Business
Business by its nature lends itself to the aphorism:
In the business world, the rear view mirror is always clearer than the windshield
Warren Buffett
It’s all about the money
Vincent Kennedy McMahon
Business at A level aims to develop an understanding of the objectives, organisation and management of firms and public sector enterprises and of the social, economic and technical environments which constrain their actions and provide opportunities for growth and profitability. Hence Business is concerned with the main functions of business – marketing, human resource management, finance and accounts and operations management – and their interaction with society. At A2 a more holistic approach is required, developing strategies to solve business problems and developing strategy, drawing on knowledge from across the specification.
Business Courses
The College offers the Eduqas specification, building on the expertise we have developed over a number of years with its sister board WJEC. The course runs over a two-year period but, in each year, we aim to cover the majority of the syllabus in good time to allow plenty of time for revision and a thorough analysis of past papers. This is considered vital to the attainment of high grades in the June examination.
Although some students may have studied Business (or Economics) at GCSE, no previous knowledge of the subject material is either expected or assumed. We would, however, normally expect that you have achieved a combined GCSE tariff of at least 12-13 for English and Mathematics. Competence in both these subjects is a prerequisite for success in A level Business. The subject can successfully be combined with the full range of other subjects.
The course is likely to appeal to those students who:
• Have an interest in how a business operates;
• Enjoy studying a subject that is relevant to their own lives and experiences;
• Would like to do a subject that offers opportunities for a career in business;
• Would like to learn how to make business decisions and solve business problems;
• Want to keep their options open – Business can be a useful choice for a wide range of careers and can be combined with a wide range of subjects.
What You Will Learn
• How to develop a critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the process of adding value;
• The internal workings and management of organisations;
• The process of decision-making in a dynamic external environment;
• How business behaviour can be influenced by a range of people and organisations including customers, managers, creditors, owner/shareholders and employees;
• What outside factors influence the operations of a business, such as the state of the economy, the environment, ethical considerations, the government, the law, social and technological issues associated with business activity;
• Techniques to analyse and solve business problems;
• The importance in a business of setting objectives;
• How a business markets its products or services, what production is all about, financial control of businesses and how human resources are planned.
Business Staff
Ian Parker
Ian is the microeconomics enthusiast within the department and has a particular fondness for Transport Economics. He has a BA (Hons) in Economics, a P.G.C.E. and is one of a fairly select bunch to have a MA (Ed) in Economics Education. He is an experienced GCSE and ‘A’ level examiner having worked with both Edexcel and, for many years, with OCR.
Resham Vadodaria
Born and brought up in Uganda, Resham has a passion for Development Economics in Emerging Economies, one which she pursued at King’s College London gaining a Master’s in Emerging Economies and International Development in 2018. Resham also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from the University of Warwick and a Bachelor’s in Finance, Accounting and Management from the University of Nottingham which she obtained in 2013. Prior to pursuing her PGD and Master’s degrees, Resham spent three years gaining industry experience through a rotational programme at a Uganda-based healthcare / pharmaceutical business. Her experience included roles in finance, marketing and operations. She started teaching A-Level Economics and Business in 2019, through which she earnt the Postgraduate Diploma in Education from UCL. Coming from an entrepreneurial Indian family, Resham is an advocate of broadening student horizons through encouraging enterprise in schools, and has run a number of Enterprise Competitions in her previous role. For Resham, the highlight of teaching is being able to enrich her pupils with a global perspective and knowledge from industry experience. She enjoys creating a dynamic learning environment for her students by encouraging awareness of current affairs and hosting engaging debates in her lessons. Outside of the classroom, Resham is fond of yoga, swimming and Bollywood dancing.
A level Results
2017-21 | A*/A | A*-B |
| 35% | 78% |
Business Studies Students
Business related courses have proved increasingly popular as university choices for students at Brampton College. Students studying Business Studies have, in recent years, gone on to study at some of the country’s most respected universities for business and management, including Aston, Manchester, Leeds and City (John Cass Business School).
