Business Studies Department

The Business Studies Department provides courses for pupils from I Senior to sixth year. All the courses contribute well to the general education of the pupils and in varying ways to the aims of the department, which are to develop and encourage:

• an enthusiasm for the subject(s)
• transferable skills
• self-assurance and confidence
• problem-solving skills
• co-operation with others in group situations

I Senior

In I Senior pupils concentrate on keyboarding and simple text handling. The course begins with a familiarisation with the keyboard through 'touch-keyboarding' and moves on to elementary aspects of word processing.

II Senior

The second year course offers pupils the opportunity to gain skills in presentation, layout and organisation. They are also given the opportunity to use a wide range of information technologies to help them collect, organise and display information.

V Senior and sixth year: Higher Business Management

Business Management as a subject is dynamic, active, practical and highly relevant to an information-rich society. The study of Business Management enables pupils to:

• acquire knowledge and understanding of the role and operation of business
• develop problem-solving, decision-making and analytical skills
• develop the ability to assess the contribution which information and IT can make to the effectiveness of decision-making in different types of business

The course brings together three areas:

• Industrial awareness
• Economic awareness
• Technological education through the study of:

• Business Enterprise - Information and ICT, Decision Making in Business, Business in Contemporary Society
• Business Decisions - Internal Organisation of Business, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Operations Management, Financial Management.

Pupils must pass all 8 internal assessments. External assessment is based on a single written paper of 2½ hours duration consisting of a case study with mandatory questions and 2 extended response questions from a choice of 5.