Business is a popular subject both at A Level and university and gives students an insight into the way new business start-ups, small to medium sized enterprises (SME’s) right up to multi-national companies are set up and managed. You will learn what makes some businesses succeed or fail, understand what influences their decisions, how they decide their corporate strategy and how they can improve all aspects of their operations. The focus of this course is on understanding the role of the four functional areas (finance, marketing, human resources and operations management) and the possible strategies businesses can use in order to compete effectively through having a unique selling point and stand out in a competitive market. You will learn how to motivate your team and manage a business effectively; how to interpret business accounts in order to identify areas of improvement. You will learn the key principles of marketing and how the key to good customer service is effective communication. Theme 1: Marketing and People Meeting customer needs, the market, marketing mix and strategy, managing people, entrepreneur and leaders Theme 2 : Managing business activities Raising finance, financial planning, managing finance, resource management, external influences Theme 3: Business decisions and strategy Business objectives and strategy, business growth, decision making techniques, influences on business decisions, assessing competitiveness, managing change Theme 4: A Global business Globalisation, global markets and business expansion, global marketing, global industries and companies (multinational corporations)