CONTENT
The course is made up of three compulsory units :
Administrative Support – contribute to the arrangement of
meetings; organise travel and accommodation arrangements; supply
information for a specific purpose; monitor health, safety and
security; identify areas for improving efficiency.
Information Technology - Office
Applications – create and
amend information in a specified format, using a variety of software
applications; use electronic methods of communication for sending
and receiving information.
Word Processing – produce, recall and edit a variety of
business correspondence.
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
End of unit assessment for each of the units listed above.
EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
One exam paper (2 hours) consisting of
Task 1 – practical (25 marks)
Task 2 – practical (50 marks)
Task 3 - theory (25 marks)
HOMEWORK
Homework will be given regularly in the form of theory questions.
Homework should not exceed one hour each week.
VALUE OF COURSE
The practical approach used in this course makes it an excellent
preparation for a career in administration. Students will learn
to carry out administrative tasks and acquire skills in processing,
sorting, checking, storing and outputting information in a modern
organisational environment. These skills will help to develop students’ personal
effectiveness.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Students should have Standard Grade Administration at General
level or Standard Grade Office and Information Studies at General
level or similar computer skills.
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Administration Higher
CONTENT
The course has two mandatory units :
Administrative Services – This unit is designed to enable
students to develop and apply skills and knowledge to given situations
which require problems to be solved and decisions to be made about
administrative services. The student will learn how to (a) manage
targets (b) develop, implement and maintain procedures (c) organise
and support meetings and (d) make travel and accommodation arrangements.
Information Technology for Management – This unit is designed
to enable students
to (a) use information technology to help management solve problems
(b) evaluate the use of new developments for their organisation
(c) monitor and evaluate new procedures and systems as they are
introduced. In addition, students will learn how to (d) research,
extract and collate information and (e) present that information
in a form acceptable to business.
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
End of unit assessments for the units listed above.
EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
Two examination papers of 60 marks each :
Paper I – 1 hour 30 minutes (Knowledge and Understanding)
Paper II – 1 hour 10 minutes (IT based skills)
HOMEWORK
Homework will be given regularly in the form of theory questions.
Homework should not exceed one hour each week.
VALUE OF COURSE
The course offers opportunities for students to develop the crucial
skills and knowledge which allw them to access, understand and
contribute to an information environment. These skills will help
to develop students’ personal effectiveness, especially in
tackling projects, investigations and preparing reports.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS Students should have Standard Grade Administration at Credit level
or Intermediate 2 Administration or similar computer skills. Standard
Grade English at Credit level is preferable but not essential.
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Business Management
Higher
CONTENT This course gives students a good understanding of how business
operates and its role in society. It focuses on key business areas
such as finance, marketing
and human resources management in all types of organisation. It especially
emphasises decision-making, the importance of enterprise and IT (information
technology). Computer software packages are used wherever appropriate eg to
generate reports, prepare and analyse financial statements and run CD-Rom simulations.
There are two units (each split into sub-units) :
Business Enterprise - business in contemporary society / information and information
technology / decision-making in business.
Business Decision Areas -
internal organisation / marketing / financial management / human
resource management / operations.
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
End of sub-unit tests in class time.
EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
One written paper (2½ hours) consisting
of
Part 1 - a case study / interpretation (50 marks)
Part 2 - two essays chosen from five (50 marks).
HOMEWORK
Mainly writing up definitions for each sub-unit and revising
for end of sub-unit tests. Occasional extended writing exercises.
Approximately
1½ - 2 hours
per week.
VALUE OF COURSE
The course gives great insight into the world of
business, not only from the point of view of managers but also
from that of
employers and employees. Business
courses are very popular at university and college. A good performance
in this course may well be decisive in being offered a place.
ENTRY
REQUIREMENTS
None. The Business Studies department will decide
if you are capable and seem well motivated. Back to top
Business Management Advanced Higher
CONTENT
This course builds on the Higher by putting concepts learned there
into more complex business contexts. It also introduces several
new areas of study concerning international influences, the management
of change, the creation and use of business plans, leadership styles,
methods of motivating staff, the use of teams and time management.
The
course consists of two units :
The Management Context – current business environment, management
principles, change.
Business Investigation - for
a real business, the following aspects are covered: the business
situation and objectives, proposing
a strategy for future development, devising a means of effectively
implementing this strategy and assessing your own effectiveness
in carrying out the investigation (time management, setting and
meeting targets, planning etc).
INTERNAL ASSESSMENT
The Management Context – end of sub-unit tests in class
time.
Business Investigation - four assessments (one for each aspect)
in class time where your understanding of the business and the
coherence of your proposed strategy and implementation are reported
on and supported by relevant documentation.
EXTERNAL ASSESSMENT
A single paper of 2½ hours worth 100 marks. The paper uses
a case study with some questions requiring more information than
is contained in the case study so as to cover the whole course.
HOMEWORK
Work will need to be submitted regularly to assess progress. Some
will be specific questions and some will be for consultation and
monitoring purposes to ensure that the investigation is proceeding
well. On average, this will take 2-3 hours per week.
VALUE OF COURSE
For those going to study business at university or college, it
gives an excellent grounding and experience of fairly complicated
business situations. It also shows a serious commitment which may
help in the offer of a place from the university or college. For
those considering self-employment or becoming small-business owners,
practice is gained in enterprise skills and decision-making. For
the rest, insight is gained into the world of employment and the
reasons why businesses and governments make decisions and the possible
implications of these decisions on society and individuals. For
all, important lessons are learned about improving management of
their own time through planning and continuous evaluation.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Generally, grade A or B in Business Management
Higher.
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Word Processing Free-Standing Units
CONTENT
There are four stages to the course. The entry point depends on
previous experience, mainly in S3/S4 (Administration) or in S5.
The stages are
1 Touch typing for beginners
2 Basic word processing skills (internally assessed – school
certificate)
3 RSA Basic Word Processing (externally assessed)
4 RSA Intermediate Word Processing (externally assessed)
It is expected that all students should reach at least stage 3.
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