YEAR 12: With a focus on helping you to become a good decision maker, you’ll learn essential managerial skills, alongside techniques to help you become an analytical problem solver. These skills are all highly sought after and valued in a wide range of careers. The first year of the A-level starts with a foundation topic ‘What is Business?’ and moves into decision making within the functional areas of business; marketing, operations, finance and human resources. Topic 1 – What is business? Topic 2 – Managers, leadership and decision making Topic 3 – Decision making to improve marketing performance Topic 4 – Decision making to improve operational performance Topic 5 – Decision making to improve financial performance Topic 6 – Decision making to improve human resource performance YEAR 13: The second year of the A level builds on the first year by considering strategy and the impact of, eg, technology, environmental and ethical influences on strategic decision making and functional areas. Topic 7 – Analyzing the strategic position of a business Topic 8 – Choosing the strategic direction Topic 9 – Strategic methods: how to pursue strategies Topic 10 – Managing strategic change LEARNING AND SKILLS: A level business requires students to develop their ability to acquire a range of important and transferable skills including data skills, presenting arguments, making judgements and conducting research.