Applied Business AS Level
This 3 unit award offers an introduction to Business and is appropriate either as a complementary vocational course for students taking two or three other A level studies or as a foundation course in the vocational area of Business. These 3 units are compulsory for students taking the following routes:
- 3 unit AS award
- 6 unit AS award (Double award)
- 6 unit GCE A level award
Unit 1
This unit of the specification will give you the opportunity to study a business in order to assess the extent to which you consider it to be enterprising. An enterprising business successfully exploits market opportunities and is progressive and forward looking. It also needs to examine new ways of doing things because if it does not it will become uncompetitive and fail.
You will now have the opportunity to examine 2 businesses that successfully exploit their market opportunities and are progressive and forward looking. Please select the area that you would like to visit.
NOTE you will need windows media installed on your computer to view these files. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia
| Video | Mind Mapping | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Aims and Objectives In this section you will have the opportunity to see how an enterprising business clarifies and fulfils its aims. |
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| Aims and Objectives 3,716 KB | What key aims and objectives identified in the above video clip show that Emtek is an enterprising business? | Choose a business in your local area. Discuss how its aims and objectives show that it is an enterprising business. |
| Organisation In this section you will learn about a management structure that is appropriate to an enterprising business. |
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| Organisation 3,298 KB | Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of individuals exercising multiple management roles within a business. | Compare the management structures of a large business with that of a small business in your local area. |
| Communication In this section you will discover why an enterprising business needs an effective and open communication structure. You will discover the relationship between communication and motivation. |
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| Communication1.14 MB | Discuss the potential effects of not having effective communication within a business. | Think of the last time that you made a purchase and had a bad interaction at the point of sale with that business. How would you advise that business to improve its communication? |
| Functional Areas In this section you will examine the functional areas of business. |
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| Functional Areas5.78 MB | Choose three different sized enterprises in your area, eg sole trader, partnership and a business employing more than 19 people. Discuss why all functional areas are important to each of these businesses. | What are the consequences for a business of neglecting one or more functional areas? Why might this happen. |
| Distribution In this section you will examine how enterprising distribution channels support a successful business. |
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| Distribution1.87 MB | Evaluate the distribution channels used by Wilsons. | Select a business in your area that is involved in producing a product. Identify a range of enterprising distribution channels that would be appropriate for this business. |
| Market Research In this section you will examine how an enterprising business uses market research in order to exploit its market effectively. |
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| Market Research1.76 MB | What additional market research methods could Emtek have used? | What market research would you need to complete having decided to open a contemporary venue for 16 – 19 year olds? |
| Marketing Methods In this section you will examine how an enterprising business uses the marketing mix to meet its customers’ needs. |
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| Marketing Methods 672 KB | Identify three marketing strategies. Suggest how a business could manipulate aspects of the marketing mix to implement these strategies. | Discuss what a business would need to consider when developing a marketing strategy? |
| Monitoring and Reviewing In this section you will discover how an enterprising business monitors and reviews its business activities. |
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| Monitoring and Reviewing 2.14 MB |
Discuss the consequences of a business failing to monitor and review it's activities. |
Demonstrate how an enterprising business would benefit from applying a monitoring and reviewing process to the following:
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Unit 2
In this unit you will see the roles, skills, abilities and characteristics of an enterprising manager.
NOTE you will need windows media installed on your computer to view these files. http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia
| Video | Mind Mapping | Application |
|---|---|---|
| Skills and abilities of an enterprising manager In this section you will have the opportunity to see an enterprising manager who is highly motivated to succeed and who demonstrates particular skills. |
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| Skills and abilities of an enterprising manager 3.73 MB |
Identify the skills and abilities that a manager needs to be enterprising. | What research could be carried out (apart from speaking to the manager) to find out if a manager has particular enterprising skills and abilities. |
Managing PeopleIn this section you will see some of the areas of responsibility that an enterprising manager has. |
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| Managing People2.90 MB | Discuss the role recruitment, retention and training has in ensuring that a business remains enterprising. | Write a report for a business in your local area advising them on how they should motivate and develop their staff. |
Managing FinanceIn this section you will see that an enterprising manager is responsible for various areas within the function of finance. |
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| Managing Finance 2.85 MB |
What evidence will there be that a manager has been successful in carrying out the following:
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Discuss the implications for a business of a manager focusing on profit generation and neglecting cash flow management. |
Managing Other ResourcesIn this section you will see that an enterprising manager is responsible for a range of other resources. |
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| Managing Other Resources 3.60 MB | Discuss why information systems are important to an Enterprising Business | Select a supermarket in your local area and investigate how they use information systems. |
| Management Styles | ||
| Management Styles 2.66 MB |
Evaluate the following styles of management:
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Select a business in your local area. Evaluate the appropriateness of each of the above styles of management for this business. |