AQA BUSS 4 - Corporate Culture Discussion

Many thanks to Joe Corcoran from Greenhead College for this superb advice on BUSS4 essay writing. Well worth putting these tips into practice!

Don't forget that Mark Mitchell, Joe's teaching colleague at Greenhead, has recently written a comprehensive guide to BUSS4 essay writing - which is now also available in a full-colour printed edition from the tutor2u online store! We have a couple of boxes left, so order one soon if you would like a copy in good time for the BUSS4 exam.

1. Avoid business cliché (e.g. ‘It’s not all doom & gloom’, ‘blue sky thinking by senior management’ etc.)

2. Avoid shopping lists of points in your paragraphs – try and develop one point of argument through an entire paragraph (use connective stepping stones as an approach)

3. Don’t assume the examiner knows your examples – set the scene with a brief one line summary of the industry or market the company operates in.

4. Don't rely on just what you discuss in class with your Teacher – think about how could you dig a little deeper on your examples – who know’s, that company may be a suitable example for not one but five or six topics covered on the module.

5. Avoid 2/3 line final paragraphs – your final paragraph is evaluative in nature, not simply a conclusion. There is 14 marks awarded for evaluation on a BUSS4 essay and most of these will be accessed in that final paragraph.

6. Make sure you read the question more than once – the question might be about ‘technological change’, not ‘technology’. That should make you think about the type of examples you bring into your essay.

7. Don't dive into your arguments – a 4/5 line introduction paragraph at the start of the essay helps set the scene and adds structure to your answer. Remember this is an essay so a logical structure and framework needs to be in place.

8. Your arguments should be underpinned by links to relevant theory, frameworks or models covered over the entire two year syllabus. You don’t want your answer to be like something a pedestrian on the street could write. Your answer needs to reflect the textbooks, notes and theory read and revised in the run up to this exam!

9. Avoid what I call ‘default analysis’. This is where your chain of analysis always ends in ‘this will lead to poor cash flow’ or ‘resulting in less profit’ or ‘loss of turnover which in turn leads to low profit and this results in the business closing down’. In some cases your argument may have an end product like this but don’t repeat that outcome in 4 arguments in the same essay. The examiner will see through this and it will indicate that the writer has not really understood what the question is asking.

10. Think about does your example support the point your making? For example, there is no point in using Facebook as an example about culture if the question specifically wants you to consider change in culture. For instance, using Barclay’s and their change in CEO would be more effective in building an argument.

Hope these top tips help. Whether they are that ‘top’ depends on what you think. They actually came from a result of group feedback I shared with my own A2 teaching groups on some essays they did just before Easter. I must admit it got my students thinking about their own approach to essay writing in BUSS4.

Happy Researching!

Joe Corcoran

Just out of interest, how much research have you guys done for each business. For example, I'm averaging at about 1-2 A4 pages per business...

You're really going in deep.
But it's good if it's not time consuming.
But make sure you find relevant points which back up your points.
You wouldn't want to write a story of a firm's history for the examiner.

I saw an answer that got 36 marks when half the essay was a story on steve jobs life

Can somebody list the main theories we should learn for section A? I know theres Handy and Schien but what are the others?

Yeah I've got quite a few notes, just on Culture though but I'm having trouble with structuring the essay and making a plan

Generic Essay structure right here:


Introduction


Argument


Counter Argument


Concluding Paragraph

I am clueless about this exam. I'm aiming for an A. But I have no idea of essay structure and only minimal research done. Can any one help?
Also any predictions as to what might come up...

Generic Essay structure right here:


Introduction


Argument


Counter Argument


Concluding Paragraph

can someone pls tell me what businesses used task culture, role culture, people culture and power culture pllsssss! God bless

Task culture - Google, Youtube, Facebook etc. where teamwork is used to complete tasks. Emphasis on innovation, ingenuity, creativity etc. to solve problems

Role culture - Nokia, Barclays etc. where rules and procedures are used, very formal and hierarchical

People culture - Law firms, accounting firms, dentist practioners etc. where all employees are similarly skilled/qualified

Power culture - usually a small business, such as a corner shop, where the owner makes all the decsions

Hope this helps

yes thanks but how can I use it in a question and what kind of question will be asked? if u get me??

Something like 'Is culture integral to the success of a business?' and then say yes, and why with examples, eg at Google or whatever and then the other side by saying no, why and with examples eg Barclays.