Table of Contents
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:
| Business Name | Goods/Services Offered | Customer Need Satisfied | Business Model |
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:
| Business/Organisation | Sector | Reason for classification |
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.
