Our aim however is not only to improve employability: we passionately believe in the educational value and relevance of our subjects.
Staff
Mr N Parkinson BA (Head of Department)
Mrs H Campion BA
Business Studies
"It's Real - It's Relevant"
Business has become one of the most popular academic subjects both in schools and universities. Students find it interesting and valuable. At BGSB Business Studies can be taken at GCSE and at AS and A2 levels. The 6 core areas of the business environment, ownership and control of business, accounting and finance, production, marketing and human resources are covered at both levels. At GCSE we follow Specification B of the AQA Board while at AS and A2 levels we use the OCR specifications.
Economics
"You may know what’s going on but if you don't know Economics you don’t know why"
What is Economics? Most people’s idea of economics is in fact macro-economics which includes topics such as inflation, unemployment, exchange rates, economic growth and how the government tries to influence these by, for example, using interest rates and taxation. Micro-economics focuses on how we divide up our scarce resources – who gets what and why. The market system and the behaviour of firms are examined. Also studied is why markets sometimes fail so that government intervention is necessary (for example to provide healthcare and prevent pollution). Economics is offered at AS and A2 levels (OCR specifications).
Resources
The Department has well-equipped rooms with a wide range of video, DVD and computer resources to support all parts of the specifications.
We aim to take students on at least one industrial visit during their time with us. In January 2006 we visited the Jaguar car factory in Castle Bromwich.