[ File Resource ]
- Title: Business Studies Learning Matrix
- Description: Business Studies Learning Matrix
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-07/BUS%20Learning%20Matrix.pdf?VersionId=2ARvUmyJmm57VxGgBI2Y.xbEVRnVZDsh
- File Extension: pdf
- File Size: 249KB
- Business Studies Learning Matrix.pdf
- Description: Business Studies Learning Matrix
Business Studies Learning Matrix
What is Business Studies about?
Subject-specific terms can be found in the glossary.
Ākonga in Business Studies will learn the fundamental concepts viable businesses use to make decisions and improve business operations over time to become sustainable and successful. Sustainability and success in business involves aspiring to meet the multiple bottom line: people, planet, profit, and purpose. Through innovation, informed decision-making, critical and creative problem-solving, effective communication, and whakawhanaungatanga, ākonga will understand how businesses balance and prioritise each aspect of the multiple bottom line in order to respond and adapt to internal and external factors.
By allowing ākonga to apply business knowledge and theory to practical, hands-on learning that draws from their personal strengths and abilities, Business Studies aims to equip them with essential life skills that foster an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset. The subject helps to build financial literacy, interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication, and resilience, as well as encouraging curiosity and creativity to find better ways of doing things for the benefit of all. Ultimately, businesses are about people, and whether they be the customers who generate profit or the employees who drive production, these stakeholders should be at the forefront of all business planning and decision-making. With this knowledge, ākonga will recognise how their businesses can contribute to the economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Subject-specific terms can be found in the glossary.
Ākonga in Business Studies will learn the fundamental concepts viable businesses use to make decisions and improve business operations over time to become sustainable and successful. Sustainability and success in business involves aspiring to meet the multiple bottom line: people, planet, profit, and purpose. Through innovation, informed decision-making, critical and creative problem-solving, effective communication, and whakawhanaungatanga, ākonga will understand how businesses balance and prioritise each aspect of the multiple bottom line in order to respond and adapt to internal and external factors.
By allowing ākonga to apply business knowledge and theory to practical, hands-on learning that draws from their personal strengths and abilities, Business Studies aims to equip them with essential life skills that foster an innovative and entrepreneurial mindset. The subject helps to build financial literacy, interpersonal skills, written and verbal communication, and resilience, as well as encouraging curiosity and creativity to find better ways of doing things for the benefit of all. Ultimately, businesses are about people, and whether they be the customers who generate profit or the employees who drive production, these stakeholders should be at the forefront of all business planning and decision-making. With this knowledge, ākonga will recognise how their businesses can contribute to the economic, social, environmental, and cultural wellbeing of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Big Ideas and Significant Learning
This section outlines the meaning of, and connection between, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning, which together form the Learning Matrix. It then explains each Business Studies Big Idea.
The Social Sciences Learning Area, including its whakatauākī, inform this subject’s Significant Learning – learning that is critical for students to know, understand, and do in a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes. It also includes level-appropriate contexts students should encounter in their Level 7 learning. The Learning Area's whakatauākī is:
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?
Whakatairangitia – rere ki uta, rere ki tai;
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing?
Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea;
Ask me, “What is the greatest thing in the world?”
I will reply, “It is people, people, people!”Nā, Meri Ngāroto, Te Aupōuri (1830s)
This whakatauākī is central to the study of business. Through the whakatauākī, we see and understand how people and land are essential to business and must be preserved for a business to be viable and sustainable. For our subject, the harakeke is the people, and the heart of the harakeke is the wellbeing of people, as well as the environment.
We must protect the centre of the harakeke as the heart of the whānau. If we remove the heart of the harakeke, it will not survive. This notion reflects how people are the mauri of all businesses and how it is the stakeholders, both internal and external, who embody the pūtake of a business and drive its viability, sustainability, growth, and success. It is crucial for any business to develop an organisational culture that is built upon establishing ethical relationships and fostering wellbeing, as well as effective leadership and communication.
Furthermore, businesses must also develop respectful and ethical relationships with the land and the natural resources it draws from for its operations, and act through kaitiakitanga to preserve these resources for future generations, including businesspeople, communities, and whānau. This comes through informed decision-making and innovation that looks toward diverse worldviews and frameworks for inspiration to evolve the world of business toward models built upon manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. Thus, in business, acting with whakawhanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, and aroha always in mind, we protect the heart of the harakeke.
The endangered kōmako represents our ākonga. Regenerative, responsible, and revitalising business will allow ākonga to engage with and observe the world around them. Ākonga will be able to sing their song and live their lives from a place that is strong, secure, and supportive; one that has been nurtured by generations before them. Our ākonga will spread the seeds of the harakeke so the entire harakeke garden thrives.
The Social Sciences whakatauākī carries wisdom about creating a place and a space that is strong, that has future generations in mind, as well as the wellbeing of, and our connection to, the natural environment. We are the trustees for future generations and must carry that responsibility and those obligations in the centre of our being.
The subject's Big Ideas and Significant Learning are collated into a Learning Matrix for Curriculum Level 7 and indicative learning for Level 8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct learning programmes that cover all the not-to-be-missed learning in a subject.
There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each Level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that students are particularly interested in. This context must relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas.
There are four Big Ideas in Business Studies. The nature of this subject as a discipline means aspects of Significant Learning often cross over multiple Big Ideas, and vice versa.
This section outlines the meaning of, and connection between, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning, which together form the Learning Matrix. It then explains each Business Studies Big Idea.
The Social Sciences Learning Area, including its whakatauākī, inform this subject’s Significant Learning – learning that is critical for students to know, understand, and do in a subject by the end of each Curriculum Level. This covers knowledge, skills, competencies, and attitudes. It also includes level-appropriate contexts students should encounter in their Level 7 learning. The Learning Area's whakatauākī is:
Unuhia te rito o te harakeke kei whea te kōmako e kō?
Whakatairangitia – rere ki uta, rere ki tai;
Ui mai koe ki ahau he aha te mea nui o te ao,
Māku e kī atu he tangata, he tangata, he tangata!Remove the heart of the flax bush and where will the kōmako sing?
Proclaim it to the land, proclaim it to the sea;
Ask me, “What is the greatest thing in the world?”
I will reply, “It is people, people, people!”Nā, Meri Ngāroto, Te Aupōuri (1830s)
This whakatauākī is central to the study of business. Through the whakatauākī, we see and understand how people and land are essential to business and must be preserved for a business to be viable and sustainable. For our subject, the harakeke is the people, and the heart of the harakeke is the wellbeing of people, as well as the environment.
We must protect the centre of the harakeke as the heart of the whānau. If we remove the heart of the harakeke, it will not survive. This notion reflects how people are the mauri of all businesses and how it is the stakeholders, both internal and external, who embody the pūtake of a business and drive its viability, sustainability, growth, and success. It is crucial for any business to develop an organisational culture that is built upon establishing ethical relationships and fostering wellbeing, as well as effective leadership and communication.
Furthermore, businesses must also develop respectful and ethical relationships with the land and the natural resources it draws from for its operations, and act through kaitiakitanga to preserve these resources for future generations, including businesspeople, communities, and whānau. This comes through informed decision-making and innovation that looks toward diverse worldviews and frameworks for inspiration to evolve the world of business toward models built upon manaakitanga and whanaungatanga. Thus, in business, acting with whakawhanaungatanga, kaitiakitanga, and aroha always in mind, we protect the heart of the harakeke.
The endangered kōmako represents our ākonga. Regenerative, responsible, and revitalising business will allow ākonga to engage with and observe the world around them. Ākonga will be able to sing their song and live their lives from a place that is strong, secure, and supportive; one that has been nurtured by generations before them. Our ākonga will spread the seeds of the harakeke so the entire harakeke garden thrives.
The Social Sciences whakatauākī carries wisdom about creating a place and a space that is strong, that has future generations in mind, as well as the wellbeing of, and our connection to, the natural environment. We are the trustees for future generations and must carry that responsibility and those obligations in the centre of our being.
The subject's Big Ideas and Significant Learning are collated into a Learning Matrix for Curriculum Level 7 and indicative learning for Level 8. Teachers can use the Learning Matrix as a tool to construct learning programmes that cover all the not-to-be-missed learning in a subject.
There is no prescribed order to the Learning Matrix within each Level. A programme of learning might begin with a context that is relevant to the local area of the school or an idea that students are particularly interested in. This context must relate to at least one Big Idea and may also link to other Big Ideas.
There are four Big Ideas in Business Studies. The nature of this subject as a discipline means aspects of Significant Learning often cross over multiple Big Ideas, and vice versa.
Big Idea Body:
Through entrepreneurship, new businesses and opportunities emerge that adapt and respond to contemporary issues in unique and creative ways. Through innovation, businesses can develop new products and services, as well as strategies to improve operations, thereby enhancing the lives of their stakeholders and the communities of which they are a part of – such as creating jobs and paying taxes. This creates avenues where the lives of stakeholders can be enhanced, whether it’s finding effective ways of increasing the productivity of its employees, innovating towards environmental sustainability to rise to the challenges of climate change, or meeting the ever-changing needs of its customers.
Innovation and entrepreneurship can help strengthen the identity, reputation, influence, and mana of a business, reflecting its pūtake and core values. Ākonga in Business Studies will recognise how being innovators and entrepreneurs allows them to make a positive contribution to society, and how businesses can have a beneficial impact on people and place through doing things differently and providing effective solutions for communities.
Societies grow and evolve within a process of constant change and businesses must be able to respond and adapt to changes both internal and external - such as the rapid advancement of technology, which is a primary driver of innovation. Ākonga will be encouraged to explore the technology of business and what emerging tools and platforms may allow them to build and operate a business in new and inspiring ways. Responding and adapting to technological advancements gives businesses an edge over their competitors, future-proofs operations, and allows them to take advantage of emerging trends, including digital marketing and online customer engagement. This also provides opportunity to develop more efficient and environmentally conscious methods of production, and highlights how both internal and external factors influence and impact each other in ways both predictable and unexpected.
Innovation and entrepreneurship lead to improved outcomes for society
Through entrepreneurship, new businesses and opportunities emerge that adapt and respond to contemporary issues in unique and creative ways. Through innovation, businesses can develop new products and services, as well as strategies to improve operations, thereby enhancing the lives of their stakeholders and the communities of which they are a part of – such as creating jobs and paying taxes. This creates avenues where the lives of stakeholders can be enhanced, whether it’s finding effective ways of increasing the productivity of its employees, innovating towards environmental sustainability to rise to the challenges of climate change, or meeting the ever-changing needs of its customers.
Innovation and entrepreneurship can help strengthen the identity, reputation, influence, and mana of a business, reflecting its pūtake and core values. Ākonga in Business Studies will recognise how being innovators and entrepreneurs allows them to make a positive contribution to society, and how businesses can have a beneficial impact on people and place through doing things differently and providing effective solutions for communities.
Societies grow and evolve within a process of constant change and businesses must be able to respond and adapt to changes both internal and external - such as the rapid advancement of technology, which is a primary driver of innovation. Ākonga will be encouraged to explore the technology of business and what emerging tools and platforms may allow them to build and operate a business in new and inspiring ways. Responding and adapting to technological advancements gives businesses an edge over their competitors, future-proofs operations, and allows them to take advantage of emerging trends, including digital marketing and online customer engagement. This also provides opportunity to develop more efficient and environmentally conscious methods of production, and highlights how both internal and external factors influence and impact each other in ways both predictable and unexpected.
Big Idea Body:
Businesses are a subset of society and kāpuia with other subsets, such as government, economies, environments, communities, suppliers, households, customers, shareholders, and so on. These subsets all coexist in a network of manaakitanga with one another and can feed into each other’s growth and wellbeing. New businesses entering this system must consider all these subsets when making decisions. Emerging technologies have made it easier for businesses based in Aotearoa New Zealand to reach a global market where, in order to operate successfully at this scale, they must be able to make connections with stakeholders within other nations and cultures. No business operates in complete isolation, as it relies upon the functioning of this network through collaboration and whakawhanaungatanga to remain sustainable and successful.
By recognising this, ākonga will understand how these subsets all intertwine and contribute to each other and how none of them should be taken for granted. Whether it’s the environmental aspects of a business, such as the limited resources it draws from for its everyday operations, or governmental factors, such as policies and legislations, these diverse subsets only work well when they work together. Therefore, effective communication and planning, as well as an ethical, future-focused, and innovative mindset, are valued assets in the operation and growth of a business, contributing to the societal network it is a part of.
Manaakitanga and collaboration enable business success, as businesses coexist within a network of interdependent stakeholders
Businesses are a subset of society and kāpuia with other subsets, such as government, economies, environments, communities, suppliers, households, customers, shareholders, and so on. These subsets all coexist in a network of manaakitanga with one another and can feed into each other’s growth and wellbeing. New businesses entering this system must consider all these subsets when making decisions. Emerging technologies have made it easier for businesses based in Aotearoa New Zealand to reach a global market where, in order to operate successfully at this scale, they must be able to make connections with stakeholders within other nations and cultures. No business operates in complete isolation, as it relies upon the functioning of this network through collaboration and whakawhanaungatanga to remain sustainable and successful.
By recognising this, ākonga will understand how these subsets all intertwine and contribute to each other and how none of them should be taken for granted. Whether it’s the environmental aspects of a business, such as the limited resources it draws from for its everyday operations, or governmental factors, such as policies and legislations, these diverse subsets only work well when they work together. Therefore, effective communication and planning, as well as an ethical, future-focused, and innovative mindset, are valued assets in the operation and growth of a business, contributing to the societal network it is a part of.
Big Idea Body:
Businesses constantly look toward the future to stay ahead of their competition and minimise the impacts of internal and external factors. There is always room for businesses to improve and build on their organisational culture and internal operations. The sustainability of a business emerges from its ability to account for and, ideally, balance the multiple bottom line. This currently consists of four aspects:
People - Stakeholders (such as customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, communities, iwi, hapū, and whānau) who engage, and form relationships, with a business.
Planet - How a business situates itself in the natural environment as kaitiakitanga, including the limited resources it may use to produce its goods and how a business operates to minimise its environmental impact.
Profit - The financial capital of a business that allows it to survive, thrive, expand, and innovate.
Purpose - A business's reason for being and its overall aspirations as a provider of goods and services. This ties together the multiple bottom line as a whole and can be synonymous with pūtake, which represents the people (stakeholders) at the heart of a business's operations, as well as its values, vision, goals, and identity as an organisation.
By aspiring to balance the multiple bottom line, businesses can aim to move beyond viability and towards sustainability. As the landscape of the business world continues to change, so too will the multiple bottom line, and we may expect to see new bottom lines added in future to address emerging issues that businesses may face. In order to survive and remain sustainable, a business must be able to evolve with society, the environment, culture, finance, and technology.
It is a reality that all businesses must first be sustainable in their financials (profit) to achieve its initial viability in the market, and this is a vital component of business that all ākonga must keep in mind. However, without keeping the other aspects of the multiple bottom line in check, businesses can quickly become unsustainable. Learning how to maintain this balance leads to successful businesses that encourage wellbeing and offer a positive contribution to society.
The tikanga and pūtake of a business influences its multiple bottom line – people, planet, profit, and purpose
Businesses constantly look toward the future to stay ahead of their competition and minimise the impacts of internal and external factors. There is always room for businesses to improve and build on their organisational culture and internal operations. The sustainability of a business emerges from its ability to account for and, ideally, balance the multiple bottom line. This currently consists of four aspects:
People - Stakeholders (such as customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, communities, iwi, hapū, and whānau) who engage, and form relationships, with a business.
Planet - How a business situates itself in the natural environment as kaitiakitanga, including the limited resources it may use to produce its goods and how a business operates to minimise its environmental impact.
Profit - The financial capital of a business that allows it to survive, thrive, expand, and innovate.
Purpose - A business's reason for being and its overall aspirations as a provider of goods and services. This ties together the multiple bottom line as a whole and can be synonymous with pūtake, which represents the people (stakeholders) at the heart of a business's operations, as well as its values, vision, goals, and identity as an organisation.
By aspiring to balance the multiple bottom line, businesses can aim to move beyond viability and towards sustainability. As the landscape of the business world continues to change, so too will the multiple bottom line, and we may expect to see new bottom lines added in future to address emerging issues that businesses may face. In order to survive and remain sustainable, a business must be able to evolve with society, the environment, culture, finance, and technology.
It is a reality that all businesses must first be sustainable in their financials (profit) to achieve its initial viability in the market, and this is a vital component of business that all ākonga must keep in mind. However, without keeping the other aspects of the multiple bottom line in check, businesses can quickly become unsustainable. Learning how to maintain this balance leads to successful businesses that encourage wellbeing and offer a positive contribution to society.
Big Idea Body:
Businesses are about people. They are relied upon to provide products and services to customers, income for staff, and employment opportunities for towns and cities. They can create wealth, improve wellbeing, and raise living standards through innovation, supporting communities, and reflecting the Aotearoa New Zealand Government’s wellbeing framework, which is guided by the Treasury’s Living Standards Framework. Here, ākonga are encouraged to find innovative ways to balance the natural environment, social cohesion, human capability, and financial and physical capital to contribute to the overall wealth of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Businesses can support their employees through their culture and ethics, aspiring toward cultural sustainability, practising whakawhanaungatanga, and taking a whare tapa whā approach to staff wellbeing. They can be kaitiaki for the environment and a positive voice in social issues through sponsorships and charity events. Businesses partake in ethical competition and may even form partnerships with other businesses, as well as working with governments and councils to address their legal and regulatory responsibilities.
It is therefore vital that ākonga in Business Studies attain and develop the knowledge, skills, and resilience required to be effective leaders and communicators. Networking, deal-making, recruitment, and marketing all require whakawhanaungatanga and the ability to express ideas clearly, concisely, and in a way that commands attention. As well as being core skills that every aspiring business owner must have, these are also fundamental attributes of entrepreneurship, and allow for innovative ideas to get the funding they need to become a reality. Leadership and communication are also vital contributors to a positive, supportive, and productive organisational culture, feeding into the internal factors that make up the core of business operations.
Business culture is built upon establishing ethical relationships and fostering wellbeing, as well as effective leadership and communication
Businesses are about people. They are relied upon to provide products and services to customers, income for staff, and employment opportunities for towns and cities. They can create wealth, improve wellbeing, and raise living standards through innovation, supporting communities, and reflecting the Aotearoa New Zealand Government’s wellbeing framework, which is guided by the Treasury’s Living Standards Framework. Here, ākonga are encouraged to find innovative ways to balance the natural environment, social cohesion, human capability, and financial and physical capital to contribute to the overall wealth of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Businesses can support their employees through their culture and ethics, aspiring toward cultural sustainability, practising whakawhanaungatanga, and taking a whare tapa whā approach to staff wellbeing. They can be kaitiaki for the environment and a positive voice in social issues through sponsorships and charity events. Businesses partake in ethical competition and may even form partnerships with other businesses, as well as working with governments and councils to address their legal and regulatory responsibilities.
It is therefore vital that ākonga in Business Studies attain and develop the knowledge, skills, and resilience required to be effective leaders and communicators. Networking, deal-making, recruitment, and marketing all require whakawhanaungatanga and the ability to express ideas clearly, concisely, and in a way that commands attention. As well as being core skills that every aspiring business owner must have, these are also fundamental attributes of entrepreneurship, and allow for innovative ideas to get the funding they need to become a reality. Leadership and communication are also vital contributors to a positive, supportive, and productive organisational culture, feeding into the internal factors that make up the core of business operations.
Key Competencies in Business Studies
Developing Key Competencies through Business Studies
Business education provides meaningful contexts for developing Key Competencies from The New Zealand Curriculum. These Key Competencies are woven through, and embedded in, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning. For example, Big Ideas and Significant Learning may delve into critical thinking and analysis, collaborating and building relationships, and/or exploring cultures and identity.
Thinking
Students of Business Studies will:
- analyse the impacts of business decisions on stakeholders and the environment
- use market analysis and business concepts (such as SWOT or Org charts) to engage in thinking processes and make informed decisions
- engage with a variety of businesses through the value chain, within different sectors of the economy and within local community contexts
- be encouraged to seek and listen to business expertise within their local community – such as business mentors and local business owners – and select the best advice to inform business decisions
- make connections to their whānau, hapu, and iwi for authentic and local community contexts
- reflect on how business operations and strategies could be changed to improve in the future
- use creative thinking and problem-solving to develop business ideas and provide solutions as to how a business will respond to a variety of issues within various contexts
- set multiple bottom line business objectives to look at operations from more than one perspective and learn to think using sustainable approaches.
Using language, symbols, and text
Students of Business Studies will:
- interpret a range of information – including different business case studies – to compare and contrast different business decisions, understand different perspectives, and inform decision-making
- select appropriate information, language, symbols, and text when preparing a business pitch, an annual review etc
- show cultural intelligence when researching and interpreting information
- use appropriate communication methods and styles and language when engaging with external stakeholders
- use spreadsheets and accounting software for financial planning and monitoring
- create surveys and present and interpret research results using graphs and infographics
- analyse, carry out, and interpret primary and secondary research results on market trends and competitors and reflect on the limitations of information.
Relating to others
Students of Business Studies will:
- build relationships and consult with advisors, mentors, tuakana, and business owners
- understand diverse cultural perspectives and values (eg Māori and Pacific)
- recognise appropriate cultural protocols, as well as processes to avoid, by examining business mishaps from real-world examples
- develop skills in active listening and negotiation
- interview potential customers through focus groups and empathy interviews
- discover the methods and tools needed to reach a target market
- understand demographics (age, identity, geography, income levels etc) and psychographics (attitudes, behaviours, values, beliefs etc) by investigating target markets
- collaborate, communicate, and work within a group, recognising the strengths, skills, views, ideas, and perspectives of their peers
- be exposed to a variety of results from market research analysis to see how their assumptions are either validated or challenged (eg digital literacy levels in their target market).
Managing self
Students of Business Studies will:
- practise timely correspondence with different stakeholders
- recognise where their own experiences fit within the business world, work to their own strengths and abilities, and understand that their experiences have value and meaning
- undertake project work where learning, deadlines, and check-ins are set over a period of time, working individually to complete tasks allocated to a business role
- develop entrepreneurial qualities (eg a 'can do' attitude, risk-taking, growth mindset, resilience etc)
- work with a budget
- set SMART goals and review progress against them
- take on leadership roles for practical business decision-making and problem-solving.
Participating and contributing
Students of Business Studies will:
- consider Māori and Pacific values as part of business operations
- use local businesses and community contexts in their learning and research (eg visiting local businesses to carry out case studies)
- listen and contribute to the perspectives of others and engage in business decision-making through talanoa and group work
- develop communication skills in business contexts (eg writing meeting agendas, taking minutes, customer and supplier relations, reporting etc)
- bring their own lived experience, cultural capital, and relationships to their learning
- explore and expand upon the concept of citizenship
- respond to changing internal and external factors in the formation of business plans
- share skills that can be that can be related to written and financial strengths (ie peer-to-peer learning and sharing).
Key Competencies
This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.
Developing Key Competencies through Business Studies
Business education provides meaningful contexts for developing Key Competencies from The New Zealand Curriculum. These Key Competencies are woven through, and embedded in, the Big Ideas and Significant Learning. For example, Big Ideas and Significant Learning may delve into critical thinking and analysis, collaborating and building relationships, and/or exploring cultures and identity.
Thinking
Students of Business Studies will:
- analyse the impacts of business decisions on stakeholders and the environment
- use market analysis and business concepts (such as SWOT or Org charts) to engage in thinking processes and make informed decisions
- engage with a variety of businesses through the value chain, within different sectors of the economy and within local community contexts
- be encouraged to seek and listen to business expertise within their local community – such as business mentors and local business owners – and select the best advice to inform business decisions
- make connections to their whānau, hapu, and iwi for authentic and local community contexts
- reflect on how business operations and strategies could be changed to improve in the future
- use creative thinking and problem-solving to develop business ideas and provide solutions as to how a business will respond to a variety of issues within various contexts
- set multiple bottom line business objectives to look at operations from more than one perspective and learn to think using sustainable approaches.
Using language, symbols, and text
Students of Business Studies will:
- interpret a range of information – including different business case studies – to compare and contrast different business decisions, understand different perspectives, and inform decision-making
- select appropriate information, language, symbols, and text when preparing a business pitch, an annual review etc
- show cultural intelligence when researching and interpreting information
- use appropriate communication methods and styles and language when engaging with external stakeholders
- use spreadsheets and accounting software for financial planning and monitoring
- create surveys and present and interpret research results using graphs and infographics
- analyse, carry out, and interpret primary and secondary research results on market trends and competitors and reflect on the limitations of information.
Relating to others
Students of Business Studies will:
- build relationships and consult with advisors, mentors, tuakana, and business owners
- understand diverse cultural perspectives and values (eg Māori and Pacific)
- recognise appropriate cultural protocols, as well as processes to avoid, by examining business mishaps from real-world examples
- develop skills in active listening and negotiation
- interview potential customers through focus groups and empathy interviews
- discover the methods and tools needed to reach a target market
- understand demographics (age, identity, geography, income levels etc) and psychographics (attitudes, behaviours, values, beliefs etc) by investigating target markets
- collaborate, communicate, and work within a group, recognising the strengths, skills, views, ideas, and perspectives of their peers
- be exposed to a variety of results from market research analysis to see how their assumptions are either validated or challenged (eg digital literacy levels in their target market).
Managing self
Students of Business Studies will:
- practise timely correspondence with different stakeholders
- recognise where their own experiences fit within the business world, work to their own strengths and abilities, and understand that their experiences have value and meaning
- undertake project work where learning, deadlines, and check-ins are set over a period of time, working individually to complete tasks allocated to a business role
- develop entrepreneurial qualities (eg a 'can do' attitude, risk-taking, growth mindset, resilience etc)
- work with a budget
- set SMART goals and review progress against them
- take on leadership roles for practical business decision-making and problem-solving.
Participating and contributing
Students of Business Studies will:
- consider Māori and Pacific values as part of business operations
- use local businesses and community contexts in their learning and research (eg visiting local businesses to carry out case studies)
- listen and contribute to the perspectives of others and engage in business decision-making through talanoa and group work
- develop communication skills in business contexts (eg writing meeting agendas, taking minutes, customer and supplier relations, reporting etc)
- bring their own lived experience, cultural capital, and relationships to their learning
- explore and expand upon the concept of citizenship
- respond to changing internal and external factors in the formation of business plans
- share skills that can be that can be related to written and financial strengths (ie peer-to-peer learning and sharing).
Key Competencies
This section of The New Zealand Curriculum Online offers specific guidance to school leaders and teachers on integrating the Key Competencies into the daily activities of the school and its Teaching and Learning Programmes.
Connections
Business Studies is a multi-disciplinary subject. It draws from, and complements, many other subjects across all Learning Areas. Ākonga will have the opportunity, and are strongly encouraged, to apply the transferable knowledge and skills from other subjects to their Business Studies learning, as drawing from a diverse range of disciplines contributes to an adaptable, future-focused, innovative, and entrepreneurial mindset.
In particular, Business Studies has a clear connection with the following subjects:
Within the Social Sciences, the other Commerce-related subjects of Accounting, Agribusiness, Economics, and Tourism all have clear connections and crossovers in knowledges and skillsets.
Furthermore, there are potential connections with Media Studies (within the fields of advertising, social media, digital marketing, and analysis of popular culture trends and fashion), as well as Social Studies (within fields such as Sociology and the study of communities and consumer behaviour).
Within Mathematics and Statistics, ākonga can gain the numeracy skills required to effectively work with financial data, manage resources and supplies, and undertake robust business planning and forecasting.
Within Science, Earth and Space Science can contribute to understanding of environmental factors for businesses such as climate change and how to manage natural resources.
Within Technology, Design and Visual Communication contributes significantly to knowledge and skills required for product design and innovation. Furthermore, Materials and Processing Technology provides understanding of production and manufacturing processes. And Digital Technology can provide computer literacy that contribute to gaining skills in internal business technologies and emerging technologies that may give a competitive edge.
Within the Arts, Design will give ākonga an understanding of branding and brand identity in the creation of logos and graphics.
Within Learning Languages, ākonga gain the knowledge and proficiency in diverse languages to engage with stakeholders across nations, cultures, and demographics.
Within Health and PE, ākonga can apply their knowledge of issues surrounding wellbeing to organisational culture and leadership responsibilities in business.
Business Studies is a multi-disciplinary subject. It draws from, and complements, many other subjects across all Learning Areas. Ākonga will have the opportunity, and are strongly encouraged, to apply the transferable knowledge and skills from other subjects to their Business Studies learning, as drawing from a diverse range of disciplines contributes to an adaptable, future-focused, innovative, and entrepreneurial mindset.
In particular, Business Studies has a clear connection with the following subjects:
Within the Social Sciences, the other Commerce-related subjects of Accounting, Agribusiness, Economics, and Tourism all have clear connections and crossovers in knowledges and skillsets.
Furthermore, there are potential connections with Media Studies (within the fields of advertising, social media, digital marketing, and analysis of popular culture trends and fashion), as well as Social Studies (within fields such as Sociology and the study of communities and consumer behaviour).
Within Mathematics and Statistics, ākonga can gain the numeracy skills required to effectively work with financial data, manage resources and supplies, and undertake robust business planning and forecasting.
Within Science, Earth and Space Science can contribute to understanding of environmental factors for businesses such as climate change and how to manage natural resources.
Within Technology, Design and Visual Communication contributes significantly to knowledge and skills required for product design and innovation. Furthermore, Materials and Processing Technology provides understanding of production and manufacturing processes. And Digital Technology can provide computer literacy that contribute to gaining skills in internal business technologies and emerging technologies that may give a competitive edge.
Within the Arts, Design will give ākonga an understanding of branding and brand identity in the creation of logos and graphics.
Within Learning Languages, ākonga gain the knowledge and proficiency in diverse languages to engage with stakeholders across nations, cultures, and demographics.
Within Health and PE, ākonga can apply their knowledge of issues surrounding wellbeing to organisational culture and leadership responsibilities in business.
Learning Pathway
Business Studies provides ākonga with a wealth of transferable skills and knowledge that they can apply to any career path they desire. While business theory is certainly an important aspect of the subject, it is the tangible skills and application of business concepts that will be the primary focus.
Whether it is the financial literacy developed when engaging in the monetary responsibilities of a business or the interpersonal skills fostered through stakeholder relationships and business culture, this subject aims to equip ākonga with the tools necessary succeed within the world of work. They will be encouraged to aim high, think outside the box, persevere, take informed risks, and have confidence in themselves and their business ideas to become entrepreneurs and business owners. However, even if their study or career aspirations lead them away from the field of business, they will still have developed abilities and competencies to help them navigate their professional lives with greater confidence and resilience.
Much of the hands-on learning in Business Studies can revolve around ākonga running their own businesses alongside their peers – planning, carrying out, and evaluating. There is also encouragement to reach out to local businesses and research their operations.
Ākonga who are naturally talented in verbal communication can succeed in business, as kaiako are encouraged to work to the individual strengths of a student and acknowledge their diverse backgrounds and abilities.
A combination of the aforementioned skills and strengths results in capable businesspeople. This subject therefore equips ākonga well for life beyond secondary school, where they can transition into either tertiary or industry pathways with the fundamental tools for success.
There will be opportunities to pitch ideas to businesspeople, developing presentation skills, confidence, and resilience. Resilience and perseverance are shown throughout the year when challenges to business operations emerge and ākonga have to make informed decisions on how to respond and adapt to them. Business Studies builds and nurtures entrepreneurial skills, and ākonga are encouraged to think bigger than 'climbing the corporate ladder', toward starting their own businesses and developing their own innovative ideas. Leadership skills can be evidenced by the student's ability to make decisions and solve problems in different areas, as well as their demonstration of effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Business Studies provides ākonga with a wealth of transferable skills and knowledge that they can apply to any career path they desire. While business theory is certainly an important aspect of the subject, it is the tangible skills and application of business concepts that will be the primary focus.
Whether it is the financial literacy developed when engaging in the monetary responsibilities of a business or the interpersonal skills fostered through stakeholder relationships and business culture, this subject aims to equip ākonga with the tools necessary succeed within the world of work. They will be encouraged to aim high, think outside the box, persevere, take informed risks, and have confidence in themselves and their business ideas to become entrepreneurs and business owners. However, even if their study or career aspirations lead them away from the field of business, they will still have developed abilities and competencies to help them navigate their professional lives with greater confidence and resilience.
Much of the hands-on learning in Business Studies can revolve around ākonga running their own businesses alongside their peers – planning, carrying out, and evaluating. There is also encouragement to reach out to local businesses and research their operations.
Ākonga who are naturally talented in verbal communication can succeed in business, as kaiako are encouraged to work to the individual strengths of a student and acknowledge their diverse backgrounds and abilities.
A combination of the aforementioned skills and strengths results in capable businesspeople. This subject therefore equips ākonga well for life beyond secondary school, where they can transition into either tertiary or industry pathways with the fundamental tools for success.
There will be opportunities to pitch ideas to businesspeople, developing presentation skills, confidence, and resilience. Resilience and perseverance are shown throughout the year when challenges to business operations emerge and ākonga have to make informed decisions on how to respond and adapt to them. Business Studies builds and nurtures entrepreneurial skills, and ākonga are encouraged to think bigger than 'climbing the corporate ladder', toward starting their own businesses and developing their own innovative ideas. Leadership skills can be evidenced by the student's ability to make decisions and solve problems in different areas, as well as their demonstration of effective communication and interpersonal skills.
Document List: [{"file_url":"https:\/\/ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/2022-08\/BUS%20Course%20Outline%201.docx?VersionId=qGrTxwOWtptCRAvGOkPYd5iBYZIGM1yB","file_size":64697},{"file_url":"https:\/\/ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com\/s3fs-public\/2022-08\/BUS%20Course%20Outline%202.docx?VersionId=n6n1C38yENFmhoxYQvDT81tg9P8oDbUs","file_size":62027}]
Documents Count: 2
[ File Resource ]
- Title: BUS Course Outline 1
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-08/BUS%20Course%20Outline%201.docx?VersionId=qGrTxwOWtptCRAvGOkPYd5iBYZIGM1yB
- File Extension: docx
- File Size: 63KB
- BUS Course Outline 1.docx
[ File Resource ]
- Title: BUS Course Outline 2
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-08/BUS%20Course%20Outline%202.docx?VersionId=n6n1C38yENFmhoxYQvDT81tg9P8oDbUs
- File Extension: docx
- File Size: 61KB
- BUS Course Outline 2.docx
[ File Resource ]
- Title: BUS Course Outline 1
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-08/BUS%20Course%20Outline%201.docx?VersionId=qGrTxwOWtptCRAvGOkPYd5iBYZIGM1yB
- File Extension: docx
- File Size: 63KB
- BUS Course Outline 1.docx
[ File Resource ]
- Title: BUS Course Outline 2
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-08/BUS%20Course%20Outline%202.docx?VersionId=n6n1C38yENFmhoxYQvDT81tg9P8oDbUs
- File Extension: docx
- File Size: 61KB
- BUS Course Outline 2.docx
[ File Resource ]
- Title: BUS Course Outline 1
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-08/BUS%20Course%20Outline%201.docx?VersionId=qGrTxwOWtptCRAvGOkPYd5iBYZIGM1yB
- File Extension: docx
- File Size: 63KB
- BUS Course Outline 1.docx
[ File Resource ]
- Title: BUS Course Outline 2
- File URL: https://ncea-live-3-storagestack-53q-assetstorages3bucket-2o21xte0r81u.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/2022-08/BUS%20Course%20Outline%202.docx?VersionId=n6n1C38yENFmhoxYQvDT81tg9P8oDbUs
- File Extension: docx
- File Size: 61KB
- BUS Course Outline 2.docx
Introduction to Sample Course Outlines
The Sample Course Outlines provide a clear overview of learning across one year and link to the Learning and Assessment Matrices. They are indicative only and do not mandate any particular context or approach. Course Outlines should be developed using the appropriate template.
The Sample Course Outlines provide a clear overview of learning across one year and link to the Learning and Assessment Matrices. They are indicative only and do not mandate any particular context or approach. Course Outlines should be developed using the appropriate template.
Assessment Matrix
Kaiako will:
- determine the timeframe and deadline for the assessment
- follow school or learning centre policy when enforcing timeframes and deadlines
- assist ākonga by either stipulating, or approving the selection of, a contemporary business issue, the pūtake of a business, and a decision that the business has made or could make
- determine when ākonga work on their assessment in and out of class
- monitor ākonga progress closely and familiarise themselves with the evolving work of ākonga, including guidance on the selection and use of a business information
- ensure the authenticity of ākonga work according to NZQA’s Assessment (including Examination) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess 2021.
If helpful, kaiako can provide checkpoints at several stages to check progress on:
- gathering evidence
- sourcing financial documents
- preparing a presentation (if applicable).
This assessment is designed to be completed in class time and at home.
Ākonga will be assessed individually, but may collaborate in groups to brainstorm ideas and have talanoa sessions and discussions.
Evidence for all parts of this assessment can be in te reo Māori, English, or New Zealand Sign Language.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Teachers must be familiar with additional generic guidance on assessment practice in schools or learning centres. The authenticity of students’ work must be ensured according to NZQA’s Assessment (including Examination) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess 2021. This guidance must be read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.
Kaiako will:
- determine the timeframe and deadline for the assessment
- follow school or learning centre policy when enforcing timeframes and deadlines
- assist ākonga by either stipulating or approving the selection of an innovative change, the pūtake of a business, and a decision that they have made or could make
- determine when ākonga work on their assessment, either in and out of the learning environment
- monitor ākonga progress closely and familiarise themselves with the work of ākonga evolves, including guidance on the selection and use of a business concepts during the compiling of their portfolio.
If helpful, kaiako can provide checkpoints at several stages to check progress on:
- gathering evidence
- sourcing financial documents.
Assessment is designed to be completed in class time and at home.
Ākonga will be assessed individually, but may collaborate in groups as they work though each function and have talanoa sessions and discussions.
Evidence for all parts of this assessment can be in te reo Māori, English, or New Zealand Sign Language.
Ensuring Authenticity of Evidence
Teachers must be familiar with additional generic guidance on assessment practice in schools or learning centres. The authenticity of students’ work must be ensured according to NZQA’s Assessment (including Examination) Rules for Schools with Consent to Assess 2021. This guidance must be read in conjunction with these Conditions of Assessment.