CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Unit A2 2: The Changing Business Environment

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification: Unit A2 2:

Business Studies

The Changing Business Environment

Introduction: This unit examines the macroeconomic and international framework within which businesses operate. It acknowledges the unique culture of each organisation, yet recognises that they are all bound by the same social responsibilities and ethics. The unit examines how businesses are affected by and react to this dynamic environment, taking particular account of the relationships which exist between the various stakeholders of the business. Prior learning: AS Business Studies

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Macroeconomic framework Role of enterprise in resource allocation Mixed economy Business cycles Importance of business confidence

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to: demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of the macroeconomic framework in which businesses operate; Marcouse, I et al, Business Studies, chapter 65 Macro-economic policy (pp 455- 464) Chapter 67 government policies affecting business (pp 474480) Class discussion generating ideas of the external framework in which a business operates. Investigation activity (pp 464) Case Study A consumer slowdown (pp 400)

Government policies demonstrate and apply and objectives knowledge and understanding government policy objectives: - economic growth; - sustainable development; - inflation; - employment; - balance of payments;

Wolinksi, J and Coates, G, A2 Business Studies, chapter 39 Government policy affecting business (pp 390 401) Surridge, M and Gillespie, A, A2 Business Studies 2nd ed.

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Macroeconomic framework (cont.) Economic instruments used to achieve these objectives

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to: demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding about instruments the government uses to achieve its policy objectives. These include: - direct and indirect; - taxation; - government expenditure; - interest rates; - exchange rates; demonstrate an awareness of what they are and their impact on business; apply this knowledge and understanding to analyse the impact that trying to achieve these objectives has on the economy and on businesses; and evaluate the likely effects of Thompson, R and Machin, D, AS Business Studies, chapter 41 (pp 272278) www.teachers.tv

Effects of these objectives and instruments on business Business strategies to deal with government policies

www.bized.co.uk Business Review Magazine CCEA Case Study macroeconomic framework PowerPoint presentation

Discussion Interest rates thought process how do they effect: Individuals Businesses small, medium and large

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

government policies on businesses and suggests strategies to counter them.

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Globalisation International dimension of business

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the international context in which businesses operate; and McKee, E, GCE Applied Business, External Influences on Business Enterprise Focus on own life where have various products come form? Phone, ipod, uniform, shoes etc. Transport Costs Labour Communication

Impact on local businesses of emerging markets such China, India and Eastern European countries

apply this knowledge and understanding to analyse how businesses are likely to be affected by international events: - awareness that China, India and Eastern European are big players in the world economy;

Wolinksi, J and Coates, G, A2 Business Studies; chapter 38 The EU and other overseas opportunities in emerging markets (pp 377 387)

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Globalisation (cont.) Students should be able to: Problems of international trade Trend of globalisation evaluate the likely success of international marketing students should appreciate benefits of international trade, and evaluate advantages and disadvantages of multinational businesses. Business review magazines NAFTA www.wto.org the world trade organisation in brief Marcouse, I, et al, Business Studies, chapter 66 (pp 465473) Business and the European Union Article - 100 most successful brands Successful global marketing strategies and Marketing mistakes www.guardian.co.uk/gl obalisation/0,,408592,0 0.html Marouse, I, et al, Business Studies, chapter 79, Multinationals (pp 555560) CCEA Case Study globalisation PowerPoint presentation Case Study Tesco (pp 387) Creation of mind maps on EU WTO NAFTA Research project Local NI businesses involved in the global market Guest speakers Case Studies Discussion well known Irish exports

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Business Ethics and Corporate Responsibility

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to:

Ethical codes and demonstrate and apply social responsibility knowledge and understanding charters of the ethical and social responsibilities of businesses: Ethics as a source of Finance and accounting; competitive - Human resources; advantage - Management; Ethical issues - Sales/marketing; Business - Suppliers/production; stakeholders - Intellectual properties and skills; and - what these issues might be, the impact on the firm and how they might respond. evaluate the likely outcomes of decisions taken on the business and its stakeholders; and evaluate whether a business meets its social and ethical objectives.

Marcouse, I, et al, Business Studies, chapter 70, Business Ethics pp 495502) Surridge, M, and Gillespie, A, (A2 Business Studies 2nd ed., Social responsibility (pp 237254) Wolinksi, J and Coates, G, A2 Business Studies, chapter 40 Social Responsibilities pp 402406) Chapter 41 Business Ethics (pp 411) Chapter 42 Environmental pressures and opportunities (pp 412419) www.waronwant.org CCEA Case Study business ethics and

Mc Donalds as a case study www.mcdonalds.com/c orp/values/report.html Case Study Nestle (pp 254) Case Study Ethics and Farming (pp 410)

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

corporate responsibility PowerPoint presentation

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Corporate Culture Bureaucratic and innovative organisations Groupthink

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to: demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the culture of a business; apply this knowledge and understanding to analyse how culture impacts upon business success or failure; and Evaluate the likely outcomes of attempts to change the culture within a business. Wolinski, J and Coates, G, A2 Business Studies, chapter 50, Mission and organisational culture pp 466 473) Marcouse, I et al, Business Studies, chapter 35, organisational structure pp 248 259) www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gr oupthink Business Review Magazine CCEA Case Study corporate culture PowerPoint presentation Examination of different types of organisational leaders and the type of organisation culture this may lead to. Examples of groupthink situations Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986) Bay of Pigs invasion (1959-1962) Case Study People in Organisations integrated case study 259 A2 Business Studies (Wolinski, J and Coates, G)

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Change Causes and effects of change in business Reasons for resistance to change Strategies to overcome such resistance Managing change effectively Evaluate the effects of change on an organisation and management of change by an organisation.

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to: demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of the main causes of change within businesses. This should include: - pressure groups (EU issues, the euro, EU enlargement and immigration); - social trends (multicultural society, impact of crime, alcohol and drug abuse, use of the internet); - business legislation (rights of parents, smoking in the workplace); - current topical areas (impact of increasing oil prices, waste management/recycling and packaging, contribution to climate change); Useful websites Group work Pressure group activity knowledge and understanding questions (pp 429)

www.bized.co.uk www.tutor2u.net/politi cs/content/topics/press ure_groups/pressure_fu nctions.htm Case Study Rude Thompson, R and Machin, Awakening D, AS Business Studies (pp 285) (pp 279 284) www.consumerline.org www.whatwouldyoulik etochange.com www.ft.com www.guardian.co.uk www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/ hi/business Case Study change PowerPoint presentation

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

- demography; and - growth and decline of primary, secondary and tertiary sectors;

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Specification Content
Change (cont.)

Learning Outcomes

Resources

Teaching and Learning Activities

Students should be able to: - reorganisation of business process economics and diseconomies of scale, effects of introducing new machinery/technology, downsizing; - organic growth/amalgamation mergers and takeovers, vertical, horizontal, lateral, diversification, management/employee buyouts; demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of the main effects of change; apply the knowledge and understanding to analyse the impact of implementing change in different business contexts; evaluate the effects of change Marcouse, I, et al, Business Studies, Chapter 39, flexibility and insecurity (pp 274 280) Chapter 80, changes in ownership (pp 561 568) Chapter 47, economies and diseconomies of scale (pp 330335) Business Review Magazine CCEA Case Study change

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

on an organisation and management of change by an organisation; and Reports Draw up a report using the correct format. CCEA Student guide to report writing. Practice reports Layout and information comparison

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Additional Resources Books:

Barratt, M and Mottershead, A, A Level Business Studies: Student's Book, Longman Hammond, A and Swift, I, Business Studies for A2 Revision Guide, Hodder Arnold Hammond, A and Brewer, M, Business Studies for AS Revision Guide, Hodder Arnold Jewell, B, An Integrated Approach to Business Studies, Longman Jones, R, Raffo, C and Hall, D, Business Studies (3rd Edition), Causeway Press Ltd Letts Educational, Revise A2 Business Studies, Letts Educational Ltd Lines, D, Martin, B and Marcouse, I, Complete A-Z Business Studies Handbook, Hodder Arnold Marcouse, I et al, Business Studies, Hodder Arnold Rice, A, Accounts Demystified: How to understand financial accounting and analysis, Prentice Hall Surridge, M and Allan, P, AS/A-level Business Studies Essential World Dictionary Surridge, M, and Gillespie, A, AS Business Studies, Hodder Arnold Thomspon, R and Machin, D, AS Business Studies, Collins Educational

Other Publications:
Allan, P, Business review magazine, www.philipallan.co.uk
First Trust Bank, Economic outlook and business review,

www.ftbni.com/servlet/ContentServer? pagename=FT_Treasury/FT_Quarterly_Outlook&channel=Quarterly

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Bank of England (quarterly), The Inflation Report,

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/inflationreport/index.ht m Ulster Business magazine

Newspaper Supplements:
Business Insight - Every Tuesday with the Irish News Business Newsletter - Every Tuesday with the Newsletter Business Telegraph - Every Monday with the Belfast Telegraph

Business Studies Websites:

A Level of Achievement Business Studies Resources, www.aloa.co.uk/members/new%20look/New%20A%20Level.htm A Level Revision - Oxford School of Learning, www.osl-ltd.co.uk/index.asp BBC jam Explore, www.jam.bbc.co.uk/Worlds.aspx?ResourceId=BBC_DC-14_16-bsworld&TBReturnUrl=%2fUserControls%2fNavigation% BBC NEWS Business, www.newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/default.stm Bank of England Home, www.bankofengland.co.uk/index.htm Bized, www.bized.co.uk Business 2000, www.business2000.ie Business Open Learning Archive, www.bola.biz/index.html Business Studies Online, www.businessstudiesonline.co.uk Business Studies update, www.lincoln.ac.uk/lbs/resources/update The Economics & Business Education Association, (some useful website listed in the Links sections), www.ebea.org.uk/ebea/default.html
European Foundation for Quality Management, www.efqm.org

Examstutor.com - a level business studies resources for students and teachers, www.examstutor.com/business globalEDGE business information from around the world, www.globaledge.msu.edu

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Invest NI, www.investni.com Invest NI's 'nibusinessinfo' website, www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk

Just Business Global and Ethical Issues, www.jusbiz.org/showpage.php?

pagename=home Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, www.nisra.gov.uk

Office of Communications, www.ofcom.org.uk Office of National Statistics, www.ons.gov.uk

Q&A resources, www.qaresources.co.uk/busmain/bsample.htm S-Cool! - AS & A2 Level Business Studies Revision Guide, www.scool.co.uk/topic_index.asp?subject_id=8 Sixth Sense Business Studies Resources, www.sixthsense.osfc.ac.uk/business/index.asp The Times 100 UK Marketing Theory, Business case studies, www.thetimes100.co.uk Trading Standards Central - Trading Standards and Consumer Protection information, www.tradingstandards.gov.uk
The Treasury, www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

Tutor2u, www.tutor2u.net/default.asp

Finance
From nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Business Planning www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858790&r.s=tl&topicId=1074433147 Borrowing www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858790&r.s=tl&topicId=1074453326 Shares and equity www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858790&r.s=tl&topicId=1074453334

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Human Resources
From nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Dismissals, Redundancies Etc www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1073876974 Employee Representatives and Trade Unions www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1074436102 Equal Opportunities www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1073877851 Motivation www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1073858908 Organisational Change www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1074450319 Recruitment and selection www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer;jsessionid=FHxqbyGr5w kZMt6pk6QP6JCZhKvl4zT3pNTvHMtRMp9bVfqF3wvh!1493541108! 1162310122409? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1073858914 Skills and training www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1073858787&r.s=tl&topicId=1074202347

Marketing
From nibusinessinfo.co.uk: How to build a pricing strategy www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sl&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1073790698 Sales & marketing: the basics www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.s=sc&topicId=1074299808 The lifecycle of products and services www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sl&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074301573

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Segment your customers www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.s=sl&topicId=1074022100 Market research and market reports www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.s=sl&topicId=1073901910 Pricing your proposed service or product www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.i=1074301573&r.l3=1074299784&r.l2=1074299781&r.l1= 1073858796&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074301633&r.t=RESOURCES &r.s=m Niche markets www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sl&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1073792481 Using market reports and other data www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sl&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1073790734 Interpreting market information www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sl&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1073790737

CCEA Exemplar Scheme of Work: GCE Business Studies

Operations Management
From nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Just-in-time production www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sc&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1074405965 Stock control methods www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sc&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1073792659 Benchmark your business www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.l1=1074404796&r.s=tl&topicId=5000305139 Quality management standards www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.s=sl&topicId=1074431977

External influences
From nibusinessinfo.co.uk: Common mistakes when starting up in business www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/detail? site=191&r.s=sl&type=RESOURCES&itemId=1075219871 Understand your competitors www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/bdotg/action/layer? site=191&r.s=sl&topicId=1073900131