Syllabus
Explore the QCAA Business Syllabus to search for specific topics and find relevant questions and insights seamlessly
No results found
Unit 1: Business Creation
Topic 1: Fundamentals of business
Business fundamentals
Unit 1: Business Creation > Topic 1: Fundamentals of business > Business fundamentals
- Describe business facts and characteristics of the internal, operating and macro environmental factors for a variety of business structures, including profit-based, not-for-profit/community-based businesses, government-owned corporations (GOC) / government business enterprises (GBE)
- Explain stages of a business life cycle
- Explain legal ownership structures of business, including sole trader, partnership, private company and public company
- Explain strategic planning, including goals, mission statements, vision statements, objectives (specific, measurable, agreed upon, realistic and time-based (SMART)), strategies and tactics
- Explain business goals, including profitability, market share, employment, societal needs and wants, sustainability and growth
- Explain internal, operating and macro environmental factors, including organisational structures, organisational culture, stakeholders, political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal, environmental and ethical forces
- Explain analytical tools
- Explain leadership and management roles in different business structures, including owners, managers, directors, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs
- Explain management styles across the continuum, including autocratic, persuasive, consultative, participative/democratic and laissez-faire
- Explain leadership styles, including authoritative, charismatic, bureaucratic, authentic, coaching, mentoring, transactional, transformational and situational
- Explain the role of criteria (competitiveness, effectiveness, efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction) in evaluating business decisions
- Explain the role of the key business functions (finance, human resources, marketing and operations) in achieving business goals
- Explain the role of analytical tools in strategic planning
- Explain the role of technology and the key business functions
- Explain the relationship between business goals and strategic planning across the business life cycle
- Select information relating to the mission statements of two businesses to analyse the similarities and differences in elements of the mission statements
- Select information relating to the organisational structure of a business to analyse the leadership and management roles
- Select information relating to the environmental factors of a business to classify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Interpret relationships and patterns in the mission statements to draw conclusions about the implications of stages of the business life cycle
- Interpret relationships and patterns in leadership and management roles to draw conclusions about the implications of key business functions
- Interpret relationships and patterns in the SWOT analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of strategic planning
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience
Fundamentals of business case study
Unit 1: Business Creation > Topic 1: Fundamentals of business > Fundamentals of business case study
- Describe business facts and characteristics for the case study business, including internal environmental factors, external environmental factors (stakeholders and environmental forces), the position in the business life cycle
- Explain the strategic planning implemented by the case study business
- Select data and information relating to the strategic planning and environmental factors for the case study business to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Interpret the relationships and patterns in the SWOT analysis and draw conclusions about the implications of the position in the business life cycle
- Evaluate the strategic planning implemented by the case study business to make a decision using criteria
- Create an extended response (written, spoken or multimodal) to communicate strategic planning to external stakeholders, including visual representations and in-text referencing (if appropriate)
Topic 2: Creation of business ideas
Business ideation
Unit 1: Business Creation > Topic 2: Creation of business ideas > Business ideation
- Describe business facts and characteristics, including environmental factors that influence the creation of business ideas, the competitive environment for a business idea
- Explain the seed stage of the business life cycle
- Explain the challenges of the seed stage in the business life cycle
- Explain skills, characteristics and motives of entrepreneurs
- Explain sources of support and advice for the development of business ideas
- Explain innovation theories, including disruptive innovation, incremental innovation and radical innovation
- Explain motivational theories, including Maslow's hierarchy of needs
- Explain strategies used to generate and screen business ideas, e.g. the SCAMPER technique — substitute, combine, adapt, modify, put to another use, eliminate and reverse
- Explain the concept of differentiation, including point of difference
- Explain the concept of intellectual property, e.g. patents, trademarks and registered designs
- Explain the concept of a feasibility report as a tool for evaluating business ideas
- Explain the relationship between Maslow's hierarchy of needs and the creation of business ideas
- Explain the relationship between break-even analysis and its relevance in determining the viability of a business idea
- Select data and information relating to the macro environment for a business idea to analyse the political, economic, socio-cultural and technological forces (PEST analysis)
- Select data and information relating to a potential competitor for a business idea to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Interpret the relationships and patterns in the competitor SWOT analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of a business idea
- Interpret the relationships and patterns in the PEST analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of a business idea
- Evaluate a business idea to make a decision on the viability of proceeding to the start-up stage of the business life cycle using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience
Creation of business ideas case study
Unit 1: Business Creation > Topic 2: Creation of business ideas > Creation of business ideas case study
- Describe business facts and characteristics for the case study business, including the business idea, the seed stage of the business life cycle, skills, characteristics and motives of the entrepreneur, sources of support and advice
- Explain the application of the innovation theory implemented by the case study business
- Select data and information relating to the skills, characteristics and motives of the entrepreneur/s of the case study business to analyse strengths and weaknesses
- Select data and information relating to at least one competitor of the case study business to analyse similarities and differences
- Select data and information relating to the macro environment of a business idea to analyse political, economic, socio-cultural and technological forces (PEST analysis)
- Interpret the relationships and patterns in the strengths and weaknesses of the entrepreneur/s to draw conclusions about the implications of the business idea
- Interpret the relationships and patterns in the competitor and PEST analyses to draw conclusions about the implications of the business idea
- Evaluate the viability of the business idea to make a decision using criteria
- Create an extended response (written, spoken or multimodal presentation) to communicate a business idea to a potential investor, including visual representations and in-text referencing (if appropriate)
Unit 2: Business growth
Topic 1: Establishment of a business
Business start-up
Unit 2: Business growth > Topic 1: Establishment of a business > Business start-up
- Describe business facts and characteristics relating to a business in the start-up stage of the business life cycle, including the internal and operating environmental factors that influence human resources and financing, the macro environmental factors, e.g. economic and political forces, that influence financing
- Explain the start-up stage of the business life cycle
- Explain the challenges of the start-up stage in the business life cycle
- Explain the pathway options for entry into business, including opening a new business, buying an existing business, entering into a franchise agreement
- Explain the classification of businesses according to size, including micro, small and medium
- Explain the legal and regulatory requirements essential for start-up businesses, e.g. taxation, employment, workplace health and safety, standards and codes of practice
- Explain the planning, organising, leading and controlling (POLC) responsibilities of a manager in the start-up stage
- Explain the stages of the employment cycle, including acquisition, development, maintenance and separation
- Explain short-term and long-term finance, including debt and equity finance, in establishing a start-up business
- Explain the role of budgeting in the strategic planning of a start-up business
- Explain the role of job design and recruitment in the strategic planning of a start-up business, including emerging recruitment and selection techniques (digital platforms)
- Explain the role of induction and training processes as a strategic planning tool
- Explain the role of strategic networks for a start-up business, e.g. professional associations
- Explain the relationship between human resources objectives and the achievement of business goals in the start-up stage
- Explain the relationship between financial objectives, including profitability, efficiency, growth, liquidity and solvency and the achievement of business goals in the start-up stage
- Explain the relationship between a business plan and an action plan for a start-up business
- Select data and information relating to recruitment (e.g. position descriptions, role specifications, position advertisements, statistics on unemployment and skills shortages) for a start-up business to analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Select data and information relating to budgeting and financing for a start-up business to analyse the break-even point (break-even analysis)
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the SWOT analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of business start-up
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the break-even analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of business start-up
- Evaluate two alternative employment acquisition strategies for a business in the start-up stage to make a decision and recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate two pathways to start a business to make a decision and recommendation using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience,
Establishment of a business — franchise case study
Unit 2: Business growth > Topic 1: Establishment of a business > Establishment of a business — franchise case study
- Describe business facts and characteristics of the case study business, including the franchise structure, size and distribution in Queensland or Australia, organisational culture
- Explain the financial costs and legal requirements of entering into the franchise agreement
- Explain the role of the franchisor and franchisee relevant to the case study business
- Select data and information relating to the internal and operating environmental factors including franchise structure and agreement of the franchise business to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Select data and information relating to the external environment of the franchise business to analyse the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environmental forces (PESTLE analysis)
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the SWOT and PESTLE analyses to draw conclusions about the implications of entering into the franchise agreement
- Evaluate the suitability of the franchise option to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Create an extended response (written, spoken or multimodal presentation) to communicate the viability of buying a franchise to potential franchisees, including visual representations and in-text referencing (if appropriate)
Topic 2: Entering markets
Market entry
Unit 2: Business growth > Topic 2: Entering markets > Market entry
- Describe business facts and characteristics relating to a business in the growth stage of the business life cycle, including the legislative factors affecting the market entry of a business, e.g. the Australian consumer law and advertising standards, the operating environmental factors influencing market entry, including customers, suppliers, stakeholders and the community, the competitive environment
- Explain the growth stage of the business life cycle
- Explain the challenges of the growth stage in the business life cycle
- Explain marketing objectives in relation to the growth stage, including sales, market share and brand awareness
- Explain target market and market segmentation
- Explain ‘total product concept', including tangible and intangible aspects
- Explain marketing mix, including product, price, place and promotion
- Explain branding and the use of trademarks during the growth stage
- Explain promotional strategies, including traditional, digital and emerging platforms
- Explain pricing strategies, e.g. competitive, penetration, ‘cream-skimming', costs plus and psychological
- Explain the operational processes and systems in the growth stage, e.g. facilities, inventories, scheduling, production of goods/services, capacity and customer service
- Explain the role of market research
- Explain the role of sales forecasting
- Explain the role of Gantt charts in the production scheduling process
- Explain the interrelationships between market research, marketing mix and consumer behaviours
- Explain the interrelationships between branding, establishing a customer base and market presence
- Explain the interrelationships between inventories, production and capacity
- Select data and information relating to consumer buying behaviour and sales to analyse customer power interest (power interest grid)
- Select data and information relating to the marketing mix and customer service of three competing businesses to analyse unique selling proposition (USP analysis)
- Select data and information relating to the external environment for market entry into a particular industry to analyse political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal and environmental forces (PESTLE analysis)
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the customer power interest grid to draw conclusions about the implications of marketing mix
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the USP analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of operational and marketing strategies
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the PESTLE analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of market entry
- Evaluate marketing strategies used by a business in the growth stage to make a decision and recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate operational strategies used by a business in the growth stage to make a decision and recommendation using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience
Entering markets case study
Unit 2: Business growth > Topic 2: Entering markets > Entering markets case study
- Describe business facts and characteristics for the case study business, including the position in the business life cycle, operating environmental factors, target market, total product concept
- Explain the marketing mix implemented by the case study business, e.g. price, product, place and promotion
- Select data and information relating to the environmental factors for the case study business and analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis), the marketing mix and customer service of one competing business to analyse unique selling proposition (USP analysis)
- Interpret the relationships and patterns in the SWOT analysis and USP analysis and draw conclusions about the implications of market entry
- Evaluate two marketing and operational strategies implemented by the case study business to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Create an extended response (written, spoken or multimodal presentations) to communicate market entry strategies to internal stakeholders, including visual representations and in-text referencing (if appropriate)
Unit 3: Business diversification
Topic 1: Competitive markets
Expanding markets
Unit 3: Business diversification > Topic 1: Competitive markets > Expanding markets
- Describe business facts and characteristics relating to businesses in the maturity stage of the business life cycle including the environmental factors that impact on the human resources and financing, operating and macro environmental factors of a domestic market, a global market
- Explain the maturity stage of the business life cycle
- Explain the challenges of the maturity stage in the business life cycle
- Explain the strategies a business may adopt to expand, e.g. developing a niche market, exporting products or services, innovation, research and development, and developing or taking advantage of new and emerging technologies
- Explain the modes of entering global markets, e.g. licensing, international agents and distributors, strategic alliance, joint ventures and overseas manufacturing or sales subsidiary
- Explain financing options for establishing global operations, e.g. private equity, going public, money in capital markets, dividends, accessing government grants and incentives
- Explain development and maintenance stages of the employment cycle
- Explain the role of risk management during expansion
- Explain the role of the intrapreneur in a competitive market
- Explain the relationship between employer of choice strategies and the maturity stage in a competitive market
- Explain the relationship between a diverse workforce and human resources strategic planning in the maturity stage
- Explain the relationship between risk management and strategic planning in a competitive market
- Explain the relationship between leadership styles and management strategies required to be competitive
- Explain the interrelationship between motivation theory, staff retention and employer of choice
- Select data and information relating to modes of entry for entering domestic or global markets to analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) and the external environmental forces (STEEPLE)
- Select data and information relating to financing and income for expansion into a domestic or global market to analyse cost-benefits (costbenefit analysis)
- Interpret relationships, patterns and trends in the SWOT and STEEPLE analyses to draw conclusions about the implications of expansion for a mature business
- Interpret relationships, patterns and trends in the cost-benefit analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of expansion for a mature business
- Evaluate modes of entry into another market to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate financing options to make a decision and recommendation using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience
Competitive markets — Asian expansion case study
Unit 3: Business diversification > Topic 1: Competitive markets > Competitive markets — Asian expansion case study
- Describe business facts and characteristics for the case study business, including position in the business life cycle, internal, operating and macro environmental factors in existing markets
- Explain the human resources strategic planning implemented by the case study business
- Select data and information relating to human resources strategies including leadership styles to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis), the expansion of the case study business into an Asian market to analyse socio-cultural, technological, economic, environment, political, legal and ethical (STEEPLE analysis)
- Interpret relationships, patterns and trends in the SWOT and STEEPLE analyses to draw conclusions about the implications of human resource strategies
- Evaluate the human resources strategic planning implemented by the case study business to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Create an extended response (written, spoken or multimodal presentation) to communicate strategies for entering a global market to an internal stakeholder, including visual representations and in-text referencing (if appropriate)
Topic 2: Strategic development
Unit 3: Business diversification > Topic 2: Strategic development
- Describe business facts and characteristics relating to businesses in the maturity stage of the business life cycle, including the internal and operating environmental factors that impact on marketing and operations, the macro environmental factors
- Explain integrated marketing communications strategies, e.g. recognition, relevance, reward and relationship
- Explain relationship marketing
- Explain total quality management including quality control and quality assurance
- Explain project management
- Explain outsourcing
- Explain economies of scale relevant to operations and marketing
- Explain the role of branding in maintaining market share
- Explain the role of contingency planning using Fiedler's contingency model
- Explain the role of emerging technologies in contemporary marketing strategies
- Explain the role of research and development in operational and marketing strategies
- Explain the challenges faced by management in the outsourcing of marketing and operational activities
- Explain the challenges of operating in hostile competitive environments
- Explain the relationship between marketing strategies and hostile competitive environments
- Explain the relationship between total quality management and long-term achievements through customer satisfaction
- Explain the relationship between project management technology and operational efficiency for a business
- Explain the interrelationships between contemporary marketing strategies, branding and loyalty
- Explain the interrelationships between Pareto's principle (80/20 rule) and management of operational and marketing strategies
- Select data and information relating to traditional, digital and emerging marketing platforms to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Select data and information relating to marketing and operational functions for a mature business to analyse outsourcing power interest (power interest grid)
- Select data and information relating to a business's current situation in a competitive hostile environment to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Select data and information relating to competitors in a hostile environment to analyse the unique selling proposition (USP analysis)
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the marketing platforms SWOT analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of marketing strategies
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the outsourcing power interest grid to draw conclusions about the implications of outsourcing
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the situational SWOT and USP analyses to draw conclusions about the implications of strategic planning
- Evaluate marketing strategies for a business operating in a hostile competitive environment to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate operating strategies for a business operating in a hostile competitive environment to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate marketing and operational activities to outsource as an alternative business strategy for a business in the maturity stage to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience
Unit 4: Business evolution
view_agenda query_statsTopic 1: Repositioning a business
view_agenda query_statsUnit 4: Business evolution > Topic 1: Repositioning a business
- Describe business facts and characteristics relating to businesses in the post-maturity stage of the business life cycle including the internal, operating and macro environmental factors that influence the repositioning of a business
- Explain the post-maturity stage of the business life cycle
- Explain the possible outcomes for a business in the post-maturity stage, including steady state and decline
- Explain the difference between rebranding and repositioning for a business in the post-maturity stage
- Explain the exit options for a business that is declining in the post-maturity stage, including voluntary and involuntary administration
- Explain the influences on repositioning, e.g. sustainability, corporate social responsibility, ethical standards, mergers and acquisitions, public relations and crisis management
- Explain Porter's five forces tool, including supplier power, buyer power, competitive rivalry, threat of substitution and threat of entry
- Explain strategies of the key business functions for repositioning a business in steady state and decline
- Explain the relationship between human resources and operational strategies when repositioning a business, including redundancy, retraining and development in steady state or decline
- Explain the relationship between emerging technologies and the key business functions when repositioning a business in steady state or decline
- Explain the relationship between public relations and ethical practices for a business in crisis management
- Explain the interrelationships between sustainability, corporate social responsibility and strategies for a business in the post-maturity stage
- Select data and information relating to the business situation for a business in the post-maturity stage to analyse strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis) and Porter's five forces
- Select data and information relating to repositioning strategies for a business to analyse the socio-cultural, technological, economic, environmental, political, legal and ethical factors (STEEPLE analysis)
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the SWOT analysis and Porter's five forces to draw conclusions about the implications of repositioning strategies
- Interpret the relationships, patterns and trends in the STEEPLE analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of repositioning strategy
- Evaluate repositioning strategies for a business in the post-maturity stage to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate exit strategies for a business in the post-maturity stage to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate influences of change for a business in the post-maturity stage to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience,
Topic 2: Transformation of a business
view_agenda query_statsUnit 4: Business evolution > Topic 2: Transformation of a business
- Describe business facts and characteristics relating to a business renewal, including the internal operating and macro environmental factors influencing the need for change
- Explain change management
- Explain drivers of change, including corporate culture, management styles, organisational structures, competition and legislative compliance
- Explain force field analysis
- Explain performance management
- Explain the theories and models of change management, including Lewin and Kotter
- Explain leadership and management strategies for overcoming resistance to change, including communication, participation, negotiation, manipulation and threat
- Explain the role of consultants and professional services assisting management for a business in the post-maturity stage
- Explain the role of performance management when transforming a business, including outcomes of redundancy, retraining and development in renewal
- Explain the relationship between change management theories, including Lewin, Kotter, and business transformation
- Explain the relationship between force field analysis and change management
- Explain the relationship between the strategies for overcoming resistance to change and human resources management
- Explain the relationship between strategic planning and vision for change management
- Explain the relationship between drivers of change and transformation or renewal
- Explain the interrelationships between performance management, change management and business transformation
- Select data and information relating to the stakeholders of a business in the post-maturity stage to analyse power interest (power interest grid)
- Select data and information relating to a business that has undertaken change management and analyse the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT analysis)
- Select data and information relating to a business in the post-maturity stage to analyse pressures for or against change (force field analysis)
- Select data and information relating to drivers of change to analyse the business situation using a SWOT analysis
- Interpret relationships, patterns and trends in the stakeholder power interest to draw conclusions about the implications of transformation
- Interpret relationships, patterns and trends in the SWOT analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of change management on financial, human resources, marketing and operations
- Interpret relationships, patterns and trends in the force field analysis to draw conclusions about the implications of transformation
- Evaluate financial management strategies for transforming a business to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate human resources management strategies for transforming a business to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate marketing strategies for transforming a business to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Evaluate operations management strategies for transforming a business to make a decision and propose a recommendation using criteria
- Create responses to communicate descriptions, explanations, analyses, interpretations and evaluations to suit the intended purpose and audience