What is in Higher Business Management: the course content
Higher Business Management has five areas of study. The question paper is 70 marks in 2 hours 15 minutes: a 30-mark case study in Section 1 and five 8-mark questions in Section 2. A 30-mark assignment, done in school, makes up the rest of the award.
26 weeks, 104 hours in all
Start with Area 1
Understanding business: 19.2 of your hours. It is 4 of the 20 questions on our timed knowledge checks, 20%.
Hours per area
Area
Your hours
Share of the checks
Area 1: Understanding business
19.2
20%
Area 2: Management of marketing
19.2
20%
Area 3: Management of operations
19.2
20%
Area 4: Management of people
19.2
20%
Area 5: Management of finance
19.2
20%
Week by week
Week 1Area 1: Understanding business
Week 2Area 1: Understanding business
Week 3Area 1: Understanding business
Week 4Area 1: Understanding business
Week 5Area 1: Understanding business, Area 2: Management of marketing
Week 6Area 2: Management of marketing
Week 7Area 2: Management of marketing
Week 8Area 2: Management of marketing
Week 9Area 2: Management of marketing
Week 10Area 2: Management of marketing, Area 3: Management of operations
Week 11Area 3: Management of operations
Week 12Area 3: Management of operations
Week 13Area 3: Management of operations
Week 14Area 3: Management of operations
Week 15Area 3: Management of operations, Area 4: Management of people
Week 16Area 4: Management of people
Week 17Area 4: Management of people
Week 18Area 4: Management of people
Week 19Area 4: Management of people
Week 20Area 4: Management of people, Area 5: Management of finance
Week 21Area 5: Management of finance
Week 22Area 5: Management of finance
Week 23Area 5: Management of finance
Week 24Area 5: Management of finance
Week 25A Section 1 case study and two Section 2 questions against the clock, then rewrite every weak answer
Week 26A Section 1 case study and two Section 2 questions against the clock, then rewrite every weak answer
1 Understanding business: types of organisation, objectives and growth, internal and external factors, stakeholders, structures, decision making and the role of a manager.
2 Management of marketing: customers and market research, the product, price, place and promotion, people, process and physical evidence, and technology in marketing.
3 Management of operations: inventory, methods of production, quality, ethical and environmental operations, and technology in operations.
4 Management of people: workforce planning, training and development, motivation and leadership, employee relations and employment law, and technology in human resources.
5 Management of finance: sources of finance, cash budgets, financial statements, ratios and technology in finance.
How the question paper is set out
Section 1 is one question in several parts about a business in a case study, with text, financial information, graphs or charts. Each part is worth 1 to 8 marks. Section 2 has five questions worth 8 marks each, in one to three parts, and they can come from any area. Every question is compulsory, and a calculator may be used.
The assignment
The assignment is a 30-mark business report you carry out in school, scaled to 22% of the award. It is set and marked outside the school. This course describes it but does not practise or mark it: your teacher guides you through it.
Try 2 questions
Question 1
Lochside Hotels plc: ways to add 10 hotels
Option
Time to add 10 hotels
Cost to Lochside
Control over each hotel
Build new hotels itself
6 years
£40 million
Full control
Franchise its brand to other owners
2 years
£1 million
Shared with franchisees
Take over Bay Hotels plc (10 hotels)
1 year
£30 million
Full control
Lochside Hotels plc wants to add 10 hotels within two years. It has £35 million to spend, and its directors insist on keeping full control over how every hotel is run. The table shows three options. Which option best meets all of these aims?
Question 2
0481216202004006008001000WeekSteel sheets in stockStockMaximumRe-order levelMinimumOrder placedOrder placed
The diagram shows inventory of steel sheets at Clyde Trailers Ltd over 20 weeks. Orders are placed when stock reaches the re-order level. Which statement explains why stock fell below the minimum level in week 17?
70 marks in 2 hours 15 minutes: 30 for the Section 1 case study and 40 for the five Section 2 questions. It is scaled to 78% of the award.
Is there coursework in Higher Business Management?
Yes, the assignment: a 30-mark report done in school, scaled to 22% of the award. This course prepares you for the question paper only.
Do I have to calculate ratios?
No. You do not have to prepare a cash budget or financial statements or calculate ratios, but you do need to interpret them: say what they show about a business and what it could do.