A Level | Business
A Level in Business
Exam Board: Edexcel
Will the course suit me?
A level Business introduces students to the fundamental principles of business management, enabling students to assess for example why a company like Zara became a multinational success at a time when other clothes retailers were disappearing from the high street. A Level Business students should be motivated, hardworking, have an inquisitive mind, and enjoy being able to link theories and ideas from the classroom to real life examples. No prior knowledge is required, just an interest in the subject.
Course content
The A Level syllabus content is divided into six main topic areas:
| Topic | Content |
| 1. Business and its environment
| • What is a business? • Legal structures • Business objectives and stakeholders • External influences on business activity |
| 2. People in organisations
| • Management, leadership and motivation • Human resource management • Organisational structure • Business communication |
| 3. Marketing
| • What is marketing? • Market research • The marketing mix • Globalisation and international marketing |
| 4. Operations and project management
| • Inventory management • Capacity utilisation • Lean production and quality management • Project management |
| 5. Finance and accounting
| • Sources of finance and accounting fundamentals • Forecasting cash flows, managing working capital and budgets • Analysis of published accounts and investment appraisal |
| 6. Strategic management
| • What is strategic management? • Strategic analysis, choice and implementation |
Assessment
| Component | Assessment | Marks & duration | Weighting |
| Paper 1 Short answer and essay | Marketing people and global business | 2 hours | 20% |
| Paper 2 Data response | Business activities, decisions and strategy | 2 hours | 30% |
| Paper 3 Case study | Investigating Business in a competitive environment
| 2 hours | 50% |
If you have any queries about this course, please contact Head of Department: Michael Liggins
To apply for our Sixth Form, please see our Admissions page.