1 – Business activity and influences on business This section covers the various objectives of a business, changing business environments and the criteria for judging success. The focus is on the importance of having clear business objectives and how the business environment provides opportunities for, and imposes constraints on, the pursuit of these objectives. 2 – People in business This section looks at people in organisations, focusing on their roles, relationships and management in business. 3 – Business finance This section explores the use of accounting and financial information as an aid to decision making. 4 – Marketing This section focuses on identifying and satisfying customer needs in a changing and competitive international environment. 5 – Business operations This section examines the way organisations use and manage resources to produce goods and services.

This unit moves from functions to strategy, enabling students to develop their understanding of the core concepts and to take a strategic view of business opportunities and issues. Students analyse corporate objectives and strategy against financial and non-financial performance measures and how businesses grow, and develop an understanding of the impact of external influences. The unit also covers the causes and effects of change and how businesses mitigate risk and uncertainty.