Business Studies
At Thornhill Academy we want our pupils to THINK BIG. All pupils are given the opportunity to study a business-related subject through to the end of Key Stage 4. We currently offer OCR Enterprise and Marketing and BTEC Tech Award in Travel and Tourism.
OCR Enterprise and Marketing
OCR Cambridge National in Enterprise and Marketing gives students the practical skills and applied knowledge they’ll need in business. Practical elements build on theoretical knowledge so that students can put their learning into practice while also developing valuable transferable skills through 3 units of study:
Unit R064: Enterprise and marketing concepts
Students explore the techniques businesses use to understand their market and develop products, investigate what makes a product viable and understand how businesses attract and retain customers.
Unit R065: Design a business proposal
Students are presented with a business challenge from which they create a researched and costed business proposal. They will carry out market research, present data, use idea generation tools, seek and act on feedback, and cost their proposals. In their work on this unit they will develop their self-assessment, collaborative working, creativity, numeracy, research and analytical skills.
Unit R066: Market and pitch a business proposal
Students prepare for and pitch the business proposal that they developed in the previous unit. They develop a brand identity and investigate how best to promote their product and then plan, practise and finally deliver their pitch. Afterwards they review both their performance and their business proposal. This will help develop their analysis and self-evaluative skills as well as those relating to self-presentation.
BTEC Tech Award in Travel and Tourism
The BTEC Tech Award is a course designed for pupils who have an interest in the travel industry and might go on to further study at post-16 level.
The course is broken down into three components:
· Component 1 – Travel and Tourism Destinations
· Component 2 – Influences on Global Travel and Tourism
· Component 3 – Customer Needs in Travel and Tourism
Components 1 and 3 are assessed through assignments set, completed, and marked internally and moderated externally. Component 2 is assessed through a written examination that can be taken twice during the course.
This is an excellent course for pupils who wish to gain both knowledge and practical vocational skills that can be used both in the travel industry and other customer service roles.
We teach the units using a range of resources such as videos, case studies, newspaper articles, and travel documents as well as more practical resources including call centre training equipment and real industry-standard simulators at our local college.