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GCE APPLIED BUSINESS

Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level

Introduction
The idea behind this specification is that to understand the nature of business, candidates
must actively experience the business environment.

The AS and Advanced GCE in Applied Business are vocational qualifications that enable
candidates to develop both a broad understanding of Applied Business principles and give
them the opportunity to focus on a specific pathway –
eg Marketing, Finance, Human Resources and Administration.

The specification encourages candidates to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of

realistic business contexts through a variety of approaches from the theoretical to those
with a clear practical emphasis, including work experience,
case studies and research.

Candidates also have opportunities to explore and discuss their interests and aspirations and
to develop sufficient depth of understanding to inform their choices between further study,
training or employment.

Aims
This specification encourages candidates to acquire the following range of skills:

• practical skills
• presentational skills
• personal skills
• interpersonal skills
• cognitive skills

Candidates will be encouraged to develop knowledge and understanding of:

• the practices and techniques used within marketing, finance, operations

management, human resource management and the links between them
• the processes of setting up an enterprise
• the relationship between the business and the changing external environment
• social and ethical issues in business.

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Available Qualifications and Requirements

GCE Advanced Subsidiary Single Award (3 AS units)

Units 1, 2, 3.

GCE Advanced Subsidiary Double Award (6 AS units)

Units 1, 2 3 and three AS units from Units 4, 5, 6, and 7.

GCE Advanced Level Single Award (3 AS units and 3 A2 units)

Units 1, 2, 3 plus A2 Unit 8 and two A2 units (from A2 Units 9–16).
At least one of the A2 units must be externally assessed (ie Units 11, 12, 15).

GCE Advanced Level Double Award (6 AS units and 6 A2 units)

Units 1, 2 3 and three AS units (from Units 4, 5, 6, and 7) plus A2 Unit 8 and five
A2 units (from A2 Units 9–16).
At least two of the A2 units must be externally assessed (ie Units 11, 12, 15).

Core units

AS
Unit 1: Investigating Business – Candidates explore the aims and objectives of
businesses, the needs of their customers and how they are met. They investigate how
businesses deal with competition from other businesses and how external factors, such as
changing social values, can affect business. Candidates will also look at the meaning of
enterprise and enterprising behaviour and why individuals and teams are vital to the
success of a business.

Unit 2: People in Business – Candidates study the roles and responsibilities of people in
business, such as the qualities an employer looks for in its employees and the training and
development opportunities available to individuals. This unit gives candidates the
opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge needed to carry out the activities
associated with the recruitment process.

Unit 3: Financial Planning and Monitoring – Candidates learn how to calculate business
costs, revenues and profits, and how managers use this information in decision-making.
They investigate the ways in which businesses plan their finances by, for example, drawing
cash flow forecasts or budgets, and how businesses use these data to monitor the
performance of the organisation.

A2
Unit 8: Business Planning – Candidates are given the opportunity to produce a structured
business plan for a new product or service and to apply the skills and knowledge learnt
through other units.

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 Outline of Applied Business GCE
AS and A2 units

Pathways
AS Administration and
Finance and
Marketing Operations
HRM
Management
Unit 3
Unit 1
Core Unit 2 Financial
Investigating
(Single AS People in Business Planning &
Business
award) (Portfolio) Monitoring
(Portfolio)
(External)
Unit 5
Unit 4 Business Unit 6
Meeting Customer Information & Developing a
Optional
Needs Communications Product
(Choose 3 for
(External) Systems (Portfolio)
Double AS
(External)
award)
Unit 7
Career Planning
(Portfolio)

+
Pathways
A2 Administration and
Finance and
Marketing Operations
HRM
Management
Unit 8
Core Business Planning
(Portfolio)
Unit 9
Unit 12 Unit 15
Marketing
Managing People Financial
Strategy
(External) Accounts for
(Portfolio)
Managers
Optional
Unit 10 Unit 13 (External)
(Choose 2 for Promotional Managing
Single A Activities Information
award or 5 for (Portfolio) (Portfolio)
Double A Unit 16
award) Unit 11 Managing
Unit 14 Resources
The Marketing
Managing Change (Portfolio)
Environment
(Portfolio)
(External)

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 Useful contacts

The specification is available from:

- the AQA website (www.aqa.org.uk)

- AQA Publications Department: 0161 953 1170

For further information, contact the Business Subjects department:

Department A21
AQA
Stag Hill House
Guildford
Surrey GU2 7XJ

Tel: 01483 477869

e-mail: business-studies@aqa.org.uk

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