AS & A Level- Business

by Nandana Surendran

A and AS Level Accounting students are given a wide view of the subject which in turn prepares them for the practical world.

Cambridge learners will develop:
• The capacity to analyse characteristics and activities of business organisations and how they respond to the changing demands of their environments
• An understanding of how effective managers and leaders develop successful organisations in terms of customer focus and the products/services they offer
• The opportunity to reflect on how successful business organisations engage in financial and accounting practices to maximise value for stakeholders value
• Development of knowledge that relates to strategic planning and decision-making to ensure business survival, change, and sustainable success
• A solid foundation for further study.

Aims of the Syllabus

The syllabus aims to enable candidates to:
• Understand and appreciate the nature and scope of business, and the role of business in society, internationally and within each candidate’s own country
• Develop critical understanding of organisations, the markets they serve and the process of adding value
• Evaluate business behaviour from the perspective of a range of stakeholders including owner/shareholder, manager, employee, customer, supplier, lender and government
• Develop an awareness of the political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental and ethical issues associated with business activity
• Develop quantitative, problem-solving, decision-making and communication skills.

Syllabus

1. Business and its environment
• Enterprise
• Business structure
• Size of business
• Business objectives
• Stakeholders in a business

A Level Topics
• Business structure
• Size of business
• External influences on business activity

2. People in organisations
• Management and leadership
• Motivation
• Human resource management

A Level Topics
• Organisational structure
• Business communication

3 Marketing
• What is marketing?
• Market research
• The marketing mix

A Level Topics
• Marketing planning
• Globalisation and international marketing

4. Operations and project management
• The nature of operations
• Operations planning
• Inventory management

A Level Topics
• Capacity utilisation
• Lean production and quality management
• Project management

5. Finance and accounting
• The need for business finance
• Sources of finance
• Costs
• Accounting fundamentals
• Forecasting cash flows and managing working capital

A Level Topics
• Budgets
• Contents of published accounts
• Analysis of published accounts
• Investment appraisal

6. Strategic management
• (No topics at AS Level)

A Level Topics
• What is strategic management?
• Strategic analysis
• Strategic choice
• Strategic implementation

Objectives of Assessment

1. Knowledge and understanding
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding.

2. Application
Apply knowledge and understanding to problems and issues in a variety of familiar and unfamiliar business situations and contexts.

3. Analysis
Analyse business problems, issues and situations by:
• Using appropriate methods and techniques to make sense of qualitative and quantitative business information
• Interpreting and unpacking complex issues and situations to their constituent parts and searching for causes, impact and consequences
• Distinguishing between factual evidence and opinion or value judgement
• Drawing valid inferences and making valid generalisations.

4. Evaluation
Evaluate business evidence, explanation, argument, discussion and analysis in order to make reasoned judgements, present measured conclusions and, where appropriate, make recommendations for action and implementation.

Assessment

For Cambridge International AS & A Level Business, candidates-
• Take Papers 1 and 2 only (for the Cambridge International AS Level qualification)
(or)
• Follow a staged assessment route by taking Papers 1 and 2 (for Cambridge International AS Level qualification) in one series, then Paper 3 (for the Cambridge International A Level qualification) in a later series
(or)
• Take Papers 1, 2 and 3 in the same examination series, leading to the full Cambridge International A Level.

All components are externally assessed.

COMPONENTS

Paper 1 Short answer and essay
Section A: Four short answer questions
(20 marks)
AS Level- 20%
A Level- 10%

Section B: One essay from a choice of three questions
Based on the AS Level syllabus content
(20 marks)
AS Level- 20%
A Level- 10%
(1 hour 15 minutes)
Total 40 marks

Paper 2 Data response
Two data response questions based on AS Level syllabus content
(1 hour 30 minutes)
(60 marks)
AS Level- 60%
A Level- 30%

Paper 3 Case study
Five questions and one essay (from a choice of two) based on a case study
Based on the additional A Level syllabus content and also assumes knowledge and understanding of the AS Level syllabus content
(3 hours)
100 marks
A Level- 50%

Want to improve your grades? Request for one to one online tutoring at Vidyalai.com with the best IB teachers. 100% money back guarantee. Request your first lesson now!