Business Studies
Fancy yourself as the next Bill Gates, masterminding new products and running a global corporation? Or maybe you dream of opening your own restaurant, or making a living as a successful writer, film producer, or recording artist? Business opportunities are at your fingertips – just be prepared to work hard and keep an eye on what is going on around you in the business world.
Business is mainly about people, products and services. It’s about having ideas, spotting opportunities, having the courage to chase your dreams, and sticking with it when the going gets tough. It’s about understanding people as customers, investors, employees and business partners.
The Junior Certificate Business Studies course enable students to make informed decisions in the everyday business of living, which contributes to the student’s understanding of the world of business, which encourages a positive attitude to enterprise and which develops appropriate skills in that field. The syllabus consists of the following main topic areas:
(i) The business of living
(ii) Economic awareness
(iii) Enterprise
(iv) Information Technology
The main objective of this course is to encourage students to have an interest in, and a positive attitude towards, the business world and to enable them to acquire a knowledge and an understanding of commercial activities. It introduces students to the structures and functions of business institutions and how they interact with each other. It provides a foundation for students, which can lead to employment/further studies in the business field. Armed with this knowledge the student develops habits and methods of investigation, analysis and problem solving which contributes to their overall personal and social development.
The Leaving Certificate Business course has been designed to prepare the student for the dynamic (rapidly changing) business environment. It emphasises the practical skills needed by entrepreneurs, the essential elements of a business plan, the steps involved in developing new products and marketing them to a national or international market. It focuses on the key principles and activities of management. It outlines the global economic environment in which all business now operates and it examines the ethical and environmental challenges of the 21st century.
If a student has already studied Business at Junior Certificate level, this course will build on that learning. If however, they are new to the subject, the course is designed to take a student through the relevant material from the beginning.
Broadly, the business syllabus is broken down into the following sections:
(i) People in Business
(ii) Enterprise
(iii) Management Skills and Activities
(iv) Business in Action
(v) Domestic Environment
(vi) International Environment
To succeed in this subject, a student will need an interest in what’s going on around her, a willingness to try new things, and plenty of common sense.
Business Resources for Leaving Certificate (Senior Cycle)
Business news on RTE
Interactive educational experience for students
Excellent site for statistics on the Irish Economy
Government Departments, Finance etc.
Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment
Consumer information
Top stories from Business Week News
The BBC: click business and economy
The Irish Revenue Commission, Taxation and Duty Information.
Office of Director of Consumer Affairs in Ireland.
Labour Relations Commission Ireland
Bringing real business stories to the classroom