Business Studies & Economics
Welcome to the Business Studies & Economics department at Friends' School Lisburn.
This page will provide visitors with information about
- qualifications offered at both Key Stage 4 (GCSE) and Key Stage 5 (A Level).
- latest news relevant to this the subject area;
- staff information;
Aims
To give pupils the opportunity:
- to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of terminology, principles and decision-making procedures;
- to develop the ability to use and apply appropriate skills, concepts and techniques
- to analyse problems and issues;
- to evaluate arguments and evidence, making informed judgements;
- to develop te skills of numeracy, literacy and ICT.
Business Studies and Economics can be taken up at GCSE and again at AS/A2 Level. Both subjects are a popular choice. Many pupils study both Business Studies and Economics as they find they complement each other.
Trips and Extra curricular
Year 9 pupils took part in the YE9 programme delivered by Young Enterprise. In the first session, Steven McIlwrath from Avalon guitars gave the young people a glimpse into real life business and a representative from the Lyric Theatre worked with them on their presentation skills.
During the rest of the day pupils were engaged in a series of interactive tasks that inspired them to develop enterprising skills, attitudes and behaviours.
This year’s Young Enterprise Company, ActiKids, who have reached the UK Final, designed a book entitled ‘Around the World in 50 Pages’. They spoke to the Year 9 pupils about their book and then challenged them to design a board game based around their book. Year 9 then presented their ideas to ActiKids.
The pupils also competed in teams, taking on the role of a bracelet manufacturer. They had to invest money in buying their materials, make bracelets and sell them to the jeweller for a profit. The Bead game allowed them to explore business fundamentals such as investment, taxes and profit.
An enjoyable day was had by all.
We support the specification by embracing the many opportunities on offer through our subject. For example, we organise a number of industrial visits e.g. to Tayto and Coca Cola. Speakers from local businesses are also invited to visit. The department is responsible for delivering The Young Enterprise Company Programme to Year 13. Companies have been very successful over the past number of years, winning a number of awards and raising money for charitable causes.
Year 13 Business Studies pupils visited Coca-Cola’s plant at Knockmore, where they got to explore and learn about one of the world’s leading businesses. They were shown an informative film about the history of Coca-Cola and then were given an extensive guided tour of the production facility to see how Coca-Cola products are made, bottled, packed and stored.
Cathy Campbell (on the right), the Marketing director of Young Enterprise Company ‘Vibe’ won the ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Future’ award for the South East region 2014. She later received an offer from Young Enterprise Northern Ireland (YENI) and Junior Achievement Canada, to attend the Next Generation Leaders Conference 2014. The event was held at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Year 11 Business Studies Trip
Year 11 Business Studies pupils visited the IKEA store in Belfast to learn more about a global business. They were shown around the store and learnt about sustainability, recycling, product design, sourcing materials and how customer needs and wants are met.
