What will I learn?

Through studying this course, you will develop the following:

  • Knowledge of the business environment;
  • Understanding of key elements of business such as marketing and finance;
  • Organisational skills;
  • Teamwork;
  • Communication – verbal and non verbal;
  • Adaptability;
  • Research skills;
  • Analytical skills;
  • Critical thinking;
  • Problem solving.

What is the structure of the course?

Units Studied

  • Exploring Business
  • Developing a Marketing Campaign
  • Personal and Business Finance
  • Managing an Event
  • International Business
  • Principles of Management
  • Pitching for New Business
  • Recruitment and Selection

How will I be assessed?

Assessment

Weighting

Externally assessed tasks and performance

3 out of 8 

Internally assessed tasks and performance

5 out of 8

Externally assessed units include the completion of a marketing campaign in response to research, a written examination, and a management task in response to a case study given one week in advance. Internal assessment includes report writing, staging events and giving presentations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which further opportunities are available?
Studying this course can lead to a range of outcomes. Some students proceed into apprenticeships in business-related fields. Others go to university to study degree courses in business, management or business administration. This course also prepares students to enter the workplace, finding employment in a range of business fields such as marketing, finance, HR, administration or events management.

Back to ks5 curriculum

Curriculum map

Topics / Units

Unit 2: Developing a marketing campaign,
– Learning Aim A1: The role of marketing
– Learning Aim A2: Influences on marketing activity

Unit 4: Managing an event, Learning aim A: Explore the role of an event organiser:
– Learning Aim A1: Different tasks needed to be completed by an event organiser
– Learning Aim A2: Different skills needed by an effective event organiser
– Learning Aim A3: Common formats for skills audit collection

Core Declarative Knowledge
What should students know?

Unit 2:
A1 The role of marketing

  • Principles and purposes of marketing:
    • anticipating demand
    • recognising demand
    • stimulating demand
    • satisfying demand.
  • Marketing aims and objectives:
    • understanding customer wants and needs
    • developing new products
    • improving profitability
    • increasing market share
    • diversification
    • increased brand awareness and loyalty.
  • Types of market – mass and niche market.
  • Market segmentation.
  • Branding, brand personality, brand image, unique selling point (USP), implications of business size for marketing activity, budgetary constraints, availability of specialist staff.

A2 Influences on marketing activity

  • Internal influences:
    • cost of the campaign
    • availability of finance
    • expertise of staff
    • size and culture of the business.
  • External influences:
    • social
    • technological
    • economic
    • environmental
    • political
    • legal
    • ethical.

Unit 4:
A1 Different tasks needed to be completed by an event organiser:

  • Organising: venue, location, catering, planning and reserving facilities, e.g. toilets if outdoor event, setting up programme, preparing and distributing documents, contracts.
  • Investigating current legal requirements, including consumer protection.
  • Setting up organisational procedures, e.g. risk assessment and security.

A2 Different skills needed by an effective event organiser

  • Organisational.
  • Problem solving.
  • Time management.
  • Negotiation.
  • Communication.
  • Interpersonal.

A3 Common formats for skills audit collection

  • Likert scale.
  • Semantic differential scale.
  • Observation.
  • Questionnaire.
  • Appraisal.

Core Procedural Knowledge
What should students be able to do?

Unit 2:

  • Can I explain what Unit 2 entails? Including assessments and outcomes
  • Can I explain what marketing is?
  • Can I explain the different purposes of marketing?
  • Can I confidently give examples of marketing methods?
  • Can I explain the Principles and purposes of marketing: anticipating demand, recognising demand , stimulating demand and satisfying demand
  • Can I confidently explain the different marketing aims and objectives?
  • Can I outline a SMART marketing objective?
  • Can I explain the different types of markets?
  • Can I identify the different types of markets?
  • Can I explain what market segmentation is?
  • Can I outline the different types of market segmentations?
  • Can I outline the benefits and drawback of market segmentation?
  • Can I outline the benefits and drawbacks to different types of marketing methods?
  • Can I explain what branding is?
  • Can I explain the importance and the purpose of branding?
  • Can I explain the different influences on marketing?
  • Can I confidently explain what the different internal influences on marketing could be?
  • Can I explain the different external influences on marketing could be?

Unit 4:

  • Can I explain how I will be assessed for Unit 4?
  • Can I confidently explain the different factors that should be considered when planning an event?
  • Can I explain the different elements of logistics that should be considered when planning an event?
  • Can I explain what should be organised when planning an event?
  • Can I confidently compare and review existing events and highlight what the event planners had to consider? including logistics
  • Can I explain what the different factors are that an event organiser should consider when planning an event? including venue, location, catering, planning and reserving facilities, documents, contracts, health and safety
  • Can I confidently explain what a risk assessment is and state its importance?
  • Can I confidently create and conduct a risk assessment of my own?
  • Can I confidently assess venues and locations for the feasibility of hosting an event?
  • Can I confidently explain the different legal requirements needed to carry out an event?
  • Can I complete any legal documentation needed to host an event?
  • Can I confidently outline and explain the different skills that are needed by an event organiser?
  • Can I explain what a skills audit is?
  • Can I conduct a skills audit on myself, highlighting areas for improvement and creating an action plan?
  • Can I confidently review my own skills and those of an event organiser and apply for a particular role for this project? MD, FD, MD, OD, HRD
  • Can I explain the different methods of skills audit forms?
  • Can I confidently create an effective skills audit form?
  • Can I confidently explain how to write a report for my Assignment 1 Task?
  • Can I express how to attain a Merit or a Distinction?

Links to Assessment

Unit 2:
Learning Aim A

Activity 1
Prepare a rationale for a marketing campaign for the owners of Calmsun to promote its plant-based milk products. The rationale should include:

  • the marketing aims and objectives
  • a justification for your rationale.

Activity 2
Based on your rationale from Activity 1, apply the marketing mix for Calmsun. You must produce this plan in an appropriate written format for the owners of Calmsun.

Unit 4:
Learning aim A

  • P1 Explain the role and skills required to be an effective event organiser.
  • P2 Investigate own skills in the form of a skills audit
  • M1 Analyse own skills against those required by an event organiser, highlighting areas for development.
  • D1 Fully justify how own skills match those of an event organiser.

An individual report identifying tasks that would need to be carried out by an event organiser. Summary of skills needed by an event organiser and identification of own personal skills, highlighting areas for development.

For distinction standard, learners will justify how personal skills match those required by an event organiser.
For merit standard, learners will compare their own personal skills to those required by an event organiser. They will highlight areas where they need to develop their skills and make suggestions as to how this might happen.
For pass standard, learners will produce a report/interview transcript, identifying the role and skills required to be an effective event organiser. A personal skills audit will be included.

Topics / Units

Unit 2: Developing a marketing campaign

  • Learning Aim B1: Purpose of researching information to identify the needs and wants of customers
  • Learning Aim B2: Market research methods and use
  • Learning Aim B3: Developing the rationale

Unit 4: Managing an event

Learning aim B: Investigate the feasibility of a proposed event and Learning aim

C: Develop a detailed plan for a business or social enterprise event

  • Learning Aim B1: Different types of event, and the factors affecting success
  • Learning Aim B2: Feasibility measures and critical success factors
  • Learning Aim C1: Event planning and the use of planning tools
  • Learning Aim C2: Factors to be considered, including budgets, resources and contingency planning

Core Declarative Knowledge
What should students know?

Unit 2:
B1 Purpose of researching information to identify the needs and wants of customers

  • To identify target markets.
  • To identify size, structure and trends in the market.
  • To identify competition.

B2 Market research methods and use

  • Primary research, to include survey, interview, observation, trials, focus groups.
  • Secondary research:
    • internal – business data on customers and financial records to include loyalty cards and sales records
    • external – commercially published reports, government statistics, trade journals, media sources.
  • Importance of validity, reliability, appropriateness, currency, cost.
  • Quantitative and qualitative data, when and where used.
  • Sufficiency and focus of the research.
  • Selection and extraction.

B3 Developing the rationale

  • Interpretation, analysis and use of data and other information to make valid marketing decisions.
  • Identification of any further sources of information that may be required.
  • Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the information obtained.
  • Product life cycle

Unit 4:
B1 Different types of event, and the factors affecting success

  • Business events: conferences, exhibitions, product launches, trade shows, shareholders’ meetings, press conferences, awards evenings, team building, seminars.
  • Sport and recreation events: the Olympic Games, the Paralympic Games,
    the Commonwealth Games, sports tournaments, sports matches, motor sports events, racing, equestrian events, country fairs, food festivals, fun runs, village fetes, sailing regattas, dog shows, collectors’ fairs.
  • Entertainment: music festivals, concerts, plays.
  • Celebrations: weddings, prom nights, birthdays, anniversaries.
  • Social enterprise events: charity sports events, charity fundraising events, e.g. dinners, galas, auctions.

B2 Feasibility measures and critical success factors

  • Mind map event ideas.
  • Purpose of event.
  • Aims and objectives.
  • Constraints: budget, venue, resources; human and physical.
  • Success factors: setting goals and targets.

Learning aim C: Develop a detailed plan for a business or social enterprise event

C1 Event planning and the use of planning tools

  • Gantt charts.
  • Critical path analysis.
  • Online planning tools.

Core Procedural Knowledge
What should students be able to do?

Unit 2:

  • Can I explain what primary research is?
  • Can I explain what secondary research is?
  • Can I outline the benefits and drawbacks of primary and secondary research?
  • Can I outline examples of primary and secondary research?
  • Can I explain what is meant by the validity of data and why its important?
  • Can I explain what is meant by reliability of data?
  • Can I explain and Interpretation the different use of data for the Campaign process?
  • Can I explain what the product life cycle is?
  • Can I outline the benefits and drawbacks of the product life cycle?

Unit 4:

  • Can I confidently explain what the different types of events are? Business events, Sport and recreation events, Entertainment, Celebrations and Social enterprise events
  • Can I express the difference between the tyoes of events?
  • Can I explain what success factors are?
  • Can I outline how the event that we do will be successful? What factors will you use?
  • Can I explain what aims and objectives are?
  • Can I explain what SMART objectives are?
  • Can I confidently create aims and objectives for myelf and for the event?
  • Can I explain what feasibility of event proposal means?
  • Can I assess the feasibility of a potential event?
  • Can I decide upon an event that is feasible and successful?
  • Can I confidently explain how to write a report for my Assignment 2 Task?

Links to Assessment

Unit 2:
Learning Aim B

Activity 1
Prepare a rationale for a marketing campaign for the owners of Calmsun to promote its plant-based milk products. The rationale should include:

  • the marketing aims and objectives
  • a justification for your rationale.
  • an analysis of the research data on the market and competition

Activity 2

Based on your rationale from Activity 1, apply the marketing mix for Calmsun,

  • Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the information obtained.
  • Use a situational analysis on the business (at least 2)
    You must produce this plan in an appropriate written format for the owners of Calmsun.

Unit 4:

  • P3 Investigate the staging of several events to determine common success factors.
  • P4 Explain the chosen event idea, including reasons for choice.
  • M2 Assess the feasibility of the event proposal.
  • P5 Explain factors that need to be considered when producing a detailed plan for the proposed event.
  • P6 Produce a detailed plan for your chosen event using planning tools, detailed budget and consideration of risk assessment and contingency planning.
  • M3 Analyse the key factors that need to be considered when producing a plan for an event.
  • D2 Evaluate and justify the feasibility of the plan, tools, budget and risk, making any required contingency adjustments.