Business Revision Workshops - Latest Availability
We are often asked how many places are left on our popular revisions workshops. So we’ve created a widget which shows you the latest seat availability! The details for the next series of revision workshops is shown below. It is updated each time our office processed a new or amended booking, so it provides an up-to-date overview of the remaining places.
read more...»tutor2u launches revision workshops for GCSE Business Studies
Following a large number of requests, we have decided to launch a programme of our popular cinema-based revision workshops for GCSE Business students. The initial programme takes us to two venues…
read more...»Making Finance Fun 2012 - CPD Course (London)
First details here of a new CPD course from the tutor2u team, which we’re running for the first time on 20 June 2012 in central London.
read more...»AQA & Edexcel GCSE Business Controlled Assessment 2012 - CPD Support Course
A date for your diaries in April 2012 if you teach AQA or Edexcel GCSE Business Studies. We are running CPD days in Manchester (19 April 2012) and London (20 April 2012) to support teachers preparing and supervising their GCSE Business students as they tackle the 2012 controlled assessment tasks. A separate course is being run for both the 2012 AQA and Edexcel controlled assessments. Each course will run from 10.30 a.m. until 2.30 p.m. including lunch.
Places on the courses will be limited, so please make a provisional booking as soon as possible. Places can be booked online here:
https://tutor2u.wufoo.com/forms/gcse-business-controlled-assessment-support-cpd/
GCSE Business Controlled Assessment - 2012 Survey
We are gathering the opinions of colleagues and departments who offer GCSE Business Studies about the Controlled Assessment. If you teach GCSE Business Studies, please take 5-10 minutes to provide us with your views using the following survey form:
https://tutor2u.wufoo.com/forms/gcse-business-controlled-assessment-survey-2012/
Revision Quiz - Market Research for a Business Startup
This new revision quiz looks at how a startup can undertake market research. There are over 20 questions in the quiz bank for this topic and each time you run the quiz 10 questions are selected at random.
Launch Revision Quiz - Market Research for a Business Startup
Problem for Pupil - PEST Solution
Entrepreneurs are risk takers, they spot gaps in a market where customers’ needs are left unfulfilled. They have to balance cash flow management against overstocking, anticipate the likely responses of intelligent rivals and the capricious behaviour of external regulators or governments.
read more...»Lesson Worksheet - Stakeholders in a Business
This lesson worksheet addresses the key topic of stakeholders in a business. Who are the internal and external stakeholders? What is the difference between shareholders and stakeholders? To what extent might stakeholders have different and conflicting objectives?
Download lesson worksheet on stakeholders
Revision games - Marketing Basics (True / False)
Try these true/false revision games which provide 20 questions on the basics of the marketing mix each time you play…
AQA GCSE Business - End of Topic Tests (People)
Many thanks to Allan Todd for providing these two superb End of Topic tests for the people management content in Units 1 and 2 for AQA GCSE Business Studies….
read more...»Insights from an Entrepreneur - Kirsty Henshaw (Worthenshaws)
This fantastic Smarta interview features Kirsty Henshaw, one of the entrepreneurial stars of 2010, who wowed the Dragons with her frozen desert Worthenshaws Freedom. Kirsty is joining us at the Business Teacher National Conference 2011 on Thursday 30 June and it will be lovely to hear how her business has developed since this interview. Kirsty’s story is perfect as a case study for all business spec units covering the essentials of enterprise and entrepreneurship.
read more...»Introducing the “austerity” entrepreneurs
It is often said that enterprise thrives in adversity. Many successful and exciting businesses are born in a downturn. This feature article in the Independent provides some terrific examples of how the entrepreneurial flame burns bright amongst people who have been let down by the traditional employment market,
The underlying theme of each of the entrepreneurial stories told in the article is that of grasping opportunities. That involves hard graft, persistence and an unwillingness to admit defeat. Students should read these stories and learn. Hopefully they will also be inspired!
Lesson activity - business organisation basics (matching)
This series of matching activities which can be used to consolidate knowledge of key terms relating to business organisation. The activities have different numbers of terms to match, ranging from 10 terms to 25. The worksheet with 10 terms is a little easier, as well as shorter, than the 25-term challenge…
read more...»Lesson activity - people basics (matching)
This series of matching activities uses a list of core people management terms. Select activities which range from just ten terms (quite easy) to 25 terms (more time required & a little harder!)
read more...»Lesson activity - operations basics (matching)
We’ve picked out 20 popular production & operations terms from the main GCSE exam specifications for these matching activities. The activities have different numbers of terms to match, ranging from 10 terms to 20. The worksheet with 10 terms is a little easier, as well as shorter, than the 20-term challenge…
read more...»Lesson activity - marketing basics (matching)
This series of matching activities which can be used to consolidate knowledge of core marketing terms. The activities have different numbers of terms to match, ranging from 10 terms to 25. The worksheet with 10 terms is a little easier, as well as shorter, than the 25-term challenge…
read more...»Lesson activity - basic finance (matching)
Here is a series of three matching activities which can be used to consolidate knowledge of key terms in business finance. The three activities have different numbers of terms to match, ranging from 10 terms to 25. The worksheet with 10 terms is a little easier, as well as shorter, than the 25-term challenge…
read more...»Can this start-up win with pay-as-you train gym membership?
At our recent AQA BUSS1 revision workshops we had a session looking at the viability of the business concept behind The Gym - a growing chain of low-cost, no frills fitness clubs. According to this article on BBC Scotland it looks like the health club market is set for further challenges from new entrants.
one of the new entrants to the market is payasUgym. The payasUgym programme is due to launch at the start of 2011 and will let customers visit a network of clubs without having to pay membership fees. Gym-goers will “load” cash onto an online account which can then be used at various fitness centres. The easyJet entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou is also said to planning to launch a budget fitness club in 2011 with monthly-only contracts costing as little as £15-a-month.
The payasUgym concept is an interesting one in that it utilises the existing capacity of the UK health club sector. The business is avoiding the need to raise the significant capital required to build health clubs. It is simply acting as a marketing channel for existing clubs. How sustainable is that business model? if a customer finds and uses a local gym that he/she really likes, what is to stop that gym from trying to recruit the member away from the payasUgym organisation? Students ought to be be able to identify other potential upsides and issues with this business model. A good one to analyse!
New insights into the UK franchising sector in 2010
I last looked at the size and structure of the UK franchising sector back in 2008 when several exam boards added franchising to their new business specifications. In subsequent exam papers it is clear that the examiners like franchising too - not surprising given how relevant franchising is to key topics such as generating a business idea, financing a startup, choosing a growth strategy, branding etc.
I have revisited my sources this week and picked up the latest statistics on UK franchising which I have summarised below.
read more...»Video case study - enterprise at the sharp end
Market trading. You’ve seen it on various tasks on The Apprentice. And the value of sales at the UK’s 1,000+ outdoor markets is estimated at over £3.6bn. So perhaps it is not surprise that increasing numbers of people are looking to make their first step into enterprise by setting up a stall in a local market. The problem is that running a viable market stall is no easy task. The typical customer at a local market is feeling the pinch and you also need to develop some sharp entrepreneurial skills to make the stall a success.
This excellent three minute video from Jenny Hill of BBC Breakfast takes us behind the scenes at a market in the Midlands to meet some of the experienced traders. Can a new training scheme help budding entrepreneurs make their fledgling businesses a success?
Starter Activity - i-Teach
Research shows that we retain around 90% of what we actually teach. Indeed, Confucius said, “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Based on this concept is an extremely simple and engaging teaching strategy that works brilliantly as a lesson starter…
read more...»Starter Activity - Perfect Recall
A really, really simple idea based on Terry Wogan’s perfect recall gameshow.
Simply 12 key words on the board arranged in a grid formation. For example, recently I used words like working capital, acid test, current ratio (having just done ratios’ with Year 11) as well as general business terms like objectives, primary research, secondary research etc.
I then read out the definition’s 1 - 12 and the kids needed to match the definition with the key word. Brilliant for differentiation as the answers are on the board allowing all students to access the material.
Enjoy….............
Insights from an Entrepreneur - Fraser Doherty (SuperJam)
A terrific interview with Fraser Doherty here. Fraser has become well known not just for his superb Superjam product, but also for his community activities (the tea parties being one example) and his enthusiasm for meeting teachers and students as a guest visitor to schools. The video is well worth showing as part of AQA (GCSE Unit 1 & BUSS1) and Edexcel (GCSE Unit 1).
read more...»Lesson Worksheet - Aims & Objectives of Business
This lesson worksheet allows students to test themselves on the basics of the aims and objectives of businesses.
Download lesson worksheet on Aims & Objectives of Business
Business structure in the UK - the rise of micro companies
Here’s a term that ought to find itself into the next editions of the traditional business studies textbooks - micro-companies. Of course, it won’t (maybe in 2020) but it should. Because in the last five years there has been an increase of over 250,000 in their number in Britain.
read more...»Why we should encourage our students to start a business at university
The Year 13s of summer 2010 are long gone (well - most of them). So what were your final words to them as they picked up their A Level results or said farewell at the Sixth Form prom? Perhaps it should have been “enjoy Uni, and make sure you start that business there…”
read more...»Lesson Worksheet - Franchises
Here is a lesson worksheet that enables you to test student’s understanding of the basics of franchises as a form of business organisation.
Download lesson worksheet on franchises
Lesson Worksheet - Enterprise & Entrepreneurs
This new lesson worksheet allows students to test their understanding of the role of the entrepreneur.
Download lesson worksheet on enterprise & entrepreneurs
Crossword activity - AQA GCSE Unit 2 - Business Organisation
Here is a crossword activity with 15 clues designed to support students taking AQA GCSE Business Unit 2. It covers some of the key terms in section 1 of the Unit 2 spec - the Business Organisation.
A full pack of over 400 crossword and other lesson activities can be found in our AQA GCSE Business Unit 2 PuzzlePack which is now available.
Download Crossword activity - AQA GCSE Business Unit 2 - Business Organisation
Starter Activity - AQA GCSE Unit 2, Growing as a Business
In the process of planning some of my opening lessons for the above unit when I remembered this really cool map that Jim blogged about a while ago.
The map is of the United States, colored by the distance to the nearest McDonalds. The brightest parts of the map are locations that are right next to a McDonalds outlet -the colour gets darker as you get further away from the nearest outlet.
An excellent introduction into the unit by firstly getting students to think about what it shows and then asking students why Mcdonalds has grown. It also links nicely into franchising as a method of growth which is covered slightly later.
One map, several uses.
Jim’s original blog can be found here.
All the best
