Economics

Course summary

The main aim of the Department of Business and Economics is to maximise the wide educational benefit to be gained from a knowledge and appreciation of the two subjects. A knowledge of Economics and/or Business aids the understanding of the environment in which organisations operate, including the natural, social, political and economic environment. Economics, Management and Business courses continue to be popular amongst Birkdale leavers and an A level in either Economics or Business constitutes excellent preparation for such courses. Indeed, even if students are not expecting to read these subjects at university most will become managers of some sort in their professional environment. The department is very active on the extra-curricular front. Birkdale School is a Young Enterprise Centre of Excellence and we are successful in a range of local and national competitions, including the Bank of England’s Target 2.0 competition and the ICAEW’s BASE competition. In addition, the department produces its in-house magazine, the Sleeping Dragon. The department organises a variety of day and residential visits, including an annual trip to London to visit the Bank of England, Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament. A three-yearly trip to China and Hong Kong is also offered, in conjunction with the Modern Foreign Languages Department. Economics is a real-world subject that affects everyone! It is about our economic system and how it operates. Inevitably, it is also about problems such as unemployment, rising house prices, taxes and recent events. You will investigate micro and macroeconomics. Microeconomics addresses issues such as: ‘Why are house prices so high in some areas?’, ‘Can pollution be controlled effectively?’ and ‘Should governments interfere with markets?’. The macroeconomic issues covered include: ‘Why does the government have a target and how does it affect us?’, ‘What happens to the economy if people decide to spend more?’ and ‘How are we affected by the Chinese and Indian economies?’.