GCE BUSINESS STUDIES

A2 SCHEME OF WORK

INTRODUCTION

This scheme of work can be followed whether centres enter students for examinations in January and June or just opt for June entry.

The purpose of this scheme of work is to provide advice and guidance to teachers and lecturers, not to prescribe and restrict approaches to the delivery of the specification. Please bear in mind that there is no requirement to use this scheme of work. All items included are suggestions and intended to provide guidance.

ALLOCATION OF TEACHING HOURS

The A2 scheme of work is based on five hours’ contact time each week and a 32 week teaching year. This time has been subdivided as follows:

Unit Three: Strategies for Success 75 hours

This allows 10 hours (or two weeks’ teaching) for revision and final examination preparation.

Unit Four: The Business Environment and Managing Change 75 hours A2 BUSINESS STUDIES (UNIT THREE: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS)

This module is divided into four elements. In the study of this unit candidates should examine the topic areas below in relation to the core themes of setting objectives, measuring performance and devising strategy. The assessment for this unit will draw upon AS material which candidates should use to respond to A2 questions. The material below sets out a possible scheme of work for a single teacher delivering the specification. A later version shows how the material might be allocated between two teachers delivering the specification between them.

UNIT THREE

TERM 3 of AS CONTENT RESOURCES AND OTHER GUIDANCE year. WEEK

3.1 Functional Objectives and Strategies: An overview of a range Business Review, Volume 14, Number 2, November 2007 – ‘Guitars4You: Satisfying a niche of functional objectives and how market’ 6 these contribute to the achievement of corporate objectives. Business Review, Volume 14, Number 3, February 2008 – ‘Money from Nails’ A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 1 UNIT 3 ELEMENT 2 MARKETING STRATEGIES A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 7 3.7 Understanding Marketing Business Review Volume 10 Number 3 Feb 2004 –‘ Responding to Market changes’ Objectives: Marketing objectives, 6 assessing internal and external www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ – ‘Iphone seeks to shake up the mobile phone market’ influences on marketing objectives. Useful for discussion on marketing objectives and influences 3.8 Analysing Markets and A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 8 7 Business Review Volume 12 Number 2 Nov 2005 – ‘The UK Jeans Market’ Business Review Volume 12 Number 3 Feb 2006 – ‘The UK Footwear Market’ Business Review Volume 13 Number 1 Sep 2006 – ‘The Breakfast Cereals Market’ Marketing: market analysis, Business Review Volume 13 Number 2 Nov 2006 – ‘Pre recorded music in the UK’ analysing sales trends, the use of information technology, difficulties www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ – ‘Brits become a nation of smoothie operators’ in analysing marketing data. Bized market analysis activity www.bized.co.uk/educators/16-19/business/marketing/activity/analysis.htm

3.9 Selecting Marketing A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 9 8 Strategies: Low cost verses differentiation, Ansoff’s matrix, Business Review Volume 12 Number 1 Sep 2005 – ‘Cobra Beer’ assessing effectiveness of marketing Business Review Volume 12 Number 2 Nov 2005 – ‘Five Forces Analysis’ strategies. Business Review Volume 12 Number 4 April 2006 – ‘Strategic thinking in Marketing’

www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ - ‘Special guests and seasonal smoothies make Innocent sparkle’ - ‘Cobra beer – Brewing up a global brand’ (useful for international markets)

www.times100.co.uk Edition 13 – ‘Wilkinson: Marketing strategy for growth’

Classroom video: ‘MMMarketing’ www.classroomvideo.co.uk

Bized problem based learning activity: ‘Changing markets, changing strategies: The Problem’ www.bized.co.uk/current/pbl/2005-6/031005problem.htm Talk from parent – Phil Brown – customer service A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 10

3.10 Developing and Implementing Marketing Plans: components of Business Review Volume 13 Number 1 Sep 2006 – ‘Marketing Plans’ marketing plans, internal and 9/10 external influences, issues in Bized activity: ‘Marketing the Glastonbury Festival’ implementing marketing plans www.bized.co.uk/current/mind/2003-4/081203.htm

A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 2 TERM 1 3.2 Understanding Financial www.times100.co.uk Edition 13 – ‘CIMA: Financial information in decision making’ Objectives: Cash flow targets, TERM 1 of cost minimisation, ROCE targets Business Review, Volume 10, Number 3, February 2004 – ‘Strategic Finance’ A2 and shareholders’ returns. Internal Week 1 and external influences on these www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’: ‘Cutting costs keeps profits in good shape’ targets. TV Choice dvd: ‘Are we making a profit?’ www.tvchoice.uk.com A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 3

3.3 Using Financial data to Annual report gallery – useful for obtaining actual company accounts www.reportgallery.com Measure and Assess Performance: Analysis of balance sheets and Classroom Video: ‘Financial reporting for Business’ www.classroomvideo.co.uk 2 income statements. Working Classroom Video: ‘The Bottom Line’ capital, depreciation, profit utilisation and profit quality. Bized provide some useful powerpoints on business accounts www.bized.co.uk/learn/business/accounting/busaccounts/index.htm

3.4 Interpreting Published A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 4 3 Accounts: Business Review Volume 13 Number 1 Sep 2006 – ‘Ratio analysis’ Conducting ratio analysis to measure financial performance, Working Lunch dvd Series 9 Lesson 7 – ‘Deciphering Company Accounts’ assessing the value and limitations www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/workinglunch of ratio analysis.

A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 5

Business Review Volume 9 Number 1 Sep 2002 – ‘Back to Basics: Profit Centres’

www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ – Case studies on Raising finance: 3.5 Selecting Financial Strategies: ‘Venture capital bags the greener grocer’ Raising finance, profit centres, ‘Survival strategies – Youth hostels look at property disposals’ 4 cost minimisation, allocating capital ‘The business of dying – Dignity goes public’ expenditure.

Case study on Cost minimisation: ‘Lloyds cut costs to get profits back on track’

TV Choice dvd on Raising finance: ‘Finance in Business II (The established business/The PLC)

3.6 Making investment decisions: A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 6 Investment appraisal methods, Bized investment appraisal activity investment criteria, risks and www.bized.co.uk/timeweb/reference/using -experiments.htm 5 uncertainties of investment decisions, quantitative and qualitative influences. UNIT 3 ELEMENT 3 Operational Strategies 3.11 Understanding Operational A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 11 Objectives: Operational objectives, Business Review Volume 10 Number 1 Sep 2003 ‘Strategic Operations’ 6 assessing internal and external influences on these objectives. A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 12

3.12 Operational Strategies: Scale and Resource mix: Economies and TV Choice dvds: ‘Systems in a Factory’ 6 diseconomies of scale, labour and ‘ Inside a Factory III: The Crisp Makers’ www.tvchoice uk.com capital intensive production. Working Lunch dvd Series 10 Lesson 6 – ‘Economies of Scale’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/workinglunch

A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 13 Business Review Volume 10 Number 1 Sep 2003 – ‘Why do 5 out of every 6 new products fail?’

3.13 Operational Strategies: www.times100.co.uk Edition 13: - ‘Intel: Using innovation to create competitive advantage’ Innovation: purpose, costs, benefits 7 Edition 9 – ‘Kelloggs: Using new product development to grow a brand’ and risks of innovation.

3.14 Operational Strategies: A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 14 8 Location: methods of making location decisions, advantages and www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ – ‘Seafood processing outsourced to Thailand’ disadvantages of multi site locations, - ‘ Dark days for Blackpool as TVR international location. production goes abroad’ - Working Lunch dvd Series 12 Lesson 4 – ‘Location’ www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/workinglunch Bized notes on location issues: www.bized.co.uk/learn/economics/notes/location.htm

Plus useful activity: www.bized.co.uk/learn/business/production/efficiency/location.htm

A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 15 Business Review Volume 10 Number 1 Sep 2003 – ‘Just-in-time? It depends’ Business Review Volume 10 Number 3 Feb 2004 – ‘Zara’ ( Useful article on time based management in the context of fast fashion)

www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ – useful articles on lean production: 3.15 Operational Strategies: Lean ‘The car in front is very good… and getting even better’ Production: Critical path analysis, ‘ Lean, mean driving machines – how Jaguar changed its production methods’ lean production methods. Bized critical path analysis activity: www.bized.co.uk/educators/16- 9 19/business/production/activity/cpa.htm

TVChoice dvd – ‘Inside a Factory I –The new Mini’ www.tvchoice.uk.com UNIT 3 ELEMENT 4 Human Resource Strategies 3.16 Understanding HR Objectives A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 16 and Strategies: HR objectives and 10 strategies, internal and external influences on HR objectives. 3.17 Developing and Implementing A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 17 Workforce Plans: Components of Business Review Volume 13 Number 1 Sep 2006 – ‘Human Resource Planning’ workforce plans, internal and 11 external influences, issues involved www.times100.co.uk Edition 13 – ‘British Gas: Workforce Planning’ in implementing workforce plans. A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 18 Business Review Volume 14 Number 4 April 2008 – ‘Organisational Structure’

www.times100.co.uk Edition 13 – ‘Tarmac: How roles and functions contribute to competitive advantage’ 3.18 Competitive Organisational - ‘Audit Commission: Flexible working patterns’ Structures: Factors determining - ‘Lloyds TSB: Changing working patterns’ organisational structures, adapting TV Choice dvd – ‘Business Structures’ www.tvchoice.uk.com 12 organisational structures to improve competitiveness. Working Lunch dvd Series 18 Lesson 9 – ‘Working practices’ (job sharing) www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/workinglunch

Bized notes and activity: ‘Changes in the workplace’ www.bized.co.uk/current/mind/2005- 6/241005.htm

3.19 Effective Employer/Employee A2 Business Studies textbook – Wolinski & Coates – chapter 19 13 Relations: Employee communications, employee representation, methods of www.tutor2u ‘Business Café’ – The Royal Mail Strike’ avoiding and resolving industrial disputes Working Lunch dvd Series 7 Lesson 9 – ‘Industrial relations’ EXAM UNIT 3– January 25th Provisional dates (1hour 45mins) EXAM UNIT 4 – June 22nd Provisional dates Retakes – unit 1 January 12th

- unit 2 January 21st

Past papers and case study questions TERM 2 Revision of unit 3 Week 1 See unit 4 scheme of work