Developing your exam technique in A Level Business Studies

Doing well in your exams is not just about what you know. It's also about the application of your understanding to a given case study, providing an analysis where you develop a balanced argument and then stating your opinion and providing an evaluation.

Below is a presentation taking you through how you can achieve higher-level answers in the exam. The presentation looks at each assessment objective and breaks it down so that you can see what the examiner is looking for when they are marking your work. It is also available on Moodle.

One thing that we are starting to notice more when marking AS and A Level answers is the lack of planning involved in answering the question you have been given.  Included in the power point is one proven method known as PEE, this stands for Paragraph point, Evidence (examples & explanation) and Evaluation. This planning tool makes you think about what you are going to write so that you can carefully plan how you will be able to develop an argument and support your argument with evidence from the case study, thus enabling you to write a higher-level answer.

Try using these techniques in the next practice exam question and see if you can achieve that higher-level answer.

Enterprise Challenge at Dartmoor Zoo

A group of our Year 9 Business Studies students did themselves proud at Dartmoor Zoo’s Enterprise Challenge last week. The annual event brings together teams from schools and colleges across the region for a competitive enterprise activity which focuses on a realistic challenge centred around the zoo.

As Beth Harper and Charlotte Fewings report, in business, the little things can prove to be very costly...

“Twelve year 9 students from Newton Abbot College visited Dartmoor Zoological Park (DZP) for an educational Business Enterprise competition.  The aim of the day was to develop our skills in team-working, finance, data-management and presentation in the context of a business challenge. The challenge was to identify a suitable species to add to the zoo’s collection which could be accommodated within budget and to develop a promotional campaign to accompany the proposal.

When we first arrived, we were given a wallet filled with various things we would need throughout the day: a schedule, a map of the zoo and crucially, information on a variety of species not currently resident at DZP. There were also plans for 4 potential enclosures within the park and a finance sheet which we would need to plan and cost our proposals. Our “budget” was £20,000.

First, we started by selecting our animal, based on a range of criteria. These included public appeal, educational value, conservation value and research value. We narrowed our choice down to three favourites: the Snow Leopard, the Golden Lion Tamarin and the Pygmy Hippo.

Next, we considered a suitable enclosure for each option and calculated the costs of construction plus the cost of each animal’s upkeep and any extra finances. We used these calculations to help us decide on our final choice. We chose the Snow Leopard.

After a short break we had a guided tour around the zoo to look at each of the possible enclosure sites. During this we looked at how the animals reacted to their neighbours as well as their surroundings and listened to the zoo keeper who told us important issues to avoid and what was best for certain animals.

After the tour it was back to the planning and preparation of our presentation which would be made later in the afternoon (in front of the other teams and teachers) to members of the Dartmoor Zoo management team. Quite daunting.

Once each team had made their presentation and submitted their plans and costings, the judges left to make their deliberations. It was a very close decision as to who had the best ideas and unfortunately our team were pipped into second place as we had failed to budget for the cost of an access gate to enable the keepers to get in to the enclosure!

All in all though, it was a really good day and it enabled us to use our business and enterprise skills in a realistic and competitive environment”.

Building a Business on a Budget!

Year 9 Business Studies students took up the challenge of making as large a profit as they could from a £10 loan. Their task is running until Christmas with awards for ‘Most profit’ and ‘Biggest social impact’ being made in the Awards Assemblies at the end of the Autumn term.

So far, some of the ideas that have been flying around have been very creative. They range from selling seasonal products, such as selling stocking fillers and printed t-shirts to selling raffle tickets with the proceeds going to charities. At the end of the competition students will be expected to pay back their £10 loan but they will be able to keep any profit they make or to donate some of the proceeds to a charity of their choice; the decision will be theirs.

By taking part in the £10 Business Challenge, students are going to be developing their team working skills, gaining an understanding of financial management and also learning how to develop and run a successful business.

The award winners will be printed in the next edition of The Learner and published on the NAC Enterprise Blog. Good luck Year 9 entrepreneurs!

Thinking of University?

Today is the first ever Student Finance Day launched by the Independent Taskforce on Student Finance Information. Never heard of it? Well it was launched back in June of this year with the goal of providing prospective university students - i.e.YOU - and your parents with information and guidance on the new student finance arrangements in England. The taskforce is headed by Martin Lewis (he's the "Money Saving Expert" you will have probably seen on TV) and includes many universities, the National Union of Students and UCAS.

Deciding whether or not you can afford to go to university is a big decision. If you are thinking about it, take some time to look at the website where you will find lots of helpful advice and resources to help you cut through some of the myths and misunderstandings about the costs of a university education.

Here's a clip courtesy of Bournemouth University to start you off ...

Business Spotlight: Ryanair

Business Spotlight is a regular feature in our A level Business Studies classes where students are asked to give a brief talk at the start of the lesson on a topical business issue. It's amazing how many news stories - whilst not obviously considered "business news" - have a "business" side to them (think X-Factor's falling viewing figures; Is it coming to the end of it's product life cycle?) and often it is these stories which prove to be the most interesting. The key to a good feature however, is to dig a little deeper behind the obvious headline and try to identify the underlying business strategy.

Matt Bullock (Year 13) did just that:

My last spotlight presentation was about how Airbus had predicted a drop of 29% in profits for airlines but Ryanair has recently stated that they have made a rise in profits of 23%.

Clich here for the link.

In this article, Airbus has predicted that Airline profits will fall by nearly a third in 2012:

Click here for the link.

An interesting contrast of views but as ever, Ryanair's Michael O'Leary sees an opportunity as his airline seeks to mop-up the unwanted short-haul slots that British Airways acquired through it's recent takeover of BMI.

Ryanair - the no-frills airline

We are all used to budget air travel these days but increasingly, the airlines that pioneered the business model are looking at ways to reduce their costs. This often means charging passengers for the things we previously took for granted on our flights and Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary has encountered much critisism over some of his airline's numerous - and often controversial - revenue generating initiatives. Despite the uproar however, Ryanair recently announced a 6% increase in passenger traffic, suggesting that customers still value what the company has to offer. Click here to see some of cost-cutting measures customers may face.

Former Student

Nice to see Michael Border again today who came in to Newton Abbot College to say hello.
Mike is now studying Business at Worcester University and is really enjoying his first term there. He is a great example of someone who worked really hard during his time in our sixth form. With a target grade of a B he managed a C grade at AS level and worked his socks off during Year 13 to get the grades he needed to get in to his first choice university. He finished up with an A grade in Business Studies. Mike has promised to write something for the blog and we look forward to hearing about his university experience very soon.