Business & Management
The Business and Management Department offers a range of subjects which relate to the business world. Our emphasis is to let students explore the business world either as an entrepreneur or as a manager in the real life of corporate New Zealand. The content of all our courses is based on real business situations.
There are a wide range of subjects offered in the school. In the junior curriculum, we focus on the individual by offering enterprise studies in Year 9 and moneywise in Year 10 which is a financial literacy course. In the senior curriculum, we offer accounting, business studies, and economics progressing through all three senior levels.
Money Management can be taken at Year 12 and the focus is on the extension of the Moneywise course in Year 10.
The Department offers a variety of competitions that students can apply their knowledge, i.e.
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The Young Enterprise Scheme
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The Reserve Bank's Monetary Policy Challenge
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NZCETA subject competitions.
Career Pathways
Choosing Business and Management subjects will put you on a path to a number of careers particularly in the fields of business management, financial management, self-employment, insurance and human resources.
ACCOUNTING
Almost everyone practises accounting in one form or another on a daily basis. Accounting is part of measuring, communicating and interpreting financial activity. Whether you are preparing a household budget, balancing your bank account, preparing your income tax return or running a large corporation you are working with accounting concepts and accounting information.
In accounting, ākonga (students) enjoy the challenges of learning new skills and appreciate the relevance of the topics covered.
Where can Accounting lead?
This course leads to tertiary education courses. A school background in accounting is useful for any person wishing to enter the world of commerce, business management, banking, tourism, marketing, insurance, information technology, resource management, finance, consultancy, advisory and self-employment.
Accounting is a core subject for almost every commerce degree in Australasia and it is seen as advantageous for all university graduates despite specialisation. If you wish to be successful- be it in science, medicine, law or commerce, eventually you will be responsible for the management of money by way of budgets and strategic decision-making. Accounting prepares you to handle these funds in a responsible manner.
*Accounting will be replaced by Commerce from 2024 onward.
BUSINESS STUDIES
The knowledge and skills gained in business studies, along with exposure to enterprise culture, can help shape “creative, energetic, and enterprising” young people (the curriculum vision statement) who will contribute to New Zealand’s economic future.
In business studies, ākonga develop their understanding of business theory and practices in a range of relevant contexts, through experiential as well as theoretical approaches to learning.
Business studies has natural links to the Social Sciences learning area. Contexts for business can also be drawn from other learning areas, such as Technology.
Where can Business Studies lead?
Other common graduate careers with a business degree include roles within auditing, banking, communications, distribution, energy and utilities, hospitality and leisure, IT, insurance, journalism, law, logistics, manufacturing, media administration, production management, public relations, the public sector and defense etc.
COMMERCE
Commerce (available from 2024 onwards) is the use and exploration of accounting, economic, and business concepts and models to make sense of society and solve problems. In this subject, ākonga will build the knowledge, skills, and values they need to navigate, and participate in, the economic world. They will learn how participants in the economic world make decisions, and they will analyse how these decisions impact on sustainability.
Ākonga will learn that decision-making is necessitated by scarcity and that decisions are informed by a variety of cultural perspectives and lenses. Learning and assessment will examine Māori, Pacific, and different approaches to commerce, and business models from whānau and organisation contexts.
Where can Commerce lead?
This subject is the start of the pathway to Level 2 AND Level 3 accounting, business studies and economics
ECONOMICS
Economics is a social science involving the study of people and their activities relating to production, consumption and exchange. The study covers the behaviour of individuals, their work decisions of what to produce, where to locate and how to market and the activities of government.
A thorough study is also made of major economic issues, i.e. unemployment, inflation, budget deficits, trade imbalances and economic growth.
Where can Economics lead?
This course leads to tertiary education courses to be a financial advisor, financial reporter, loan officer, stock trader, economics secondary teacher, assessor, economic affairs officer, business analyst and actuary.
An understanding of economic issues and effects is a basis for the study of both commerce and society. From the planning of marketing decisions through to developing the third world, economics impacts upon us all. Because of its arts and commerce orientation, it can be studied as a main or as a supporting subject within either an arts or a commerce qualification. Economics also forms a core component of many other qualifications including agriculture/horticulture through to parks, recreation and tourism management.
Economics plays an important part in all decision-making as nothing exists in a vacuum. Therefore, the real importance of economics is at the very basis of planning and implementing major social or business decisions. Without an appreciation of the prevailing economic climate, both internally and externally, any project can go seriously awry. An understanding of economics can play a large part in the decision-making process, whether it is to appoint additional staff in an expanding plumbing business or to purchase a salmon farm in Chile.
MONEY MANAGEMENT & MONEYWISE
To take advantage of increased choice, today's consumers require greater levels of financial capability than those of three decades ago due to the fast changing technology and commercial world.
Money management is learning directed towards building financial capability. The outcome of money management should be a financially literate person.
Where can Money Management and Moneywise lead?
It leads to the personal ability to make informed judgments and to take effective decisions regarding the use and management of money. A functional financial literacy description is a basic level of knowledge and skill required for an individual to effectively manage personal finances. Money management is fundamental to becoming financially literate.