Teachers' Guide: Using The Factory For AVCE Business

The resources in the factory should be very useful for AVCE Business students. Browsing the factory and trying out various sections will help students to apply much of what they have learnt to a real business and identify some of the constraints faced by businesses in their activities.

For Unit 1 they may find it helpful to look at the Cameron Balloons section. This will help them see a real business at work and give them an awareness of the history of the company and the product range they produce. They could also take a look at the production section to help with the study of adding value, and how improvements in production can take place. They could then have a go at some of the production worksheets. There is also a worksheet and information on the stakeholders of Cameron Balloons. This may be helpful to students for this Unit.

For Unit 2 they may find it helpful to look at the over-capacity in the ballooning market worksheet. This will help them apply supply and demand to a real business situation.

For Unit 3 they could look at the marketing section, but particularly the theories about product life cycle and marketing mix. They could then have a go at the worksheets on these things.

For Unit 4 they could browse the sections of the factory floor on the members of staff. These are available for all the main business functions - production, design, accounts, purchasing and marketing.

For Unit 5 they could look at the part of the production section about costs. There is theory and worksheets about costs and how the theory relates to the manufacture of balloons. There is also a worksheet on pricing which may be helpful for this unit. They may also like to have a look at the accounts section and also the accounts section theories and worksheets. These worksheets may also be helpful for looking at ratio analysis - an area that students often find difficult.