Unit 1: Classroom Activities

1.What is a business?

Activity 1: Business around me (Individual activity)

Identify five businesses that you interact with in your daily life (e.g., a grocery store, restaurant, bank, online shopping platform, or school canteen).

Create a table with the following columns:

Activity 2: Design your own business (Individual or Pair activity)

Imagine you are starting a new business.

Complete the following:

• Name of the business
• Product or service offered
• Target customers
• Business objective
• Business model (e.g., subscription, franchise, marketplace, direct sales)
• Two risks the business may face
• Two resources required to operate

Activity 3: Sector detective (Individual activity)

Look around your home, school, or neighbourhood and identify eight businesses or organizations. Classify each one into the appropriate business sector: Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, or Quaternary.

Create a table similar to the one below:

Discuss your findings with a partner and compare your classifications.

Activity 4: Sector Showcase (Group Activity)

Divide the class into four groups and assign each group one business sector.

Each group should:

• Define its sector.
• Identify at least three real-world examples.
• Explain its importance to the economy.
• Describe how it interacts with the other sectors.

Groups will prepare a 3-minute presentation and answer questions from their classmates.

Activity 5: Entrepreneur for a day (Group activity)

Each group selects a successful local or global start-up business.

Research:

• The business idea
• How the entrepreneur secured financing
• Challenges faced during the start-up phase
• Factors that contributed to success

Present your findings in a 3–5 minute presentation and discuss which step in the start-up process was most critical to the business’s success.

2. Types of business entities

Activity 1: Sole trader in my community (Individual Activity)

Identify a sole trader operating in your local community, such as a grocery shop owner, tailor, plumber, electrician, or food vendor.

Prepare a short report covering:

• Name of the business
• Goods or services offered
• Features of a sole trader evident in the business
• Two advantages and two challenges faced by the owner

Share your findings with the class.

Activity 2: Is Sole trader the best option? (Group activity)

Form groups of 4–5 students.

Scenario: A student entrepreneur wants to start an online handmade crafts business. The entrepreneur is considering operating as a sole trader.

Discuss the following:

• Why might a sole trader structure be suitable?
• What challenges could the entrepreneur face?
• What advice would you give regarding business ownership?

Each group should present its conclusions to the class and justify its recommendations.

Extension: Compare the sole trader form of ownership with a partnership and identify which would be more suitable for the business.

Activity 3: Partnership agreement design (Pair activity)

Working in pairs, imagine that you and your partner are starting a business together.

Prepare a simple partnership deed that includes:

• Business name
• Nature of business
• Capital contribution of each partner
• Profit-sharing ratio
• Roles and responsibilities of each partner

Present your partnership agreement to the class.

Activity 4: Partnership vs Sole trader (Group activity)

Form groups of 4–5 students.

Create a comparison chart showing the similarities and differences between a sole trader and a partnership under the following headings:

• Ownership
• Decision-making
• Capital
• Liability
• Profits
• Risks

Discuss which form of business ownership would be more suitable for a small café and explain your reasons.

Activity 5: Private or Public? (Group Activity)

Form groups of 3–4 students.

Research five well-known companies and determine whether they are privately held or publicly held.

Create a table showing:

• Company Name
• Type of Company (Private/Public)
• Evidence supporting your classification
• One advantage of operating as that type of company

Present your findings to the class.

Activity 6: Company formation challenge (Group activity)

Imagine that your group is starting a new technology company.

Prepare the following:

• Company name
• Business objective
• Whether the company will be privately held or publicly held
• Reasons for your choice
• A brief outline of the Memorandum of Association and Articles of Association

Present your company proposal to the class and justify your decisions.

Activity 7: Should we go public? (Class discussion / Group activity)

Scenario: A successful privately held company has experienced rapid growth and now needs substantial funding to expand internationally. The owners are considering converting the business into a publicly held company.

In groups, discuss:

• Benefits of becoming a publicly held company
• Risks and challenges involved
• Whether you would recommend going public

Each group should present its recommendation and supporting arguments to the class.

3. Business objectives

Activity 1: Mission, Vision, or Objective? (Individual activity)

Using the following the  list of statements from different organizations, students must classify each statement as:

• Vision
• Mission
• Objective
• Reduce plastic packaging by 30% within two years.
• To inspire healthier and happier communities through sustainable living.
• Our mission is to deliver innovative, affordable, and sustainable solutions with outstanding customer service.
• Open five new retail stores by the end of 2027.
• To become the most trusted provider of eco-friendly products in Asia.
• Achieve a customer satisfaction rating of at least 95% this year.
• We provide high-quality, environmentally friendly products that improve everyday life while protecting the planet.
• Launch three new eco-friendly products before December.
• To create a future where every household has access to affordable green solutions.
• Increase annual sales by 15% within the next 12 months.
• We work closely with local communities and suppliers to produce ethical, eco-friendly products that meet customer needs.

After completing the activity, discuss the reasons for your choices with a partner.

Activity 2: Create a business identity (Group activity)

Form groups of 4–5 students and imagine that you are starting a new business.

Each group should create:

• A business name
• A vision statement
• A mission statement
• Three business objectives

Present your business identity to the class and explain how the objectives support the mission and vision.

4. Stakeholders

Activity 1: Stakeholder mapping (Individual activity)

Choose a business that you are familiar with, such as a supermarket, restaurant, bank, or online retailer.

Identify at least six stakeholders associated with the business and classify them as either internal or external stakeholders.

Create a stakeholder map and briefly describe the interests of each stakeholder group.

Activity 2: Stakeholder role play (Group activity)

Form groups of 5–6 students. Each student will represent a different stakeholder group, such as:

• Owners/Shareholders
• Employees
• Customers
• Suppliers
• Government
• Local community

Scenario:
A company plans to build a new manufacturing plant in the local area.

Each stakeholder should explain:

• Their concerns
• Their expectations
• Whether they support or oppose the decision

Discuss how the business can balance the interests of different stakeholders.

5. Business growth and evolution

Activity 1: Franchise investigation (Individual activity)

Choose a well-known franchise business such as a fast-food restaurant, coffee shop, fitness centre, or retail store. Research and identify:

• Name of the franchise
• Products or services offered
• Franchisor and franchisee roles
• Benefits of operating as a franchise
• Challenges faced by franchisees

Prepare a one-page report and share your findings with the class.

Activity 2: Become a franchisee (Group activity)

Form groups of 4–5 students.

Imagine that your group has been given the opportunity to purchase a franchise of a popular fast-food chain.

Discuss and decide:

• Why you chose the franchise
• Estimated start-up costs
• Advantages of buying the franchise
• Possible risks and challenges
• Marketing ideas for attracting customers

Present your business proposal to the class

Activity 3: Joint venture matchmaker (Group activity)

Form groups of 4–5 students.

Each group should identify two companies that could benefit from forming a joint venture. For example, a technology company and a healthcare company, or a local business and a foreign company.

Discuss:

• Why the companies should collaborate
• Resources each partner would contribute
• Potential benefits of the joint venture
• Possible risks or challenges

Present your joint venture proposal to the class.

Activity 4: Joint venture case study (Individual activity)

Research a real-world joint venture between two companies.

Prepare a one-page report covering:

• Names of the partner companies
• Purpose of the joint venture
• Resources contributed by each partner
• Benefits achieved
• Challenges faced

Share your findings with a classmate or present them to the class.

6. Multinational companies

Activity 1: Multinational company research (Individual activity)

Choose a multinational company such as Apple, McDonald’s, Toyota, Nestlé, or Unilever.

Research and identify:

• Home country
• At least three host countries
• Products or services offered
• Reasons for operating internationally

Prepare a one-page report and share your findings with the class.

Activity 2: Home Country vs Host Country (Group Activity)

Form groups of 4–5 students.

Each group will select a multinational company and create a table showing:

• Home country
• Host countries
• Benefits to the company
• Benefits to the host countries
• Possible challenges faced by the company in the host country

Present your analysis to the class.