Intermediate 1

You usually take these courses if you:

• have finished Standard Grade Foundation (or Access 3) level; or
• want to take an alternative to Standard Grade General level; or
• want to take up a new subject at school or college.

Generally, three national units (blocks of work that usually take 40 hours to finish) plus 40 hours flexible time make up these courses.

Business Management: Intermediate 1

Why Business Management?

Business and enterprise are at the heart of national growth and development and offer a wide range of career opportunities.

This course is extremely suitable for those of you considering a career in business but it may also be useful to you if you have a general interest in this very important area of work in today’s world.

Entry to the course

• At the discretion of the school/college, but you should be able to demonstrate basic numeracy and communication skills.

Course Outline

There are three compulsory units in this course.

Business Enterprise

You will learn about:

• the role of business enterprise in society, such as making money and meeting the demand for products and services
• the nature and importance of different types of businesses today, such as private / public limited companies, partnerships, public corporations and charities
• the sources of finance for business, such as shareholders, banks and government
• the role of the entrepreneur in business, such as identifying opportunities and taking risks
• the main participants (stakeholders) in business enterprises, such as shareholders, employees, management, suppliers and customers
• the importance of change in the business environment and factors that can cause change.

Business Decision Areas

You will learn about the following business functions:

• marketing
• finance, including an awareness of financial statements
• human resources such as employment terms and conditions, management/employee relations, recruitment, and trade unions
• operations such as purchasing, stock control and production.

Business Information and ICT

You will learn to:

• describe the different types of information used in business, such as written, graphical and numerical and understand their importance
• describe users of information in business, for example managers, employees and owners
• explain the uses of ICT (personal computers, e-mail, video conferencing etc) and business software in business enterprises, such as communicating and record keeping
• apply suitable software such as databases and spreadsheets to business situations.

 
Core Skills

• Completion of this course does not lead to any Core Skills.
   

Assessment

This course is assessed by a combination of internal assessment by the teacher/lecturer and an external examination set and marked by the SQA.
 

Progression

Successful completion of this course may lead to:

Intermediate 2 in

• Business Management

 
Training (VQ); Employment in

• Administration & Management
• Computing & ICT
• Hospitality, Catering & Tourism
• Transport & Distribution