Business Studies:Single

Course summary

How will I learn? Business Studies will enable candidates to focus on the dynamic nature of the contemporary business world. The course will provide opportunities for research into topical business issues and offer students the opportunities for the development and application of a full range of academic skills. What will I learn? Year 1 Types of businesses, what businesses do, what businesses need to operate, why they operate and how they make a profit. Students study in detail the four functional areas: · Marketing - the marketing mix including the 4 P's – price, place, promotion and product. Market research, understanding markets and competitive markets. · Accounting & Finance - calculating costs, revenues and profit, cash-flow forecasts, profit and loss statements, budgets and break-even. · Human Resources - staff, motivation, leadership styles and methods of dealing with disputes. · Operations - capacity maximisation, capacity utilisation, quality focus and improving efficiency. Students will learn in detail how businesses make decisions and the external factors that influence these at the functional level. Year 2 The study of strategic decision making builds on decision making in the functional areas. Content will include: · The impact of technology on strategic decision making. · The influences of Corporate Social Responsibility, ethical and environmental issues on strategic decisions. · The difficulties in forecasting future trends. · The importance of assessing feasibility and risk when making strategic decisions. What can I do at the end of the course? A level Business can lead to a variety of opportunities. There is a wide choice of Business degrees available at most universities with topics ranging from general Business Studies to specific business areas such as Accountancy, Marketing, Purchasing and Business Administration. Some students can focus on Business with a Joint Honours, for example Business and Law.