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Business


		11-16 schools

		6th form schools

		Colleges

Examples of enterprise learning in key stage 4

Case study 1

For an assignment on Investigating Businesses, one student decided to compare the local newsagent, run by two brothers, with a large national supermarket employing over 100 workers. She had ten weeks (equal to 25 lessons plus homework) to complete the task. She used the assignment brief to work out her action plan which included a visit to each business. The assignment required her to compare the business activities, ownership, location, aims and objectives of the two organisations as well as their location and customer profile. She also had to suggest changes that would make the businesses more effective. She contacted the two shops to arrange her visits and prepared questions to ask. She sent her questions beforehand so that they had time to prepare. She made careful notes when interviewing the staff, wrote them up carefully and sent them back for staff to check their accuracy and give permission for their use, before completing her final report. This student was enterprising in the way she tackled her assignment, particularly with regard to personal effectiveness, using key skills, having a respect for evidence and taking an interest in economic and business affairs.

Case study 2

As part of Enterprise Week, GCSE business students participated in a two-day activity. The theme was creativity and innovation, focusing on crazes that periodically happen, such as hula hoops and virtual pets. The group was organised into four companies, each with six employees holding different job roles (for example, marketing manager, graphic designer, production manager, and so on). Clear job descriptions and associated tasks were assigned to each. Each company had to decide on a name and a new craze product, produce an example of the product or draw it, and devise marketing materials including a jingle. They also had to work out basic financing and make a presentation to a board of bank representatives ‘selling’ their idea with the aim of gaining venture capital. Representatives from local businesses were available for advice. The representatives judged the presentations and allocated several award categories, including ‘best idea in terms of innovation’ and ‘best presentation in terms of skills and creativity’. The group were debriefed at the end to draw together their learning about how businesses are started and organised and the financial knowledge required to do it.

Case study 3

A group of GCSE applied business students examined case studies of past business disputes with the objective of working out how they were resolved. For their assignment they were asked to research a recent or current business dispute using the local and national media and the internet. They had to summarise who was involved, their roles and/or organisations, the main issues of the case and how the dispute had been or might be resolved. These findings were shared with the class. Most students used PowerPoint to present their information. For the feedback session a trained lawyer with knowledge of employment law and a retired trade unionist were invited to attend the session and give their views on the conclusions reached in each case. Afterwards the students wrote up their assignment. As well as finding out more about the rights of employers and employees and how disputes are resolved, the students were able to demonstrate enterprise skills such as research, communication, respect for evidence and open-mindedness.

Case study 4

A year 11 applied business student was set the brief of writing an article for the school newspaper on the importance of personal budgeting and the banking services that are available to help students. The student decided to provide a clear and objective guide to the range of services as well as advice on budgeting. Some examples of typical student budgets showing likely income and expenditure also had to be included. The brief stressed the importance of keeping the article lively and amusing as well as accurate and interesting. The student gathered information and literature from the internet, banks and building societies, consumer groups and the local university students’ services manager. The student also decided to undertake a survey of FE students to identify their main items of expenditure and income and some of the issues relating to student finances. The article was 750 words long and included several photographs, for example of students using a cash machine. This active investigation supported the student in learning about personal and business finance as well as practising the skills of research, organisation, respect for evidence and key skills.

Case study 5

A year 11 student was placed with a large national hotel for a two-week work experience. One of the objectives of the placement, agreed with the hotel, was to complete a project on the job roles of the people who worked in the ‘front office’. This involved investigating job responsibilities and tasks, confidentiality and security, pay, working conditions and so on. The student was expected to draw up an interview schedule and contact employees for interview times. The student had access to other sources of useful information such as job organisation charts, job descriptions, careers information and literature, trade journals and job advertisements, as well as limited access to the internet. On completion of the placement the student prepared and gave a presentation on career opportunities in the hotel industry. The hotel’s personnel manager was invited to attend and give feedback on the presentation. The student was responsible for arranging the manager’s visit, meeting her on arrival and hosting her stay. These experiences provided many opportunities to develop a range of enterprise skills and to learn more about and take an interest in how businesses operate.

Case study 6

A business studies department developed a partnership with a local fast-food restaurant from a well-known national chain and worked with representatives from the restaurant to develop active learning work-related projects. One was an assignment to investigate how businesses work and develop. The restaurant manager briefed the year 10 students about the demographic structure in the UK and the need for the company to broaden both its customer and product base. In small groups the students were asked to choose a customer sector (teenagers, young adults, young families, mature adults or senior citizens) and to devise a marketing strategy involving either a video or TV advert or to produce a radio tape complete with jingle. The restaurant manager returned for presentations by the students on their work and what they had learned. To undertake this project the students went through the enterprise process of generating ideas, planning what to do, implementing, and then reflecting on their experiences and what they had learned from them.

Case study 7

For many years, the business studies department of a Midlands comprehensive school was responsible for running the school tuck shop. The shop was run as a business with students buying shares in the company at the end of year 10 and selling them when they left at the end of year 11. The shareholders elected a managing director and managers to look after finance, customer services, sales and marketing and personnel. The rest were employees who worked on a rota basis in the store room or the shop. Market research and customer surveys were taken regularly and the produce changed to meet new demands. Healthy food was very evident. Monthly accounts were published along with a company report. The workers were paid on hourly rates and all the shareholders received a final dividend at the end of the year. Unfortunately for them, the business was taxed by the head teacher at 30% of net profits and the funds spent on items for the whole school such as small games equipment and playground seating. All the students thought this enterprise to be an enjoyable and worthwhile way of learning about the organisation of business and the world of work.

Case study 8

A school in the west of England had a link with the Patent Office, the government agency responsible for administering the Intellectual Property (IP) system in the UK. After a presentation on the four main types of IP – designs, trade marks, patents, copyright – students in year 11 had to research local and national media sources and the internet to find different examples of each. They had to identify which were the most popular and why. The students, working in pairs, then had to choose one famous logo and find out what made it distinctive. This involved organising a survey of friends, relatives and the general public. The students prepared a report on their findings outlining the key elements that made the logo distinctive. Finally they had to design a new logo for a product of their own choice and produce images of it. This was an outlet for creativity and innovation as well as developing business understanding of marketing and selling.