BTEC Business

learning journey & sequencing rationale

In BTEC Business, learners gain knowledge on the business world and have a good understanding of the key ingredients for business success. They will also learn how businesses are organised, how they communicate and will gain an understanding of how a marketing campaign is developed, the characteristics of the environment in which they operate, and how this shapes them and their activities. Our learners end up with a clear foundation of business knowledge which provides a foundation for all business-related degrees for the workplace.

Sequence

Btec Business is taught over two years with 13 units being delivered. There are four external examinations with substantial content being taught. In Year 12, Units 2, 3, 1, 16, 4, 8 & 27. In Year 13, Units 6, 7, 21, 14, 5 & 19 are taught.

Link to programme of study:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BFZXcqDWDTmztxJA6BqtxZhn5vpVzpbMBmhIiYO7vow/edit#gid=1585124086

Year 12

7 units are taught in Year 12. Learners have the opportunity to sit an external examination on Unit 2 & 3 in January, with a second opportunity in summer. Therefore, these two units are taught in Term 1. Unit 3 introduces learners to personal finance and business financial management. This unit helps to build learners' knowledge on fundamental elements necessary for other units delivered in term 2 and 3, as well as Year 13. Unit 2, Developing a marketing campaign is a controlled assessment which introduces learners to marketing and evaluating a particular case study business. Unit 16 is a smaller unit, providing learners the opportunity to develop a visual merchandising campaign. This helps to provide learners with a balance in assessments and give them the opportunity to build fundamental knowledge needed for greater depth in subsequent units taught at a later date.

Unit 1 provides learners with the chance to explore business in finer detail. Looking at the organisational structure, market research, aims and objectives and different types of ownership. This unit is quite demanding with extensive writing therefore is taught over term 2 & 3. Unit 27 runs through the year and learners go on work experience once a week. Writing up on their experiences and how they can develop their skills further. Unit 4 also runs through the year and concludes with learners organising an event for Year 7 & 8. This is a practical unit with the main focus on learners learning the skills required to organise an event and the need for budgeting. Unit 8 is another practical unit whereby learners partake in a mock recruitment and selection process. Learners evaluate their own interview and provide a detailed plan on how to develop their skills further.

Year 13

Year 13 starts with Unit 6, 7 & 19. Unit 6 & 7 are controlled assessments which are content heavy and therefore are taught in the longest term (Autumn). The content taught in these two units support teaching in the other units being taught in term 2 & part of term 3. Unit 19 builds on Unit 3 & 4 which is taught in Year 12. Unit 19 (pitching a business idea), requires learners to consider financial requirements to start a business and be able to present their pitch in a professional manner. These skills were gained through unit 3, 4 & 8, which were all taught in Year 12. In addition unit 21, training & development builds on knowledge taught in unit 8. Learners concentrate on researching and creating an action plan on training and developing their current skills set. Unit 14 investigates customer service, as learners have carried out work experience they have gained the relevant experience to analyse case study situations of different customer service situations. Drawing on their own experiences helps them to meet the higher criteria much more easily. Unit 5 is the more difficult unit and requires all the knowledge taught in Year 12 as well as term 1 in Year 13. Hence why it is taught in Year 13 Term 2. Learners are taught new theory on international trade and the importance of ethics and the need for businesses to consider cultural differences.

unit overview - autumn term

Units 6 Principles of Management, Unit 7 Business Decisions Making & Unit 19 Pitching for a New Business
Skills	Applying knowledge on management & leadership in the workplace, decision making in order to be able to examine any given business situation and pitch for funding for a micro-business. These involve: Analysing management and leadership styles/skills Explaining functions of management and leadership Exploring business culture Assessing human resource management and planning Explaining factors influencing management, motivation and performance of the workforce Examining performance appraisal techniques Examining decision making in business Applying research to justify the marketing of a business Explaining the importance of managing resources Creating and interpreting financial forecasts Evaluating the internal and external factors associated with a selected business Analysing the financial and marketing plans of a micro-business Effectively presenting and negotiating funding for a start-up business
Knowledge	Understand the rationale behind management and leadership principles, concepts, key terms, functions and theories. Learners should understand what determines which theories and processes have an effect on business decisions. Understand how management information and data can influence a business’s effectiveness in context. Learners should understand how to develop a business plan for a viable micro-business start-up. Learners should understand how to pitch for funding for a chosen micro-business.
Rationale	Learners should understand how the role of management and leadership in the workplace contributes towards business success. This will help learners make more impactful contributions to the organisations they work for or lead in the future. Learners must also be able to look at business situations and report on their concepts, processes and data developed in earlier mandatory units to enable the formulation of business decisions and solutions. Learners will have used initiative and creativity in their pitch presentation, demonstrating a high standard of individual technical ability, attention to detail, innovation and precision. This is much needed in all walks of life and one, learners will really benefit from gaining experience in. Learners must also be able to successfully complete assignments/examinations set on the above. Completing examination units during the Autumn term also provides learners the opportunity to re-sit examinations in Summer.

unit overview - spring & summer terms

Unit 5 International Business, Unit 14 Investigating Customer Service & Unit 21 Training and Development
Skills	Applying knowledge on International businesses, customer service & training and development to examine any given business situation, as well as, the strategic and operational approaches to develop international trade. These involve: Exploring the international context for business operations. Understanding the international economic environment. Analysing external factors that influence international business Evaluating customer service situations. Understanding how effective customer service contributes to business success. Implementing a market research activity to meet a specific marketing objective. Analysing and presenting market research findings and recommend process improvements.
Knowledge	Learners should understand relevant legislation and regulation around customer service. Understand the benefits of improvements to customer service performance for the business, the customer, and the employee. Understand the international economic environment in which business operates Learners should understand situational analysis on global organisations Learners should understand how business support systems enable a business to trade internationally. Understand the contribution training and development make to fulfilling the objectives of a selected business Learners should understand the costs and benefits of different types of training for individual needs in a selected business Learners should understand the likely impact of different types of training on the business and the individual.
Rationale	Learners should understand how legislation and regulation impacts all aspects of a business and can impact overall costs. This will help learners understand starting up a business may require in-depth research on legal aspects in order to comply with British law. Learners will be able to look at any given business and be able to carry out a situational analysis, helping to understand those business which are successful and those business which may falter. This gained knowledge can help make career decisions or potentially help make investment decisions. Learners will understand the importance of training and development. This knowledge will help learners to seek out opportunities before the workplace and during. It could aid motivation and help learners value all types of paid/unpaid forms of training. Students must also be able to successfully complete assignments set on the above. The qualification carries UCAS points and is recognised by higher education providers as contributing to meeting admission requirements to many relevant courses, for example: · BSc (Hons) in Business and Management · BA (Hons) and BSc(Hons) in Business Studies · BSc (Hons) in International Management.

knowledge Organiser

A knowledge organiser is an important document that lists the important facts that learners should know by the end of a unit of work. It is important that learners can recall these facts easily, so that when they are answering challenging questions in their assessments and GCSE and A-Level exams, they are not wasting precious time in exams focusing on remembering simple facts, but making complex arguments, and calculations.

We encourage all pupils to use them by doing the following:

Quiz themselves at home, using the read, write, cover, check method.
Practise spelling key vocabulary
Further researching people, events and processes most relevant to the unit.