transition pack for a level business
TRANSCRIPT
Transition Pack for A Level Business
Get ready for A Level! A guide to help you get ready for A Level
Business, including everything from topic guides to days out and online learning resources.
Who’s business is it anyway? We all have different motivations for studying business but one thing cannot be ignored - business is all around us. It is fundamental to our modern lifestyles and by taking these steps towards mastering an understanding of business, you can have a piece of the pie.
Use this guide to prepare you and start to take control of your future with the Business A Level.
Books
Business Stripped Bare Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur - Sir Richard Branson The autobiography of Britain’s most famous entrepreneur.
The Google Story - David A. Vise An interesting investigation into the culture at Google, includes insights into the four day working week and soft management styles. The questions is; are these the things that made Google the world’s number one search engine?
The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer - Jeffrey Liker Covers Japanese Management Techniques such as Kaizen and TQM.
TV & Movies
Wall Street A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing
Undercover Boss This is a revealing look into how big company CEOs rarely know what’s really going on with their business. They flounder when faced with their employee’s simplest tasks. “Undercover Boss” always ends up being a great testament to the opportunity that exists in disrupting the big boys.
TED Talks - search the term above the video
Arianna Huffington “SLEEP”
Roselinde Torres - What it takes to be a great leader
Tim Leberecht - 3 ways to lose control of your brand
1. Divide your page into three sections like this
2. Write the name, date and topic at the top of the page
3. Use the large box to make notes. Leave a space between separate idea. Abbreviate where possible.
4. Review and identify the key points in the left hand box
5. Write a summary of the main ideas in the bottom space
Images taken from http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html
Sample of formulae and key data
Business Concepts Year 1 - Decision making • the importance of the context of business in relation to decision making • the interrelated nature of business activities and how they affect competitiveness • the competitive environment and the markets in which businesses operate • the influences on functional decisions and plans including ethical and environmental issues • the factors that might determine whether a decision is successful eg the quality of data and the degree of uncertainty • how technology is changing the way decisions are made and how businesses operate and compete • the impact on stakeholders of functional decisions and their response to such decisions • use of non-quantitative and quantitative data in decision making (including the interpretation of index numbers and calculations such as ratios and percentages).
Year 2 - Strategy The study of strategic decision making should build on the study of decision making in the functional areas. Students should consider: • the impact of technology on strategic decision making • the influences of Corporate Social Responsibility, ethical and environmental issues on strategic decisions • the difficulties in forecasting future trends • the importance of assessing feasibility and risk when making strategic decisions • the impact on stakeholders of strategic decisions and their response to such decisions.
Places to visit
BANK OF ENGLAND
The Bank of England, formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based.
The London Metal Exchange (LME)
The London Metal Exchange is the futures exchange with the world's largest market in options and futures contracts on base and other metals
Coca Cola Education Centre
The Education Centre is a purpose-built facility attached to the factory and here we host educational visits for schools, colleges, and universities, providing opportunities for students to make connections between classroom work and real life business practices.
Chelsea Business of Football
Provides an exciting insight into match day and non-match day operations at the club focusing on merchandise, marketing, finance and staffing. Students complete a workbook during the visit with answers provided by an experienced guide
Barcelona Business Trip
The biennial Business trip to Barcelona is now well established and continues to prove popular. Sign up early to avoid disappointment.
Online resources
Bee Business Bee http://www.beebusinessbee.co.uk/
St Phil’s Business Site https://goo.gl/E8utfL
Do this now 1. Bookmark this site (click this hyperlink if you're not sure
how). 2. Buy the school stationery pack - you will need a calculator
although this does not need to be scientific. 3. Subscribe to Philip Allan Business Review. You can do this
either online or a traditional magazine. This is ESSENTIAL reading.
4. Bookmark the BBC Business News pages - you should try to read this a few times a week at least to stay on top of current affairs.
5. Follow @bbckamal to stay up to date on the latest business news from the BBC's Business News Editor.
6. Follow @tutor2ubusiness and bookmark their site. 7. Follow some of the accounts here. 8. Follow these business leaders on Instagram:
Kevin Systrom (Instagram CEO) Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO) Richard Branson Michael Acton Smith (Moshi Monsters creator) Jack Dorsey (Twitter founder) More here
Summer activity: Task 1 Your task is to create a blog or scrapbook about a business of your choice. Use Pinterest to find lots of ideas and information along with http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/. Try to find out as much as you can about the following: 1. What is their main line of business? 2. Roughly how many people do they employ and in what positions/roles? 3. How do they market themselves? 4. Who are their main competitors? 5. What is their market share? 6. Who are they owned by? 7. What is their legal structure? 8. Product/service range and prices? 9. Location/areas of operation?
10. Share value (if applicable)? 11. Recent news stories (most important element to come back with) You will need to track this business over the next two years and provide regular updates as to the activities of the business as reported in the news. When you see a relevant news story have a look to see if this has impacted the share value and record this in your blog.
Task 2 Write a report on your business with a minimum of 500 words (1 side of A4 font size 12)
Task 3 Using your report from Task 2 you must then create a presentation in which you summarise your findings. This could be on PowerPoint or another programme should you wish. You are not to merely copy across the report! You will present this to your class in the first 2 weeks back. Issues to consider could include challenges they face, legal structures, growth rates, whether they export and so on. Both pieces of work must be complete by your first lesson with me. This will be your first work at A-Level standard. It is vital that you create a good first impression and set your high own standards for you to carry through the course.
Get ready for A Level! A guide to help you get ready for A Level
Business, including everything from topic guides to days out and online learning resources.
Who’s business is it anyway? We all have different motivations for studying business but one thing cannot be ignored - business is all around us. It is fundamental to our modern lifestyles and by taking these steps towards mastering an understanding of business, you can have a piece of the pie.
Use this guide to prepare you and start to take control of your future with the Business A Level.
Books
Business Stripped Bare Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur - Sir Richard Branson The autobiography of Britain’s most famous entrepreneur.
The Google Story - David A. Vise An interesting investigation into the culture at Google, includes insights into the four day working week and soft management styles. The questions is; are these the things that made Google the world’s number one search engine?
The Toyota Way: 14 Management Principles from the World's Greatest Manufacturer - Jeffrey Liker Covers Japanese Management Techniques such as Kaizen and TQM.
TV & Movies
Wall Street A young and impatient stockbroker is willing to do anything to get to the top, including trading on illegal inside information taken through a ruthless and greedy corporate raider who takes the youth under his wing
Undercover Boss This is a revealing look into how big company CEOs rarely know what’s really going on with their business. They flounder when faced with their employee’s simplest tasks. “Undercover Boss” always ends up being a great testament to the opportunity that exists in disrupting the big boys.
TED Talks - search the term above the video
Arianna Huffington “SLEEP”
Roselinde Torres - What it takes to be a great leader
Tim Leberecht - 3 ways to lose control of your brand
1. Divide your page into three sections like this
2. Write the name, date and topic at the top of the page
3. Use the large box to make notes. Leave a space between separate idea. Abbreviate where possible.
4. Review and identify the key points in the left hand box
5. Write a summary of the main ideas in the bottom space
Images taken from http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html
Sample of formulae and key data
Business Concepts Year 1 - Decision making • the importance of the context of business in relation to decision making • the interrelated nature of business activities and how they affect competitiveness • the competitive environment and the markets in which businesses operate • the influences on functional decisions and plans including ethical and environmental issues • the factors that might determine whether a decision is successful eg the quality of data and the degree of uncertainty • how technology is changing the way decisions are made and how businesses operate and compete • the impact on stakeholders of functional decisions and their response to such decisions • use of non-quantitative and quantitative data in decision making (including the interpretation of index numbers and calculations such as ratios and percentages).
Year 2 - Strategy The study of strategic decision making should build on the study of decision making in the functional areas. Students should consider: • the impact of technology on strategic decision making • the influences of Corporate Social Responsibility, ethical and environmental issues on strategic decisions • the difficulties in forecasting future trends • the importance of assessing feasibility and risk when making strategic decisions • the impact on stakeholders of strategic decisions and their response to such decisions.
Places to visit
BANK OF ENGLAND
The Bank of England, formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England, is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based.
The London Metal Exchange (LME)
The London Metal Exchange is the futures exchange with the world's largest market in options and futures contracts on base and other metals
Coca Cola Education Centre
The Education Centre is a purpose-built facility attached to the factory and here we host educational visits for schools, colleges, and universities, providing opportunities for students to make connections between classroom work and real life business practices.
Chelsea Business of Football
Provides an exciting insight into match day and non-match day operations at the club focusing on merchandise, marketing, finance and staffing. Students complete a workbook during the visit with answers provided by an experienced guide
Barcelona Business Trip
The biennial Business trip to Barcelona is now well established and continues to prove popular. Sign up early to avoid disappointment.
Online resources
Bee Business Bee http://www.beebusinessbee.co.uk/
St Phil’s Business Site https://goo.gl/E8utfL
Do this now 1. Bookmark this site (click this hyperlink if you're not sure
how). 2. Buy the school stationery pack - you will need a calculator
although this does not need to be scientific. 3. Subscribe to Philip Allan Business Review. You can do this
either online or a traditional magazine. This is ESSENTIAL reading.
4. Bookmark the BBC Business News pages - you should try to read this a few times a week at least to stay on top of current affairs.
5. Follow @bbckamal to stay up to date on the latest business news from the BBC's Business News Editor.
6. Follow @tutor2ubusiness and bookmark their site. 7. Follow some of the accounts here. 8. Follow these business leaders on Instagram:
Kevin Systrom (Instagram CEO) Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook COO) Richard Branson Michael Acton Smith (Moshi Monsters creator) Jack Dorsey (Twitter founder) More here
Summer activity: Task 1 Your task is to create a blog or scrapbook about a business of your choice. Use Pinterest to find lots of ideas and information along with http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/. Try to find out as much as you can about the following: 1. What is their main line of business? 2. Roughly how many people do they employ and in what positions/roles? 3. How do they market themselves? 4. Who are their main competitors? 5. What is their market share? 6. Who are they owned by? 7. What is their legal structure? 8. Product/service range and prices? 9. Location/areas of operation?
10. Share value (if applicable)? 11. Recent news stories (most important element to come back with) You will need to track this business over the next two years and provide regular updates as to the activities of the business as reported in the news. When you see a relevant news story have a look to see if this has impacted the share value and record this in your blog.
Task 2 Write a report on your business with a minimum of 500 words (1 side of A4 font size 12)
Task 3 Using your report from Task 2 you must then create a presentation in which you summarise your findings. This could be on PowerPoint or another programme should you wish. You are not to merely copy across the report! You will present this to your class in the first 2 weeks back. Issues to consider could include challenges they face, legal structures, growth rates, whether they export and so on. Both pieces of work must be complete by your first lesson with me. This will be your first work at A-Level standard. It is vital that you create a good first impression and set your high own standards for you to carry through the course.