A/AS level business studies - Website links
This unit makes recommendations for suitable websites for teachers and students of business studies. A review of each site is given together with identification of features which support particular areas of teaching and learning.
You can view the entire list by scrolling all the way down this page, or you can follow the links below to go direct to specific syllabus areas. You can also download the entire list in pdf format (the links will be active) from the link in the box.
| Economics for business studies External environment Finance General sites |
Human resources Marketing Organisational structures Production |
Download the full list of websites
Download the full list of websites
Economics for business studies
BBC working lunch
Free! An up to date website containing lots of topical issues. It contains excellent case studies with follow up questions included (found under lunch lessons). Includes short video clips that can be used as starters or to introduce new topic areas.
http://www.bized.co.uk
Free! Includes a series of lesson plans and activities. The website contains virtual models and classroom games. Contains plenty of information for students too.
http://www.cia.gov
Free! A world fact book. A great deal of information provided on counties and their economies. Particularly useful for the teaching of development economics.
http://www.economist.com
Subscription! A comprehensive website covering global and economic and business issues. Free! There a parts of the website that can be accessed for free, for instance information can be found on different countries around the world.
http://www.ft.com
Free! Up to date and topical economic information available. Articles can be used to support theory and to stimulate class discussion. Subscription must be paid for articles over 3 days old.
http://www.guardian.co.uk
Free! An easy website to navigate around. Contains up to date and topical articles. There is no subscription charge for articles.
http://www.dfes.gov.uk/trends/
Free! National statistics relating to schools and education. May be useful for teaching microeconomics.
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
Free! Particularly useful for the teaching of macroeconomics. A wealth of up to date information can be accessed as it is regularly updated.
http://www.hsbc.co.uk
Free! An excellent free CD-Rom available to order online. Some good links to other educational resources.
http://www.intute.ac.uk/socialsciences/economics
Free! Designed to support lecturers and students in higher education although the resources could easily be adapted for the use within lessons. A website that is very user friendly and covers a wide range of topic areas in particular labour economics.
http://www.justbiz.org
Free! Contains a number of free resources and articles. Would be most useful for teaching economic development and trade.
http://www.s-cool.co.uk
Free! An excellent website for both teachers and students. Provides detailed notes on a wide range of economic topics. Revision quizzes are also available for students in order to test their knowledge.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk
Free! A useful website to be used as a reference for economic statistics.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk
Free! Easy to search by topic and key words. All articles are free and the website contains up to date and topical articles.
http://www.times100.co.uk
Free! Contains resources on economic influences and international trade. There are worksheets supplied for some of the case studies although answers are not provided. Easy to search by topic area.
http://www.tutor2u.net
Free! Resources include revision notes, quizzes, presentations and a comprehensive glossary of key terms.
A subscription can be paid for the Economax publication which contains articles on a range of topical economic issues.
External Environment
http://www.bankofengland.co.uk
Free! A good source of information for teachers as opposed to students. Contains useful statistics and data that can be used in lessons.
http://www.barclays.co.uk
Free! Plenty of information contained on the website on which to base a case study. Plenty of information supplied on corporate responsibility.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/celebdaq/
Free! This website runs a celebrity stock exchange. It can be used to demonstrate how the stock exchange works. Students can create their own celebrity portfolio and share prices will rise and fall depending on the amount of press each celebrity attracts. This website can be a little addictive!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/workinglunch
Free! Excellent website containing lots of case studies with follow up questions (found under lunch lessons). Up to date and very topical. Contains a great deal of information and articles on the economy and political matters.
http://www.british-airways.com
Free! A good reference for company information and in particular corporate responsibility.
http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk
Free! Contains interesting information about their ethical stance and their contribution to the community via their products.
http://www.direct.gov.uk
Free! Provides beginners guide to money, tax and benefits which is useful for creating resources when looking at tax issues. The website is also easy to navigate around as topics covered are listed.
http://www.divinechocolate.com
Free! Contains a great deal of information on business ethics and skills of evaluation can be developed by using this website as a resource.
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk
Free! Contains information that could be used to develop resources that introduces students to fair trade. The website provides case studies and information on how to support fair trade.
http://www.industryplayer.com
Subscription! This website once accessed provides a business simulation game that covers a variety of topic areas. A free trial can be downloaded.
http://www.jusbiz.org
Free! Contains a number of free resources and articles, mainly about ethical issues and globalisation.
http://learn.christianaid.org.uk/TeachersResources/Default.aspx
Free! An excellent website that provides free resources in the form of trade games to schools. The games cover a variety of ethical issues about trade although students will be able to experience how trade works.
http://www.marksandspencer.com/thecompany/
Free! A great deal of information included on the competitive business environment. Lots of accessible information specifically tailored for educational purposes.
http://www.the-body-shop.com
Free! Contains a great deal of information about business ethics and corporate responsibility.
http://www.unilever.com
Free! Contains a great deal of information about their company and corporate responsibility. Information is also supplied on the work that they do within communities and in partnership with the government.
http://www.vodafonefoundation.org
Free! Website provides detailed company history and social responsibility is also covered. Also available is case Study material, mission statements, aims and objectives and social, ethical, moral and cultural information.
Finance
http://www.bbc.co.uk/workinglunch
Free! Short video clips are available on money matters and finance. A number of case studies are available. The video clips are excellent to use as introductions to somewhat dry areas of the specification.
http://www.carol.co.uk
Registration required! Although free! Contains some good resources linked to topics within the finance unit.
http://www.ici.com
Free! Financial information accessible however the format provided may be a little complicated for AS and A2 students.
http://www.ifslearning.com/cefs
Free! Contains an online multiple choice assessment on managing personal finances. Could be used to introduce cash flow forecasts and the need for them.
http://www.lemonadegame.com
Free! Good introduction to finance. Fun and entertaining computer room lesson. This game can also be accessed through http://www.businessstudiesonline.co.uk by selecting break time activities. The game is a simulation game that involves buying ingredients and selling the finished product. Beware…it gets very competitive!
http://www.gm.tv/index.cfm?articleid=21258
Free! Although this website is designed for personal money matters as opposed to business it could be very useful for budgeting. Also contains a great deal of information about topical issues such as the credit crunch.
http://www.moneymatterstome.co.uk/
Free! Although the website is designed for personal money matters, this website could prove useful for budgeting and implications of finance.
http://www.revisionworld.co.uk/a2-level/business-studies/accounting-finance-marketing
Free although registration necessary! Comprehensive revision notes provided on a great deal of topic areas within the finance unit. Has both GCSE and A level options.
http://www.royalbankofscot.co.uk
Free! Could be used for the gathering of financial information. The website however is a little overcomplicated to navigate around.
http://www.the-body-shop.com
Free! The Body Shop’s financial statements can be downloaded and used as real examples when looking at balance sheets and profit and loss accounts.
General Websites
http://www.bbc.bitesize.co.uk
Free! A user friendly website that is geared towards helping students to revise. The website contains detailed revision notes. It contains a number of mock tests which help students to test their knowledge.
http://www.bbc.co.uk
Free! Not only contains general news articles but short video clips can be accessed that can be used as starters or as introductions to new topic areas.
http://www.bized.co.uk
Free! Contains a vast about of PowerPoint presentations, lesson plans, activities and worksheets. Is also easy enough for students to use as the website contains a great deal of information.
http://www.businessstudiesonline.co.uk
Free! Excellent for both GCSE and A level resources. All resources are ICT based and interactive. This website provides interactive activities that can be used as starters. It is a must for anyone teaching Business Studies in a computer room. The website contains excellent revision games that are both interactive and fun. In addition, scores are provided at the end of each activity and students are encouraged to try the activity again in order to attain a higher score. The website also provides downloadable notes forA level and AVCE courses.
http://www.examstutor.com/business
Subscription! Contains a great deal of resources on a wide variety of topic areas that can be used within the classroom and adapted. A free trial is available if you sign in!
http://www.puzzlemaker.com
Free! This websites allows puzzles, crosswords and word searches to be created using your own questions. The crosswords can be a particularly useful for assessing the knowledge of key terms.
http://www.revisionguru.co.uk
Free! An excellent website that is easy to use. It contains revision notes, exam questions and course specifications. It also provides interactive games in the ‘take a break’ section of the website.
http://www.revision-notes.co.uk
Free! Revision notes are provided, however they only cover a limited amount of topics at the moment. Contributions are made by visitors and therefore notes on a wider variety of topics should be provided in time.
http://www.s-cool.co.uk
Free! An excellent website for both teachers and students. Provides detailed revision notes on a wide variety of topics. Also included on the website are a number of revision quizzes that students can complete to test their knowledge.
http://www.school-resources.co.uk
Free! Contains a number of interactive quizzes that can be used within lessons or for revision purposes by students.
http://www.small-business-dictionary.org
Free! Very good for key terms and for quick definitions. Suitable for all business related courses. A valuable website for students. Could save time when making key term tests/worksheets.
http://www.smartgroups.com.vault/ninbusiness
Free! A website for generating starters. Very useful and saves a great deal of time.
http://www.times100.co.uk
Free! Contains case study material on a wide variety of topics. Case studies can be searched for by entering key terms or topic areas. Some of the case studies contain follow up questions, however no answers are provided. Some of the case studies are a little long however they can be edited so that they are user friendly in the classroom and for homework.
http://www.tutor2u.net
Free! Resources available include revision notes, quizzes and presentations. There is also a comprehensive glossary. The website is up-to-date, relevant and very useful. ‘Latte’ magazine can also be ordered free of charge from the website. This contains not only teaching ideas but information on possible school visits. An excellent magazine for teachers of Business Studies.
Charged! Teacher toolkits based on pre-released material can also be ordered from this website for a small charge of £30 per license.
http://www.uvic.ca/hrd/halfbaked
Free!to those working for publicly funded, non profit, educational institutions that make their pages available on the web. Hot Potatoes Suite includes applications to create multiplechoice, short answer and jumbled sentence exercises.
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Human Resources
http://www.acas.org.uk
Free! A comprehensive website containing useful and up to date information on employment legislation. Is a useful point of reference for teachers as opposed to students.
http://www.businessballs.com/freeonlineresources.htm
Free! A plethora of resources are available on this website such as; templates, samples, resources, articles, tools, diagrams, tests and quizzes. Free downloadable materials are available for topic areas such as; training, management theory and organisational development.
http://www.businessbureau-uk.co.uk
Free! A general resource that gives basic information focused on small businesses that could be used as the basis for notes.
http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects
Free! Excellent resource for materials on the whole HR specification. Areas covered include; change management, training, employment law, management and HR strategy. The website contains a frequently asked questions section, reports, research and news stories. Very easy to use as searches can be made via topic area.
http://www.lowpay.gov.uk
Free! Useful links to HR information such as minimum wage. Not a direct teaching research although it is a useful teacher reference website.
http://www.oecd.org
Free! This website contains detailed reports and facts. For example information can be found on the aging population in the UK and on Employment Policies in the UK.
http://www.ssda.org.uk
Free! The Sector Skills Development Agency. Strategic resources suitable for teachers available. Could be useful for students completing research projects. A valuable source of information for People and Recruitment topics.
http://www.worksmart.org.uk
Free! A fairly basic website that contains information on employment law and rights at work. Could be useful for GCSE HR module as it is quite simplistic.
Marketing
http://www.alton-towers.co.uk/resort
Free! Contains useful information on which to base a case study. Information is provided about the market in which Alton Towers operates in and its target market. Alton Towers would be useful to use as a business to study for product portfolios.
http://www.asda.co.uk
Free! Material available that could be made into a case study. Information is provided on all products and services including information about the market in which they operate. However the focus of the website has and is moving to online shopping.
http://www.britvic.co.uk
Free! Brand history from 1823 which might be useful to show progression. Pictures included of their brands, information about the drinks and their target market. Contains general information about marketing, innovation, environmental policy and sales channels.
http://www.business2000.ie
Free! An Irish website. There are some good case studies (i.e. Cadbury as a mega brand). All case studies contain a great deal of information and are followed by questions. There are no answers provided for the questions.
http://www.cadbury.co.uk
Free! Useful information supplied for a case study. There are confectionary market s for the last few years and a good section on promotion.
The most useful part of the website offers a case study about the chocolate bar ‘Fuse’. A resource pack can also be ordered free of charge.
http://www.learnmarketing.net
Free! The website provides presentations, activities and online quizzes on marketing topics. Useful for both teachers and students.
http://www.marketingteacher.com
Free! A website dedicated to marketing. Useful for students and teachers. Diagrams can be copied and pasted into PowerPoint presentations. A good source of information. Very useful for vocational students that need to revise marketing theory.
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk
Free! Although a great deal of information is supplied about consumer rights and business law there is some interesting information supplied on investigations into store cards.
http://www.tesco.com
Free! Contains a great deal of marketing information which could be used to create a case study for use within lessons. In addition, information is supplied about the Tesco Clubcard. Tesco is an excellent business example to discuss when looking at product portfolios and the marketing mix.
http://www.upmystreet.com
Free! Enables user to search for local information, Acorn profiles etc. Could be useful for looking at market segments and location.
Organisational Structure
http://www.boots-plc.com
Free! Information presented on the holding company, mission statement and company accounts. The subsidiary companies are constantly changing and this is therefore a useful website for teachers to obtain up to date information about holding companies.
http://www.bytestart.co.uk/content/19/19_1/forming-a-limited-liabili.shtml
Free! Information provided on the incorporation process that is easy to understand.
http://www.clearlybusiness.com/advice-and-support/starting-up/planning/what-type-of-company-do-i-want-to-setup/
Free! Compares legal setups and information could be used by both teachers and students.
http://www.ideasfactory.com/business
Free! Very useful and user-friendly website full of activities and case studies. Has an excellent section on how to set up a business.
http://www.morebusiness.com
Free! An American website that contains some useful business document templates. Could be useful for vocational courses.
http://www.oft.gov.uk
Free! Contains information on organisational structure. An attractive looking website.
http://www.orange.co.uk
Free! Contains information on organisational structure. An attractive website.
http://www.shell-livewire.org/
Free! Case studies and video clips are available on this website. Very much aimed at young people setting up businesses. Once registered a personal development plan can be completed.
http://www.startups.co.uk
Free! Helpful website for information regarding business setups and structures.
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/data/guides/
Free! This website contains a section of the both the public and private sector as well as a number of statistics. At the very least definitions are offered.
http://www.theukfranchisedirectory.net/
Free! Simply provides a list of franchises, however more in depth information on individual franchises could be found on the company websites.
http://www.vodafonefoundation.org
~Free! Good cross curricular information. Company history and social responsibility covered. Also available is case Study material, mission statements, aims and objectives and social, ethical, moral and cultural information.
Production
http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074039371
Free! This website is designed to give information to businesses about stock control, however it provides in depth detail about the importance of stock control and the methods of stock control. Would be a useful website for both teachers and students.
http://www.cadbury.co.uk
Free! The learning zone section includes a chocolate game that can be used as an introductory activity to the production module. It is both interactive and fun.
http://emea.bsi-global.com/Quality/index.xalter
Free! This website provides detailed information about this quality award, its uses and how it is awarded to businesses. A useful reference when discussing quality assurance.
http://learn.christianaid.org.uk/TeachersResources/Default.aspx
Free! An excellent website that provides free resources in the form of trade games to schools. The games cover a variety of ethical issues about trade. However this is a simulation game and students will have to work together in teams to produce products. These games would be particularly useful for methods of production.
http://www.lemonadegame.com
Free! Good introduction to production. Fun and entertaining computer room lesson. This game can also be accessed through businessstudiesonline.co.uk by selecting break time activities. The game is a simulation game that involves buying ingredients and selling the finished product. Beware…it gets very competitive!
http://www.toyotauk.com/main/Index.jsp
Free! This website provides useful information on their production techniques and other manufacturing information. cthe website seems relatively new as there are some parts that are under construction. the website also contains a resources section.
http://www.unilever.com
Free! The website contains video clips of the production techniques that could be shown when teaching methods of production.
