understanding the need for planning rather than as an exercise in itself.

5



4 Choosing the Appropriate Legal Structure for the Business

• sole traders • partnerships • private limited companies. The appropriateness of

gaining limited liability status • the benefits and drawbacks of the different legal

structures

5

5 Franchising Relative merits and drawbacks of a franchise to start up a business.

Candidates may investigate the range of franchise opportunities available, by visiting the web site of franchise operations.. There is a good deal of material on franchises at: Franchise Expo – www.franchiseexpo.co.uk and The British Franchise Association www.thebfa.org.uk

3

6 Choosing the Location of the Business • factors influencing start-up location decisions

Candidates may identify and analyse the most appropriate location for their own businesses or investigate the reasons for the location of existing businesses in their own locality.

3

7 Conducting Market Research. Market Research for Small Businesses; purpose & methods. Methods of primary, secondary research, factors influencing small business / start – ups using appropriate methods of market research likely to be used by a small business, including:

• telephone and other surveys • questionnaires • customer/supplier feedback

The Times 100 - www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theory--market-research--315.php. The Market Research Society’s Introduction to MR: www.mrs.org.uk/mrindustry/downloads/newcomers.pdf. Opportunity for candidates to research their own idea / new ideas / existing businesses in local area. NB size of business. 10



8 Using the Marketing Mix

Elements of the mix: • product • price • promotion • place

Candidates should consider what are suitable combinations of the 4Ps and the impact of e-commerce.

Looking at local examples and small businesses that are web based / serve local area. Lesson per element of the mix with a “summary” to bring the concept together and relate it to the marketing budget available.

7

9 Finance and Support for a Small Business • sources of finance • types of advice available to small businesses • candidates to be familiar with the main sources of

finance available to a small business, including: bank loans and mortgages, loans from friends and family, retained profits and grants from voluntary organisations

Visiting speaker from local bank / literature from bank & other organisations. Local chambers of commerce

4

10 Financial Terms. Candidates should understand the terms: price, sales, revenue, costs and profit and the relationship between these. Candidates should be able to perform simple calculations based on these figures.

www.smallbusinessadvice.org.uk/busplan/suplan.asp. Some simple calculations based on Profit = Sales – Costs.

4

11 Using Cash Flow. Candidates should be able to interpret a simple cash flow statement or forecast and need to be able to consider possible solutions to cash flow problems.

Emphasis should be spend on the interpretation of the cash flow, and possible solutions to any issues identified, rather than on its construction. www.bized.co.uk/educators/level2/finance/activity/cashflow12.htm. Business Link offers some reasons why firms forecast their cash flow: www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1076801242.

4



12 Recruitment

Candidates should understand the suitable ways by which small businesses might recruit employees.

Practical advice from Business Link on employing different types of worker: www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?r.l1=1073858787&topicId=1079568262&r.s=tl. Local newspaper advertisements, local shop window advertisements. Candidates may evaluate job opportunities from their own perspective Lots of sources for the basic process, but use some small business examples. Useful information is available at: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/hrm/chap8/ch8-links.html. The focus should be on getting the right people. There is a lot of information on training at the Businessballs site, which also offers hyperlinks to other useful information - http://www.businessballs.com/traindev.htm

6

13 Motivating Staff • benefits of good motivation • motivation methods used by small businesses

Candidates should understand the benefits of having well-motivated staff and suitable methods by which small businesses might motivate their employees. Candidates to understand the benefits to organisations from a culture of life-long learning.

An excellent portal for this subject is a page at Businessballs: http://www.businessballs.com/motivation.htm.

5

14 Protecting Staff through Understanding Legislation • equal pay and minimum wage laws • employment rights • consumer protection • health and safety

Candidates to have a working knowledge of the legal aspects of operating a small business – not the law in detail.

3



15 Production Methods

• service Sector • job and batch production • efficiency and technology

Candidates could be involved in making items in groups – some operating a batch system, some a job production system.

5

16 Customer Service. Candidates should be aware of the importance to small businesses of providing a good service to customers. Candidates should have an understanding of the need for appropriate levels of quality.

The Times 100 has a series of features on customer service including a case study based on Portakabin: http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/case-study--the-importance-excellent-customer-service--35-235-2.php Examples of candidates’ own experience e.g. consider how McDonald’s trains its staff to provide good customer service. (Franchise) compared to smaller local businesses. Role Play customer service.

6

aqa gcse unit 1 scheme of work business studies

Documents