Welcome to the Business Studies & Economics Department.
Our vision is to develop real world, enterprising skills to prepare students for the dynamic and global business environment.
We are here to give our students essential knowledge of the UK and World Economy from a variety of perspectives allowing them to make the best, informed decisions whether they are a small business owner or the Minister of Finance.
Courses offered at Key Stage 5:
• Business Studies – AS & A2
• Economics – AS & A2
• BTEC Diploma in Business Level 3
• BTEC Diploma in Business Level 2
Courses offered at Key Stage 4:
• GCSE Business Studies
The Business Studies courses cover all the main elements of business, involving a study of:
• Business Organization
• Marketing (Advertising, distribution, pricing, etc)
• Management (Motivation, leadership, etc)
• Human Resources (Recruitment, training, etc)
• Finance and Accounting
• Production
• External Environment of Business
In Economics, students will learn about both Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, including:
• Markets and market failure
• The National Economy
• Business Economics and the Distribution of Income
• The International Economy
Why should I Business Studies and/or Economics?
• Business Education involves critical thinking, interpretation of data, and manipulation of concepts and ideas.
• Business Studies deals with specific businesses and how they operate in the external environment, looking at how they overcome problems such as finding finance and staff, and marketing their products profitably.
• Economics looks at the basic problem of the allocation of scarce resources, and how the Business Environment and Government Policy shape the world that we live in.
• Business Studies and/or Economics fit very well with virtually any combination of other subjects.
• The skills of analysis and evaluation which are developed in these subjects are highly valued by universities and employers, and the subjects are useful for careers in banking, finance, management and industry, and also politics and the media.
Enterprise Education:
At Newlands, Enterprise Education is embedded into the curriculum. This is achieved through:
• Year 10 Enterprise Day. One of the highlights of the calendar, this day has grown in strength-to-strength with Industry experts from Multi-National companies to local small businesses coming to offer learners support as they create a presentation to launch a product to market. A thoroughly enjoyable and incredibly worthwhile for students, teachers and our industry visitors alike, it shows the commitment to Enterprise that Newlands has.
• Year 8 mini-enterprise. Organised by the Business Department and D&T, the mini-enterprise project runs over the course of around 10 weeks, culminating with two sessions where groups compete to sell their product and/or service
• July 2011 saw the first entry into the Real Business Challenge for year 9. This national competition run by Coca-Cola is a chance for leaners to create a potential product, and being judged on a variety of criteria including team organisation, financial skills, sustainability and feasibility. At the time of writing, we are awaiting to find out if the winning entry from Newlands will progress into the regional finals….
• Inviting visiting speakers from Business and the local community. In the last year, students have had guest speakers including John Lewis, Waitrose and Hermestas.
• Visiting local companies and community organisations. A number of local organisations are now actively volunteering themselves to be visited or to come to Newlands to help add to the students’ Business and Enterprise education.