Commercials
Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies
Syllabus topics
96 topics and subtopics in the 2027-2029 syllabus, examined from 1 Jan 2027.
- 1
Understanding business activity
- 1.1 Business activity
- 1.1.1 The nature of business activity
- 1.2 Economic sectors
- 1.2.1 Types of economic sector
- 1.3 Enterprise, business growth and size
- 1.3.1 Enterprise and entrepreneurship
- 1.3.2 The methods and problems of measuring business size
- 1.3.3 Why some businesses grow and others remain small
- 1.3.4 Why some businesses succeed and others fail
- 1.4 Types of business organisation
- 1.4.1 Different types of business organisation
- 1.5 Business objectives and stakeholder objectives
- 1.5.1 Business objectives
- 1.5.2 The role of stakeholder groups
- 2
People in business
- 2.1 Human resource management (HRM)
- 2.1.1 Recruiting and selecting employees
- 2.1.2 Employment contracts and legal controls over employment issues
- 2.1.3 Training
- 2.2 Organisation and management
- 2.2.1 Simple organisational structures
- 2.2.2 The functions of management
- 2.2.3 Leadership styles
- 2.2.4 Why reducing the size of the workforce may be necessary
- 2.2.5 The role of trade unions
- 2.3 Methods of communication
- 2.3.1 Why communication is important
- 2.3.2 Communication barriers
- 2.4 Motivating employees
- 2.4.1 The importance of a well-motivated workforce
- 2.4.2 Methods of motivation
- 3
Marketing
- 3.1 Marketing and the market
- 3.1.1 The role of marketing
- 3.1.2 Understanding market changes
- 3.1.3 Mass markets and niche markets
- 3.1.4 Market segmentation
- 3.2 Market research
- 3.2.1 Methods of market research
- 3.3 Marketing mix
- 3.3.1 Product
- 3.3.2 Price
- 3.3.3 Place
- 3.3.4 Promotion
- 3.3.5 Ecommerce
- 3.3.6 Marketing strategy
- 3.3.7 Entering new markets in other countries as a method of growth
- 3.4 Legal controls
- 3.4.1 Legal controls related to marketing
- 4
Operations management
- 4.1 Production of goods and services
- 4.1.1 Production processes
- 4.1.2 The main methods of production
- 4.2 Technology and production of goods and services
- 4.2.1 The use of technology in the production of goods and services
- 4.3 Sustainable production of goods and services
- 4.3.1 Methods of sustainable production of goods and services
- 4.4 Costs, scale of production and break-even analysis
- 4.4.1 Identify and classify costs
- 4.4.2 Economies and diseconomies of scale
- 4.4.3 Break-even analysis
- 4.5 Quality of goods and services
- 4.5.1 Why quality is important and how quality may be achieved
- 4.6 Location decisions
- 4.6.1 Main factors which influence location decisions
- 5
Financial information and decisions
- 5.1 Business finance
- 5.1.1 The need for business finance
- 5.1.2 The main sources of finance
- 5.2 Cash flow forecast
- 5.2.1 The importance of cash and cash flow forecasts
- 5.3 Profit and loss
- 5.3.1 What is profit and why it is important
- 5.3.2 Statement of profit or loss
- 5.4 Statement of financial position
- 5.4.1 The main elements of a statement of financial position
- 5.5 Analysis of accounts
- 5.5.1 Profitability
- 5.5.2 Liquidity
- 5.5.3 Users of accounts
- 6
External influences on business activity
- 6.1 Economic issues
- 6.1.1 Business cycle
- 6.1.2 Effects of government policy
- 6.2 Business and the international economy
- 6.2.1 The importance of globalisation
- 6.2.2 Multinational companies (MNCs)
- 6.2.3 External costs and benefits
- 6.2.4 Exchange rates
- 6.3 Business and the environment
- 6.3.1 Environmental issues
- 6.4 Business and ethical issues
- 6.4.1 Ethical issues
- 6.5 Pressure groups
- 6.5.1 The role of pressure groups
About this syllabus
Cambridge IGCSE Business (0264) covers six topics: understanding business activity (enterprise, growth, types of organisation, objectives and stakeholders), people in business (HRM, organisation and management, communication, motivation), marketing (markets, research, the marketing mix, legal controls), operations management (production, technology, sustainability, costs and break-even, quality, location), financial information and decisions (finance, cash flow, profit, financial statements, ratio analysis) and external influences on business activity (economic issues, the international economy, the environment, ethics and pressure groups).
How you are assessed
All candidates take Paper 1 Short Answer and Data Response (1 hour 30 minutes, four compulsory 20-mark questions with stimulus material, 80 marks, 50%) and Paper 2 Case Study (1 hour 30 minutes, four compulsory 20-mark questions based on one case study insert, 80 marks, 50%).
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