AS

AS Level Business Studies

At AS, the specification concentrates on small to medium-sized enterprises within a national context.  Assessment is via a mini case study and data response questions.  Pupils study all components of the syllabus and then sit two separate examinations:

Unit 1:

Focuses on starting up a business and encompasses a wide range of Business Studies topics to give a good appreciation of the breadth of the subject, including concepts such as entrepreneurship, business and financial planning, patents, assessing markets, etc. This unit also includes a fair amount of numerical material including market growth, share and size, as well as break-even, cash flow and profits.  Understanding and using numerical information is an important and integral part of success in this unit.

Unit 2:

Focuses on managing an established business more effectively by making functional decisions.  The firm could be a sole trader with a handful of workers, or a private limited company with several hundred employees  This unit covers topics such as the marketing mix, organisational structure, motivation, choosing suppliers, using technology in operations and finding ways of improving profitability and competitiveness.