Business Studies

Introduction

Business Studies focuses on knowledge and understanding of the environment within which business activity takes place, the roles and purposes of business activity in both the public and private sectors, how the main types of business and commercial institutions are organised, financed and operated.

Form 4 (Business Studies / Economics / Accounting)

This course is an introduction to some of the basic concepts in Business, Economics and Accounting. It is not a prerequisite for study at Form 5 but will help students interested in Commerce make a more informed decision about subjects to study in Form 5.

Course description/aims: Topics covered in Economics include the basic economic problem, introductory micro-economic analysis including market theory (demand and supply), consumer economics including financial literacy topics such as insurance, budgeting and consumer rights and obligations in the marketplace. Students also complete a unit on Business Studies, covering some of the main issues such as marketing, business organisation, business success and failure. There is also a unit on Business Accounting.

Economics/Consumer Financial Literacy

Basic economic problem: scarcity and exercise of choice
What, how and for whom
Economic systems

Market Equilibrium – Demand, Supply, Equilibrium

Financial Literacy Part 1

Income
Credit
Saving
Personal budgeting
Financial Records and ID Theft

Business Studies

Why business activity is needed
How business activity is organised and financed
How to start a business
Business objectives

Accounting for Sole Traders

Financial information
Accounting equation
Debits and Credits
Transactions and Trial Balance
Income Statement
Assets and Liabilities
Trading Statement
Statement of Financial Position
Accounting Cycle
Accounting Analysis

Financial Literacy Part 2 – Consumer Laws and Insurance

Business Marketing

Market Segments
Market Research
Marketing Mix – the 4 P’s

Methods of Assessment:

1 x 1-hour examination – end of Term 1
1 x 2-hour examination – end of Term 2
1 x 2-hour examination – end of Term 4

Special equipment/costs: A $25 Auckland Grammar School workbook.

Continuation of course: This course will provide good background and preparation for Accounting, Business Studies, and Economics.

Commerce – Form 5 (NCEA Level 1)

Pre-requisites: None. This course is provided for students in 4P and 4R who will study a full NCEA course at Form 5.

Course description/aims: This course is designed to introduce students to some of the concepts and theories covered in the Commerce subjects of Economics, Business Studies, and Accounting.

Commerce is the use and exploration of accounting, economic, and business concepts and models to make sense of society and solve problems. In this subject, students will build the knowledge, skills, and values they need to navigate, and participate in, the economic world. They will learn how participants in the economic world make decisions, and they will analyse how these decisions impact on sustainability.

Students will learn that decision-making is necessitated by scarcity and that decisions are informed by a variety of cultural perspectives and lenses. Learning and assessment will examine Māori, Pacific, and different approaches to commerce, and business models from whānau and organisation contexts.

Successful completion of this course provides an appropriate base for study of Accounting, Business Studies, or Economics at NCEA Level 2 in Form 6.

Course outline: The proposed course outline is designed to cover some of the new NCEA Level 1 Achievement Standards. Standards offered will assess some/all of the following:

AS 1.1 – Students are able to demonstrate understanding of an organisation’s financial decision-making [5 Credits, Internal]
AS 1.2 – Students are able to demonstrate understanding of price determination for an organisation [5 Credits, Internal]
AS 1.3 – Students are able to demonstrate understanding of how interdependent, financial relationships are affected by an event [5 Credits, External]

Methods of Assessment: Students will complete a mix of NCEA Level 1 Achievement Standards, which are yet to be confirmed. Students will also be assessed by in-class tests and the School examinations which take place in Terms 1, 2, and 4.

Continuation of subject: Successful completion of this course provides some base for study of Accounting, Business Studies, or Economics at NCEA Level 2 in Form 6.

Business Studies – Form 5 (Pre-Q)

Prerequisites: None, although having studied BEA (Business, Economics and Accounting) is considered advantageous to students who wish to study this subject.

Course description/aims: The course is a challenging and wide-ranging course which aims to develop understanding of how businesses operate within dynamic environments and how they respond to changes within the environment. The aims of the course are to develop knowledge and understanding of:

The environments within which businesses operate and how they operate
How businesses are structured and the roles of businesses within sectors of the economy
Business objectives and the effect of major groups upon business objectives
How businesses are financed and how their relations with other organisations, consumers, employees, owners and society are regulated
How inputs are transformed into outputs and the forces which help to determine and control them

Course outline:

The Business Environment: The Purpose of Business, Classification of Business and Business Growth
Business Organisations: Structure and Type of Business, Business Objectives and Stakeholder Groups
Economic Influences on Businesses
Human Resource Management
Marketing
Operations Management
Business Finance
Government Intervention and Business

Methods of Assessment: School examinations:

1 x 1-hour examination – end of Term 1
1 x 2-hour examination – end of Term 2
1 x 3-hour examination – end of Term 4 (Pre-Q). The total mark available is 120. Candidates answer three compulsory short answer questions (20 marks per question, weighted at 50%). Candidates also answer three compulsory long answer questions (20 marks per question, weighted at 50%), which requires them to interpret and analyse previously unseen data relevant to a business context

Special equipment/costs: Three workbooks for $18 (cost is approximate and subject to change).

Continuation of subject: Successful completion of Pre-Q Business Studies provides an excellent foundation for further study at both Cambridge AS and NCEA Level 2. It is also a very useful foundation for study at both Cambridge A Level and NCEA Level 3.

Business Studies – Form 6 (NCEA Level 2)

Prerequisites: None, although studying Form 5 Business Studies or Economics is considered advantageous to students who wish to study this subject, as is having good English language skills.

Course description/aims: Business contributes to the development of an enterprising culture in New Zealand and supports our efforts to improve economic and community wellbeing. Studying business creates opportunities for students to:

Understand the integral role of business in society and the economy
Explore enterprise culture
Further develop their key competencies such as initiative, resilience, and resourcefulness, and skills such as problem-solving, cooperation, decision-making, negotiation, and communication
Gain knowledge and understanding of good business practice and of business as a productive activity
Acquire greater financial capability

Course outline:

AS90843 – Business Internal Operations [4 Credits, External]
AS90844 – External Factors of Business [4 Credits, External]
AS90845 – Critical Problem Solving [4 Credits, External]
AS90848 – Refining Business Activity in the community [9 Credits, Internal]

Methods of Assessment:

Three externally and three internally-assessed Achievement Standards
Three School examinations, held at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 3
Internal Assessments will occur throughout the year

Special equipment/costs: Computers will be used on regular occasions throughout the course. Students who do not own a computer will not be disadvantaged, as the School has a number of computers available for individual use when required and a workbook for $26.

Continuation of subject: NCEA Level 3.

Business Studies – Form 6 (AS)

Prerequisites: None, although studying Form 5 Business Studies is considered advantageous to students who wish to study this subject, as is having good English language skills. Students who studied NCEA subjects in Form 5 must have approval from the Associate Headmaster – Academic.

Course description/aims: The aim of this course is to enable students to:

Understand and appreciate the nature and scope of business, and its role in society
Develop critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the process of value added. This should involve consideration of the internal workings and management of organisations and, in particular, the process of decision-making in a dynamic external environment
Be aware that business behaviour can be studied from a range of stakeholders including customer, manager, creditor, owner/shareholder and employee
Be aware of the economic, environment, ethical, government, legal, social and technological issues associated with business activity.
Develop skills in decision-making and problem-solving in the light of evaluation, the quantification and management of information and effective communication

Course outline: There are five major themes for the course as follows:

Business and the environment in which it operates
Business structure, organisation and control
Business activity to achieve its objectives
People in business
Regulating and controlling business activity

Methods of Assessment: Candidates must sit two external examination papers:

Paper 1 – four short answer questions and one essay (choose one of three), maximum marks 20 each, total weighting 20% each [1 hour, 15 mins]
Paper 2 – two data response questions with a maximum mark of 60 and a weighting of 60% [1 hour, 30 mins]

Special equipment/costs: Calculator

NCEA Level 3 and University Entrance: At the end of the Cambridge AS course, students can pursue the following pathway or combination of pathways – the Cambridge Pathway (Form 7 A Level Business Studies) or the NCEA Pathway to Level 3 Business Studies and Level 3 Accounting.

Business Studies – Form 7 (NCEA Level 3)

Prerequisites: None, although studying Form 6 NCEA Level 2 Business Studies is recommended for students who wish to study this subject. Having good English language skills is very important, due to the level of written coursework expected.

Course description/aims: Analyse how and why New Zealand businesses operating in global markets make operational and strategic decisions in response to interacting internal and external factors. Plan, take to market, review, and then refine an innovative, sustainable business activity; analyse the activity and its success in the marketplace.

Course themes:

Business Functions:

Evaluate and recognise strategic improvements to a business plan
Develop a comprehensive marketing strategy and evaluate how it contributes to a business’ global success
Analyse the importance of quality in business success

People in Business:

Analyse the role of cultural intelligence in global markets
Analyse the human resource process from a strategic perspective

Business Management:

Evaluate methods used by business to manage change effectively
Evaluate a business’s need for assistance
Use investment appraisal methods and evaluate for decision-making
Analyse factors affecting business location.
Analyse the role of intellectual property in the global marketplace

Business Environment:

Evaluate sustainable (social and cultural) business expectations and practices
Evaluate the impact of changes in the global marketplace on businesses
Evaluate the role of multinational businesses in the global economy and analyse their impact on the host country

Course outline: This course comprises five Achievement Standards, covering two internal and three external forms of assessment.

AS91379 – Internal factors within a global business [4 Credits, External]
AS91380 – Strategic response to external global factors [4 Credits, External]
AS91381 – Complex problem(s) solving [4 Credits, External]
AS91382 – Develop a marketing plan for a new or existing product [6 Credits, Internal]
AS91385 – Investigate the exporting potential of a New Zealand business in a market, with consultation [3 Credits, Internal]

Methods of Assessment:

Three externally and two internally-assessed Achievement Standards
Three School examinations held at the end of Terms 1, 2 and 3
Internal Assessments will occur during Term 1 and 2

Special equipment/costs: Computers will be used on regular occasions throughout the course. Students who do not own a computer will not be disadvantaged as the School has a number of computers available for individual use when required and a workbook for $26.

NCEA Level 3 and University Entry: Business Studies was added to the list of approved subjects in 2012 for students to use the qualification for University Entrance.

Business Studies – Form 7 (A2)

Prerequisites:

Students who gain an A to a good C grade in Cambridge AS Business Studies will be admitted to this course
Students who gain a D grade in Cambridge AS Business Studies must consult with the Head of Business Studies to enter this course
Students who gain an E grade or ungraded result in Cambridge AS Business Studies will not be able to enter this course

Course description/aims: The Form 7 Business Studies course follows on from the Cambridge AS course and builds on the topics studied previously. The Cambridge AS course covers core topics with extension material offered for A2.

Analytical skills become increasingly more important in the A2 course and marks are awarded for the candidate’s abilities to discuss, evaluate and synthesise the core topics developed in Form 6.

Although the cases used in the examination will be fictitious, the increasing use of business case study examples will try to instil in the student the need to discuss a business problem in an integrated manner. Some contemporaneous issues could be:

How can Apple Mac maintain their market share in the face of such strong competition from PC?
Is the traditional music market doomed with the advent of online, streaming music services and other downloadable music forms?
Evaluate the action that the government is taking to improve the economy in relation to NZ businesses, given recent events

Students will be encouraged to discuss and formulate ideas of their own and try to conclude that there are no perfect answers.

This approach will be very useful for students to enable them to confront the additional examination assessment mechanisms for the A2 course.

Methods of Assessment: A case study for 100 marks will be the only paper for A2. It will incorporate five questions and one essay to be selected from a choice of two.

Special equipment/costs: Calculator

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our staff today.

Business Studies

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