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A-LEVEL BUSINESS

Business A-Level at d’Overbroeck’s is about debating and decision-making in a business context and as such it develops invaluable skills whatever you want to do next.
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WHAT IS A-LEVEL BUSINESS?

You need to learn and understand the theory but then apply it to a context. The “right” answer will depend on the problem in front of you and you need to be able to think issues through logically, put together well-reasoned arguments and make recommendations. It involves analysing situations and making choices.

You are expected to analyse the key factors involved in a given context and have to recommend the best course of action for a business given its existing position: should it launch a new product? Should managers increase staff pay or give more to investors? Should a business target more emerging economies? How should you raise the money need to fund expansion – should you borrow from a bank or friends and family?

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WHAT YOU'LL DO

The subject is based on the concept of choice and decision making. Students need to consider factors such as objectives, risk, costs, returns, constraints and ethics to decide what to do in any situation.

Decisions will include:
  • Marketing decision such as what markets to target, how best to position the business, how to communicate effectively and distribute in a digital world
  • Financial decisions such as how to raise finance, how to manage cash flow and how to increase profitability, operational decisions such as how to increase efficiency, how to improve quality and how to improve productivity, human resource decisions such as how to manage employees effectively, how to motivate and build employee engagement
  • Strategic decisions such as how to compete abroad, how to compete digitally, whether to act socially responsibly and how to manage growth
  • Students need to understand the theory, they need to know various studies and models and then they need to apply this knowledge to a particular situation.
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WHOM DOES THIS SUBJECT SUIT?

You may have some of these skills already but obviously we will hope to develop them during the course.

To do well on the course you need to be:
  • Flexible in your thinking. There is no set answer in Business: you need to weigh up a situation to make a decision.
  • Analytical, to identify the key issues in a situation.
  • Able to make supported judgements. Having an opinion is one thing but being able to put together a logical recommendation building on analysis is another.
  • Comfortable using numbers to support your arguments. The maths involved is not particularly demanding but clearly to make decisions you must be able to compare the likely returns with the investment, assess the value of different projects and interpret data to assess a situation
  • Able to appreciate that there are different perspectives to any decision. What might be good for investors may not be good for employees!
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WHAT MIGHT THE SUBJECT LEAD TO?

The A level provides a good ground in many subject areas and provides a breadth which enables students to go on to a range of degree courses including Marketing, Public Relations, Sociology and Law. Many of our students enjoy the subject so much they want to read it at university. Last year’s Business Studies students went on to a variety of courses including Business and Management at the universities of Aston, Cardiff, Exeter, Manchester and Nottingham. (Note however that you do not necessarily need Business A level to study Business at university)


Certain universities prefer students not to study A level Business and Economics (mainly Oxford, Cambridge, and Bristol) but students who have studied both have gone on to leading universities such as Exeter, London School of Economics and SOAS.

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YOUR TEACHERS

Who teaches Business?

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Jonathan Young
Head of Business

Jon joined d’Overbroeck’s in 2011 entering the teaching profession after 10 years in the Leisure and Events industry where he managed his own successful marketing and events consultancy.

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Jonathan Young

Jon joined d’Overbroeck’s in 2011 entering the teaching profession after 10 years in the Leisure and Events industry where he managed his own successful marketing and events consultancy. Having graduated from the University of Birmingham in Environmental Science Jon entered the marketing and events industry and along the way gained another undergraduate degree from the University of Birmingham in Marketing and Events management and a Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing. In 2010 Jon joined the teaching profession with a move to London for a PGCE in Business and Economics Education at the Institute of Education, UCL looking to use his real-world business experience to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs, economists and senior managers.

Out of school Jon enjoys snowboarding and skiing, tennis, the gym and obviously the best football team, Oxford United!

Business | A-Level Subjects | d'Overbroeck's Oxford-Feature Cards Pattern-Kendell Fowler
Kendell Fowler
Head of Economics

Kendell Fowler is a Teacher of Economics and a Director of Studies. Kendell studied Business and Economics at Lancaster University before completing a Business and Economics PGCE at Sunderland.

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Kendell Fowler

Kendell Fowler is a Teacher of Economics and a Director of Studies. Kendell studied Business and Economics at Lancaster University before completing a Business and Economics PGCE at Sunderland. She has been teaching for 12 years and has experience teaching in a variety of different schools and roles including DofE coordinator, Deputy College Leader and Curriculum leader of Business and Economics. She is also an experienced examiner for both Economics and Business and uses this valuable insight in her teaching. Kendell enjoys the debates that can be had in her Economics lessons and likes to encourage students to think critically about all the subject matter. In her spare time Kendell plays Netball and likes to include a bit of friendly competition into her lessons!

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UNRIVALLED CHOICE

We offer more than 36 A-level subjects, enabling students to choose a combination that best fits their strengths, interests, and future aspirations.

A-level Subjects