A Level Business Topics by Exam Board: Full List

As an A-Level Business student, finding the information you need about the exam board you’re studying can be difficult. This article gives you a detailed breakdown of all the A-Level Business topics covered by the main exam boards: Edexcel, AQA and OCR. As a result, you’ll know exactly what topics you need to study and where to find the best revision resources for your exam board.

Edexcel A-Level Business Topics

Edexcel A-Level Business Studies is divided into four themes: 

1. Marketing and People

2. Managing Business Activities

3. Business Decisions and Strategy

4. Global Business

Each of these themes contains a range of topics.

Theme 1: Marketing and People

In this theme, you will explore how businesses identify opportunities and develop competitive advantages through marketing and effective people management. You will also examine how businesses adapt to a dynamic environment.

1.1 Meeting Customer Needs

You will explore mass and niche markets, market size, market share, and branding. Businesses use market research to understand customer behaviour and predict demand. You will also learn how businesses position themselves in the market by differentiating their products and adding value.

1.2 Market

You will learn how supply and demand interact to determine prices. You will also study price elasticity of demand (PED) and income elasticity of demand (YED), calculating these values and understanding their impact on pricing decisions.

1.3 Marketing Mix and Strategy

You will study the four elements of the marketing mix: product, price, place, and promotion. You will explore how businesses design products, set pricing strategies, choose distribution channels, and promote their brand. You will also examine the differences in strategies for mass and niche markets and how businesses manage their product life cycle.

1.4 Managing People

You will explore motivation theories from Taylor, Mayo, Maslow, and Herzberg to understand what drives employees. You will also study how businesses recruit, select, and train staff, and how leadership styles (autocratic, paternalistic, democratic, and laissez-faire)impact performance.

1.5 Entrepreneurs and Leaders

You will examine the role of entrepreneurs in setting up and growing businesses, looking at risks, rewards, and objectives such as profit, sales growth, and customer satisfaction. You will also learn about the challenges of transitioning from an entrepreneur to a business leader.

Theme 2: Managing Business Activities

This theme helps you understand how businesses manage their finances, operations, and external influences to ensure long-term success.

2.1 Raising Finance

You will study different sources of finance, including internal sources such as retained profit and asset sales, and external sources such as loans, overdrafts, venture capital, and crowdfunding. You will also learn about the importance of a business plan in securing finance.

2.2 Financial Planning

You will learn how businesses forecast sales and how external factors such as market trends and economic conditions impact these forecasts. You will study break-even analysis, learning how to calculate contribution per unit, margin of safety, and understanding its limitations. Additionally, you will explore budgeting methods, including historical and zero-based budgeting, and how businesses analyse variances in financial performance.

2.3 Managing Finance

You will explore the calculation of profit, including gross, operating, and net profit. You will also learn about liquidity management, including key ratios such as the current ratio and acid test ratio. The causes of business failure, both internal and external, will also be discussed.

2.4 Resource Management

You will learn about different production methods, including job, batch, flow, and cell production. You will also study efficiency and lean production techniques, such as Just-in-Time (JIT), waste minimisation, and continuous improvement (Kaizen). Quality management will also be explored, covering Total Quality Management (TQM), quality control, and quality assurance.

2.5 External Influences

You will study how economic influences such as inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, and taxation affect businesses. You will also explore the impact of legislation related to consumer, employee, and environmental protection. Finally, you will learn about the competitive environment and how market size and structure influence business decisions.

Theme 3: Business Decisions and Strategy

This theme helps you develop an understanding of how businesses make strategic decisions to grow, remain competitive, and respond to external influences.

3.1 Business Objectives and Strategy

You will study corporate aims and mission statements and how they translate into business objectives and strategy. You will also learn about corporate strategy theories, including Ansoff’s Matrix and Porter’s Generic Strategies, as well as tools such as SWOT and PESTLE analysis.

3.2 Business Growth

You will examine the methods businesses use to grow, including organic growth, mergers, and takeovers. You will also study the advantages and disadvantages of expansion, economies and diseconomies of scale, and the importance of managing growth effectively.

3.3 Decision-Making Techniques

You will learn about quantitative decision-making techniques, including time-series analysis, investment appraisal (ARR, payback, and NPV), decision trees, and critical path analysis.

3.4 Influences on Business Decisions

You will explore how corporate culture influences business success and the potential conflicts between stakeholders and shareholders. Business ethics and corporate social responsibility (CSR) will also be considered.

3.5 Assessing Competitiveness

You will study financial ratios, including gearing and return on capital employed (ROCE), and how human resource performance indicators such as labour turnover, absenteeism, and productivity impact competitiveness.

3.6 Managing Change

You will examine the causes of change within businesses, such as growth, leadership changes, and external factors. You will also learn how businesses manage resistance to change and develop scenario planning strategies to mitigate risks.

Theme 4: Global Business

This theme helps you understand how businesses operate in global markets, adapt to international challenges, and compete on a global scale.

4.1 Globalisation

You will explore the nature and impact of globalisation, including the benefits and challenges of global trade. You will study factors contributing to globalisation, such as technology, transport, and the significance of trading blocs. You will also learn about protectionism, including tariffs, import quotas, and government regulations. The role of emerging economies and their influence on global markets will also be explored.

4.2 Global Markets and Business Expansion

You will examine push and pull factors influencing international trade, economies of scale, risk diversification, and the process of assessing foreign markets for trade and investment. You will also analyse how businesses choose production locations based on factors such as costs, infrastructure, and political stability. The impact of exchange rates and economic conditions on international expansion will be an essential area of study.

4.3 Global Marketing

You will learn about different marketing approaches, including standardisation versus adaptation strategies, ethnocentric, geocentric, and polycentric approaches, and the impact of cultural and ethical considerations on global marketing. The role of digital marketing in global business and how businesses adjust to consumer preferences across different regions will also be covered.

4.4 Multinational Corporations (MNCs)

You will study the impact of MNCs on national and local economies, the ethical considerations associated with global operations, and how governments and pressure groups influence and regulate multinational business activities. The impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability on global business decisions will also be explored in detail.

What is Covered in Edexcel A Level Business Exam Papers?

Table 1: The Edexcel A Level Business Exam Papers

Revision Resources for Edexcel A-Level Business

Everything you need to revise for Edexcel A-Level Business exams can be found below:

• Edexcel A-Level Business Revision Notes

• Edexcel A-Level Business Exam Questions

• Edexcel A-Level Business Past Papers

• Edexcel A-Level Business Flashcards

AQA A Level Business Studies Topics

AQA A Level Business Studies is divided into ten themes:

1. What is Business?

2. Managers, Leadership and Decision Making

3. Marketing Management

4. Operational Management

5. Financial Management

6. Human Resource Management

7. Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business

8. Choosing Strategic Direction

9. Strategic methods: How to Pursue Strategies

10. Managing Strategic Change

Each of these themes contains a range of topics.

Theme 1: What is Business?

This section introduces you to the fundamental concepts of business, including why businesses exist and how they operate within different environments.

1.1 Understanding the Nature and Purpose of Business

You will learn about why businesses exist and the different objectives they set, such as profit, growth, survival, and social responsibility. You will also explore the relationship between a company’s mission and its objectives, and the importance of measuring profit using key financial concepts like revenue, fixed costs, variable costs, and total costs.

1.2 Different Business Forms

You will study the different types of businesses, including sole traders, private limited companies (Ltd), public limited companies (Plc), social enterprises, and non-profit organisations. You will explore the implications of limited and unlimited liability, how ownership influences business objectives, and how share prices and dividends impact companies.

1.3 External Environment

You will examine how external factors, such as competition, economic conditions, interest rates, and demographic trends, affect business costs and demand.

Theme 2: Managers, Leadership and Decision Making

This section explores how managers make decisions and how different leadership styles impact business performance.

2.1 Management, Leadership, and Decision-Making

You will compare management and leadership and learn about different leadership styles, such as autocratic, democratic, paternalistic, and laissez-faire. You will also study the Tannenbaum-Schmidt Continuum, which explains different levels of leadership delegation.

2.2 Decision-Making Techniques

You will learn about scientific decision-making and how managers use data to reduce risks. You will study decision trees and learn to calculate expected values and net gains.

2.3 Stakeholders

You will explore the role of stakeholders, including customers, employees, and shareholders, and understand how businesses balance competing stakeholder interests using stakeholder mapping.

Theme 3: Marketing Management

This section focuses on how businesses understand customers, develop marketing strategies, and use data to make informed decisions.

3.1 Marketing Objectives

You will learn about key marketing objectives, including sales growth, market share, and brand loyalty.

3.2 Understanding Markets and Customers

You will explore market research techniques, including primary and secondary research, and learn how businesses use sampling methods such as random, stratified, and quota sampling. You will also interpret price elasticity of demand (PED) and income elasticity of demand (YED) data.

3.3 Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning (STP)

You will study how businesses segment markets based on demographic, geographic, income, and behavioural factors. You will also learn how businesses target specific markets and position their brands using market mapping.

3.4 The Marketing Mix (7Ps)

You will examine the marketing mix—product, price, place, promotion, people, process, and physical environment—and explore how businesses use it to attract customers. Topics include branding, pricing strategies (such as penetration and price skimming), and promotional methods like social media and viral marketing.

Theme 4: Operational Management

This section explores how businesses manage production, improve efficiency, and ensure quality.

4.1 Setting Operational Objectives

You will study key operational objectives such as costs, quality, speed of response, flexibility, dependability, and environmental objectives. You will explore how these objectives align with business strategy.

4.2 Analysing Operational Performance

You will learn about key performance measures such as labour productivity, unit costs, capacity utilisation, and efficiency. You will explore how businesses use these metrics to improve performance.

4.3 Increasing Efficiency and Productivity

You will study methods to improve efficiency, including lean production techniques like Just-In-Time (JIT), Kaizen (continuous improvement), and Time-Based Management. You will also examine the role of capacity utilisation and economies of scale in achieving efficiency.

4.4 Improving Quality

You will explore different approaches to quality management, such as Total Quality Management (TQM), quality assurance, and quality control. You will learn how businesses balance cost and quality to meet customer expectations.

4.5 Managing Inventory and Supply Chains

You will examine how businesses manage inventory effectively, including the use of stock control methods such as buffer stock, Just-In-Case (JIC), and Just-In-Time (JIT). You will also study supply chain management, including outsourcing, supplier relationships, and the impact of globalisation on supply chains.

Theme 5: Financial Management

This section explores how businesses manage their finances, set financial objectives and analyse financial performance.

5.1 Setting Financial Objectives

You will study financial objectives related to revenue, costs, profit, cash flow, and return on investment. You will learn how internal and external factors influence financial objectives and why they vary between businesses. You will also learn about the difference between cash flow and profit.

5.2 Analysing Financial Performance

You will learn how to construct, interpret and analyse budgets, cash flow forecasts and break even charts. In addition, you will investigate the impact of changes in variables on cash flow, the break-even point and budget variances. In this section you will also study ways to analyse profitability, including profit margins, profit from operations and profit for the year.

5.3 Sources of Finance

You will explore internal and external sources of finance, including retained profit, share capital, venture capital, loans, and overdrafts. You will examine the advantages and disadvantages of each source.

5.4 Improving Cash Flow and Profits

You will study strategies for improving cash flow, such as better credit control, managing payables and receivables, and reducing costs. You will also explore ways to increase profitability by improving revenue streams and controlling expenditure, and consider the difficulties of improving cash flow and profit.

Theme 6: Human Resource Management

This section explores how businesses manage their workforce to improve efficiency and motivation.

6.1 Setting Human Resource Objectives

You will learn about key HR objectives, including employee engagement, talent development, diversity, alignment with corporate objectives, and workforce planning. You will also study internal and external influences on HR objectives, such as legal changes, technological advancements, and economic conditions.

6.2 Analysing Human Resource Performance

You will explore key HR performance indicators, such as labour turnover, absenteeism, retention rates, and productivity. You will learn how HR analytics help businesses improve workforce efficiency and motivation.

6.3 Improving Organisational Design and Managing Human Resource Flow

You will study different organisational structures, including functional, product-based, regional and matrix structures. You will learn about influences on organisational design, such as delegation and hierarchies. You will also learn how managing the human resource flow helps meet human resource objectives.

6.4 Improving Motivation and Engagement

You will study motivation theories, including Taylor’s Scientific Management, Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, and Herzberg’s Two-Factor Theory. You will explore financial incentives such as bonuses and performance-related pay, as well as non-financial motivators like job enrichment and empowerment.

6.5 Improving Employer-Employee Relations

You will learn about the role of trade unions and works councils, collective bargaining and ACAS in resolving workplace disputes. You will explore how businesses manage conflicts and improve communication between employers and employees, as well as the value of good employer-employee relations.

Theme 7: Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business

This section explores how businesses assess their internal and external environments to develop strategies.

7.1 Mission, Corporate Objectives, and Strategy

You will learn about how businesses develop their mission statements and corporate objectives. You will also study how internal and external factors influence strategic decision-making. You will explore SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) and PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental) analysis as tools for evaluating business environments.

7.2 Analysing the existing internal position of a business to assess strengths and weaknesses: Financial ratio analysis

You will study financial performance indicators, including balance sheets, income statements, and key financial ratios such as profitability, liquidity, gearing and efficiency ratios. You will also learn how to interpret financial data to assess a company’s financial health.

7.3 Analysing the existing internal position of a business to assess strengths and weaknesses: overall performance

You will learn how to analyse data other than financial statements, such as operations, human resources and marketing data, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a business. You will learn about the importance of core competences and use methods of assessing overall business performance, such as Elkington’s Triple Bottom Line.

7.4 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities andthreats: political and legal change

You will study the impact of changes in the political and legal environment, such as government policy, regulators and employment, competition and environmental legislation, on strategic and functional decision-making.

7.5 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: economic change

You will learn how changes in the UK and the global economic environment, such as GDP, taxation, exchange rates and inflation, can affect strategic and functional decision-making. You will study  economic data, interpret changes in economic data for the UK and globally, and consider the implications of such changes for business.

7.6 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: social and technological

You will learn about the impact of the social and technological environment, such as migration, changes in consumer lifestyles and the growth of online commerce, on strategic and functional decision-making. You will study the social environment, including corporate

social responsibility, the difference between the stakeholder and shareholder concept

shareholder concept and use Carroll’s Corporate Social Responsibility pyramid.

7.7 Analysing the external environment to assess opportunities and threats: the competitive environment

You will study Porter’s five forces, including how and why these might change, and the implications of these forces for strategic and functional decision-making and profits, as well as how they shape competitive strategy.

7.8 Analysing strategic options: investment appraisal

You will learn about the main financial methods of assessing an investment: payback,

average rate of return and net present value. You will weigh up factors influencing investment decisions, such as investment criteria, non-financial factors, risk and uncertainty.

8. Choosing Strategic Direction

This section examines how businesses decide which markets to compete in and how they develop competitive strategies.

8.1 Strategic direction: choosing which markets to compete in and what products to offer

You will learn about Ansoff’s Matrix, which outlines four growth strategies: market penetration, market development, product development, and diversification. You will explore how businesses assess the risks and rewards of each approach.

8.2 Strategic positioning: choosing how to compete

You will study Porter’s Generic Strategies, which outline how businesses achieve competitive advantage through cost leadership, differentiation, or focus strategies. You will also explore the benefits of having a competitive advantage, as well as difficulties in maintaining this advantage.

9. Strategic Methods: How to Pursue Strategies

This section explores the different methods businesses use to implement their strategic plans.

9.1 Assessing a Change in Scale

You will study organic growth (expanding internally) and inorganic growth (mergers, takeovers, joint ventures). You will examine the benefits and risks of each method and their impact on stakeholders, as well as how to manage issues caused by growth and retrenchment, including economies and diseconomies of scale, economies of scope and overtrading.

9.2 Assessing Innovation

You will explore the importance of innovation in maintaining a competitive advantage. Topics include product innovation, process innovation and the ways of becoming an innovative organisation, such as Kaizen, research and development and intrapreneurship. You will also study the ways to protect innovation, including patents and trademarks.

9.3 Assessing globalisation and internationalisation

You will learn about the importance and reasons for greater globalisation, as well as the importance of emerging markets. You will study a range of methods of entering international markets, including licensing, export and direct investment. You will also study the reasons for producing more and sourcing more resources abroad and ways of managing international businesses.

9.4 Assessing greater use of digital technology

You will study the pressures to adopt digital technology, such as automation, e-commerce, big data and data mining, as well as the value of digital technology to successful businesses.

10. Managing Strategic Change

This section examines how businesses adapt to changes in their external and internal environments.

10.1 Managing change

You will learn about the pressures for, causes and value of change. You will study barriers to change as well as the values of the flexible organisation, which include restructuring, delaying and flexible working contracts.

10.2 Managing organisational culture

You will study the importance of and influences on organisational culture, using Handy’s theory to classify different types of organisational culture. You will also learn about reasons for and problems with changing organisational culture.

10.3 Managing strategic implementation

You will learn about how businesses implement strategy effectively, including the value of leadership and communication. You will also study the value of network analysis in strategic

Implementation, learning how to interpret and amend network diagrams and identify both the critical path and total float.

10.4 Problems with strategy and why strategies fail

You will compare planned and emergent strategy and learn about the reasons for strategic drift. You will also learn about the value of contingency planning and crisis management.

What is Covered in AQA A Level Business Exam Papers?

Table 2: The AQA A Level Business Exam Papers

Revision Resources for AQA A-Level Business

Everything you need to revise for AQA A-Level Business exams can be found below:

• AQA A Level Business Past Papers

OCR A-Level Business Topics

Although OCR A-Level Business is not explicitly divided into separate topics, there are eight themes around which content is often organised.

1. Introduction to business

You will learn how businesses start and grow. They operate in different sectors, including primary (natural resources), secondary (manufacturing), tertiary (services), and quaternary (research and technology). Businesses take different forms, such as sole traders, partnerships, and companies, each with its own structure.

Enterprise involves entrepreneurs using the factors of production (land, labour, capital, and enterprise) to run businesses. You will explore franchises and franchisees, where businesses expand by allowing others to operate under their brand. Businesses also grow through external growth, which includes mergers and takeovers, helping them expand quickly and increase market share.

2. Human resource management

You will learn how businesses recruit, select, train, and manage employees. Businesses structure their workforce to ensure effective communication, leadership, and motivation. They conduct training needs analysis to identify skill gaps and improve workforce performance and appraisal.

Businesses manage redundancy and dismissal, ensuring legal procedures are followed, and resolve workplace issues through grievance procedures and tribunals. Different leadership styles and motivation theories, like goal setting and excellence theory, affect employee performance. Employer-employee relations, including trade unions, influence workplace culture.

Businesses set HRM objectives to improve efficiency, manage workforce planning, and ensure a strong organisational culture. Communication is key to managing employees effectively. HR is influenced by external factors, such as employment laws, economic conditions, and technological changes, shaping HR strategies.

3. Marketing

You will learn how businesses identify and anticipate customer needs through research and data analysis. The marketing mix consists of product, price, place, and promotion, helping businesses develop effective marketing campaigns.

Businesses use normal distribution and standard deviation to analyse customer behaviour and predict demand. The product life cycle explains how products go through different stages, and businesses apply extension strategies to maintain sales. Marketing decisions are influenced by buyer behaviour models and the unique challenges of service marketing.

External factors, such as competition, economic trends, and legal regulations, affect marketing. Businesses create a marketing strategy to stay competitive and set marketing objectives to guide their efforts. They evaluate their brand, pricing strategies, and advertising effectiveness to improve performance and attract customers.

4. Accounting and finance

You will learn how businesses manage their finances, starting with sources of finance, such as bank loans, retained profits, and investments. Businesses track costs, revenue, and profit using different costing methods and measure performance with cost and profit centres.

Break-even analysis helps businesses determine when they will start making a profit. Investment appraisal supports decision-making on new projects, while budgets and variances help businesses control spending. Managing cash flow and working capital ensures financial stability.

Businesses produce income statements and statements of financial position to assess financial health. Ratio analysis measures profitability, efficiency, and shareholder value. Depreciation accounts for asset value reduction over time. External factors, such as taxation and economic conditions, influence financial decisions, shaping the finance strategy businesses use to remain profitable.

5. Production process

You will learn about how businesses produce goods and services efficiently while maintaining high standards. Different methods of production, such as job, batch, and flow production, suit different products. Services focus on customer experience rather than physical goods.

Businesses aim to increase productivity and add value while managing economies and diseconomies of scale. They optimise capacity utilisation to prevent waste and use lean production to improve efficiency. Stock control systems, such as Just-in-Time (JIT), help manage inventory effectively.

Businesses maintain internal and external quality standards to meet customer expectations. Operations management objectives focus on improving performance, supported by innovation, research, and development. Technology improves efficiency, while location and logistics influence customer service. External factors, such as regulations and environmental concerns, impact operations strategies.

6. External Influences

You will explore how businesses are affected by external factors, including demand and supply, which determine pricing and production levels. The market includes different structures, sizes, shares, and growth rates, all of which influence competition. Some businesses gain market dominance, while others operate in highly competitive environments.

Businesses operate in physical and non-physical markets, such as retail stores and online platforms. Global context is crucial, as international trade, multinational corporations, and global strategies shape business success. Political, economic, social, technological, ethical, legal, and environmental factors (PESTLE) also impact business decisions.

The European Union influences trade laws, regulations, and business policies for companies operating within its member states. Emerging markets and the global environment create opportunities for business expansion, investment, and economic growth in developing countries. The digital revolution has transformed how businesses operate, affecting marketing, production, customer interactions, and data management.

7. Business objectives and strategy

You will learn how businesses set goals and make strategic decisions. Business objectives and stakeholders influence decision-making. Businesses create business plans to outline strategies and consider risk and uncertainty when making decisions.

Businesses measure success using financial and non-financial performance indicators such as profit, market share, and customer satisfaction. Decision-making models, like decision trees and Ansoff’s Matrix, help businesses plan for growth. Mission statements define business values, while corporate social responsibility (CSR) ensures ethical operations.

Strategic planning includes opportunity cost analysis, contingency planning, and crisis management to prepare for unexpected events. Models of strategic choice guide decision-making, helping businesses implement effective strategies while balancing potential conflicts.

8. Change

You will learn why businesses must adapt to change and how they manage it. Changes occur due to new technology, customer preferences, economic shifts, and competition. Managing change ensures that employees adjust effectively, helping businesses remain competitive.

What is Covered in OCR A-Level Business Exam Papers?

Table 3: The OCR A Level Business Exam Papers

Revision Resources for OCR GCSE Business Studies

Everything you need to revise for OCR GCSE Business Studies exams can be found below:

• OCR GCSE Business Studies Past Papers

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