We mean business! – Business skills are skills for life!
About:
Junior Business Studies gives students skills to be meaningful consumers and valued workers in the 21st century. The knowledge and skills developed in Business Studies will allow students to contribute meaningfully to society, the workforce and in their personal lives. Today's juniors are the potential employees, employers, leaders, managers and entrepreneurs of the future.
At Aldridge:
Junior Business is offered in years 7, 8 and 9. In year 7 all students rotate through a 5-week unit on financial literacy covering financial goals, sources of income and budgeting. In year 8 students can elect to study Business for one semester and will further investigate money management, especially credit, and the impact of social media on the language of advertising. In year 9, students can elect to study two separate units that are each 1 semester in length. These units provide a taster of four business subjects on offer in senior to allow them to make more informed subject choices. Unit 1 covers the fundamentals of Accounting and Legal Studies, while Unit 2 covers Business and Economics. Students can study either unit or both year 9 units depending upon their interests.
Why study Business?
Business Studies is one of the most internationally studied subjects in the world, due to how broad the subject is. Business Studies opens up opportunities to focus on specialties such as accountancy, finance, organisation, human resources management, marketing, the law and agribusiness just to name a few. Business Studies gives students exposure to managing their personal dealings with finance, legal agreements, developing businesses and understanding how businesses work both locally and globally. In today's interconnected society, it's important to have a good understanding of business and why it matters as every industry relies on business principles to survive and thrive.
Facilities, Equipment and Software:
Most junior Business classes are held in computer labs with industry standard desktops. Through integrated activities, students will improve their keyboarding skills while learning features of Word, Excel ad PowerPoint
Pathways:
Junior Business gives students exposure to the senior subjects of Accounting, Business, Legal Studies and Economics as well Certificate II in Business. Refer to the details in each of these subjects to investigate more specific pathways for each individual subject.
Units of Study:
Year 7
| Time | Name | Description |
| 5 weeks | Financial literacy
| Students identify financial values, set financial goals, make a financial action plan, and identify income and expenses in order to create a budget. Students will learn how to prepare personal budgets and how to manage their money effectively. |
Year 8
| Time | Name | Description |
| 10 weeks | Managing your money | Students will learn the basic concepts and language of credit, identify and discuss the different forms of 'credit' and costs involved. They are also given the opportunity to start examining their understanding of, and personal attitudes towards credit. |
| 10 weeks | Social media | Students will learn the basic concepts and language of advertising and specifically focus on social media advertising, particularly the influence that social media, and social media users have on purchasing decisions. |
Year 9 – Semester 1
| Time | Name | Description |
| 10 weeks | Introduction to accounting | Students will be introduced to the basics of bookkeeping and the double-entry system and will understand the nature of accounting and the purpose of business reports. The importance of source documents will be studied and students will be required to complete such forms, complete with GST applications. They will apply accounting principles to record a variety of business transactions for a small business. During this unit, students will record information from source documents into the relevant journals, using Excel. |
| 10 weeks | Introduction to legal studies | This unit introduces the basics of the Australian legal system and covers topics including: sources of law, court hierarchy in Australia, the purpose of law, the difference between a rule and a law, the process of making a law. |
Year 9 – Semester 2
| Time | Name | Description |
| 10 weeks | Introduction to business | Students will explore the qualities of successful entrepreneurs and understand why enterprising behaviour is necessary to survive in today's business world. Students will also learn about business structures including sole traders, partnerships and public companies, as well as, the role and importance of different industries within our society. |
| 10 weeks | Introduction to economics | This unit examines the basic fundamentals of Economics. Students will study how scarce resources are allocated to satisfy the unlimited needs and wants of society and how choices have to be made about how these scarce resources are allocated in the production of goods and services. |