BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND UNDERSTANDING
Higher
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knowledge and understanding of the impact of business
activities on society in contexts which have complex features
decision making by applying the ideas of ethical and effective
business decisions to solve strategic business-related problems
communicating relatively complex business ideas and opinions
from a range of information relating to the effects of
opportunities and constraints on business activity — some of
which may be unfamiliar
understanding of how entrepreneurial attributes can assist in
the management of risk and business development
understanding of leadership styles and how they can be used to
enhance the contribution of staff to business success
analysing business financial data to draw conclusions and
suggest solutions where appropriate
analysing the effectiveness of a range of marketing activities
and understanding how they can be used to enhance customer
satisfaction
analysing a range of activities which can be used during the
production process to maximise the quality of goods/services
analysing the use of existing and emerging technologies to
improve business practice
Advanced Higher
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evaluating strategic planning in complex business situations
applying management concepts to real-life business contexts
understanding and evaluating a range of schools of
management thought in current business contexts
analysing and evaluating a range of techniques to manage
change in the current business environment
analysing equality and diversity in the workplace
analysing and evaluating the different skills needed for
effective leadership in different business contexts
analysing the impact that external agencies can have on
business
demonstrating an understanding of the impact of business at
home and in a global context
examining analytical techniques and emerging technology and
how these can be used to aid business
COURSE STRUCTURE
Higher
Course Structure: 3 Units and Course Assessment
Understanding Business OR
Understanding Business with a Scottish Context
And
Management of People and Finance
Management of Marking and Operations
Advanced Higher
Course Structure: 3 Units and Course Assessment
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The External Business Environment
The Internal Business Environment
Evaluating Business Information
COURSE ASSESSMENT
Higher
Advanced Higher
Course Assessment:
Component 1 – question paper (70 marks)
Component 2 – assignment (30 marks)
Question Paper
Course Assessment:
Component 1 – question paper (80 marks)
Component 2 – project (40 marks)
Question Paper
This question paper has two sections.
Section 1, titled ‘Case study’, will have 30 marks and will consist of
a set of mandatory short-answer questions based on the case
study. The questions will be drawn from any aspect of the Course
and will require learners to demonstrate the application of skills,
knowledge and understanding within the context of the case
study.
This question paper has two Sections.
Section 1, titled ‘Case study’, will have 40 marks and will consist of
a set of mandatory questions based on a business case study
stimulus. The questions will be drawn from across the Course.
Learners will be required to demonstrate application of skills and
knowledge and understanding within the context of the case
study.
Section 2 will have 40 marks and will consist of 4 mandatory
questions of 10 marks each that are drawn from across the Course.
Section 2 will have 40 marks and will consist of four topic-based
mandatory questions.
This question paper will be set and marked by SQA, and conducted
in centres under conditions specified for external examinations by
SQA. Learners will complete this in 2 hours and 15 minutes.
Assignment
The assignment will give learners an opportunity to demonstrate
their ability to:
 make decisions by applying relevant business concepts and
theories to the context of the assignment
 solve problems by applying relatively complex business ideas
and concepts relevant to the context of the assignment
 draw conclusions from business data, concepts and evidence
from a range of sources
 communicate business reasoning and conclusions with clarity
This assignment is set within SQA guidelines and conducted under
a high degree of supervision and control. Evidence will be
submitted to SQA for external marking.
This question paper will be set and marked by SQA, and conducted
in centres under conditions specified for external examinations by
SQA. Learners will complete this in 2 hours and 45 minutes.
Project
The project will give learners an opportunity to demonstrate their
ability to:
 select an appropriate organisation, and a business topic
from the Course, to research
 use suitable business information, related to the context of
the topic, from a wide range of sources
 apply in-depth knowledge and understanding of business
concepts to explain, analyse and evaluate the topic
 reach valid conclusions based on evidence
 structure a detailed, well-informed report on the topic
 organise, present and reference findings using appropriate
conventions
This assignment is set by SQA and conducted under a low level of
supervision and control. Evidence will be submitted to SQA for
external marking.