Welcome to the Business Studies Department! Commerce in an integral part of the world around us. Our vision is for students in the Business Studies Department to become financially and economically literate, technologically driven, enterprising and globally aware. We offer a range of subjects to achieve this end.
Year 10 Economics is a full year course. Students will set up a business and sell products. They will look at the many ways that ordinary people are involved in monetary and business activities in their day-to-day lives. Topics such as earning incomes, money and budgeting systems, economic and legal concepts of demand, consumer’s rights and responsibilities, are designed to give students the skills to make informed choices in adult life. An introduction to Accounting is also included in this course
Year 10 Enterprise Studies is a full year course, too. It explores the real business world, in the classroom. The course encourages students to be independent thinkers, use creative flair, and develop their leadership skills as well as working successfully as a team.
Above all, this course allows our students to build confidence and especially encourages them to ‘have a go’. This is a ‘hands-on’, practical course mixed with theory. We will also use computer technology to research and produce both presentations and movies.
Enterprise Studies students’ are introduced to entrepreneurship, basic economic concepts of scarcity, business ownership and location, production, consumer law and how to run a small business. An introduction to Accounting is also included in this course.
Accounting as a stand alone subject that is available to students in the senior school, Year 11, 12 and 13. It allows students to develop numeracy skills and to process financial data from theoretical to real life situations. It helps students develop the ability to evaluate alternatives, consider the consequences of financial decisions and provide end of year financial documents.
Another senior subject, at all year levels is Economics, which is all about choice and decision-making. It suits those with an interest in business, international affairs, environmental issues and politics. Economics increases understanding of many current issues (for example inequity, inflation, growth) and the skills developed will give students the ability to analyse such problems in society. Studying Economics increases knowledge and understanding of the world.
In Year 12 and 13 Business Studies are accessible courses that involve participation in the Young Enterprise Scheme. Students develop a small business enterprise of their own. They think of an innovative product, produce it, finance and market it and hopefully make a profit from it. Additional topics covered are; motivational theory, marketing, problem solving and recording financial data.
Year 11 Money Smart Business is a course for students who have an interest in learning business and financial capability skills. They are also wanting to pass NCEA Level 1, but are not seeking to achieve it with a Merit or Excellence endorsement. This is because this course would offer 11 unit standards credits and 6 achievement standard credits.
Students will learn about how to manage their own personal finances, including dealing with credit and debit. They will also learn how to set up, and run, a profitable small business by actually making and selling products for real money.
Students’ pathway upon completion of this course is that they can take Level 2 Business Studies for the entrepreneurial learning experience, and/or the Level 2 Maths for Life course, for further financial capability skills and knowledge.
