PAU Business Operations (Catalonia) study plan
PAU Business Operations (Catalonia) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 8 hours per week
Operations management
Define and correctly distinguish the core operations decisions: capacity, location, layout, process type (project, job shop, batch, line, continuous)
Compute productivity (single-factor and multi-factor) and break-even output for a given cost structure, showing all working
Classify inventory by type and function and explain the trade-off between holding cost and stockout risk
Draw and interpret a simple process flow diagram, identifying bottleneck and throughput for a 3-4 step sequence
Your checkpoint
A one-page formula sheet covering productivity, break-even, and inventory cost, plus 10 self-written worked problems with answers (no external question bank).
Operations management & Financial management and decision-making
Apply quality-management concepts (quality cost categories, PDCA, control charts as a concept) to a described production scenario
Calculate and interpret the main financial ratios: liquidity, solvency, profitability, and turnover, from a simple balance sheet and income statement you construct
Explain the working-capital cycle and compute the cash conversion cycle from given data
Compare project appraisal methods (payback, NPV, IRR) and justify a choice for a stated investment case
Your checkpoint
A spreadsheet or handwritten model with a 12-line income statement and balance sheet, 8 computed ratios, and a 150-word investment recommendation.
Financial management and decision-making
Build a full break-even and sensitivity analysis for a product launch, varying price, variable cost, and fixed cost
Distinguish financing sources (own vs. external, short vs. long term) and match each to a described business need
Interpret a cash budget and identify the month in which a liquidity shortfall appears
Explain the relationship between profit and cash flow using a simple numerical example
Your checkpoint
A completed cash budget for 6 months with a written diagnosis of the shortfall month and two corrective actions.
Business environment and strategy
Map the macro-environment of a Catalan SME using PESTEL and identify the two most material factors with justification
Apply Porter's five forces to a named sector and rank the forces by intensity
Perform a SWOT that is internally consistent with the PESTEL and five-forces output (no contradictions between sections)
Distinguish growth strategies (Ansoff), competitive strategies (cost vs. differentiation), and integration/diversification options
Your checkpoint
A 400-word strategic diagnosis of one real Catalan sector (e.g., food and beverage or tourism) with PESTEL, five forces, and a justified strategy recommendation.
Business organization and management & Marketing and commercial function
Compare legal forms (individual entrepreneur, SL, SA, cooperative) on liability, capital, and taxation, and select one for a described venture
Draw an organizational chart for a 40-person firm and justify the chosen span of control and degree of centralization
Outline the marketing mix (product, price, place, promotion) for a specific product, keeping each element consistent with the others
Compute and interpret market share, penetration, and a simple price-elasticity estimate
Your checkpoint
A 2-page business case for a new venture: legal form chosen with reasons, org chart, and a coherent 4P plan with market-share calculation.
Marketing and commercial function & Human resources and labor relations
Segment a market on two criteria and position a brand using a simple perceptual map drawn from your own assumptions
Distinguish the stages of the product life cycle and adapt the marketing mix at each stage
Explain the main employment contract types and the difference between seniority-based and performance-based pay in the Spanish/Catalan context
Describe the roles of works council (comité de empresa), collective agreement (convenio colectivo), and union representation in a company
Your checkpoint
A 300-word HR plan for a 25-person company: contract mix, pay structure, and one collective-bargaining issue with your proposed resolution.
Business ethics, social responsibility and sustainability & Business environment and strategy & Business organization and management
Apply the triple bottom line (economic, social, environmental) to evaluate a business decision you analyzed earlier in the plan
Identify the main stakeholders of a firm and rank their claims by legitimacy and urgency
Explain CSR reporting and the distinction between compliance-driven and voluntary sustainability action
Integrate ethics and sustainability into a strategy recommendation without contradicting the financial analysis
Your checkpoint
A 300-word sustainability and ethics assessment of the week-4 sector, with three concrete, costed actions.
Operations management & Financial management and decision-making & Marketing and commercial function
Synthesize all seven domains into one integrated case answer under timed conditions (90 minutes)
Diagnose your three weakest domains from the timed case and re-study each with targeted exercises
Rehearse the calculation types (break-even, ratios, cash budget, elasticity, productivity) until each is completed without notes
Write a final one-page summary of the 20 concepts you are most likely to be tested on
Your checkpoint
One full timed mock case (90 minutes) plus a scored self-assessment listing three weak areas and the corrective action taken for each.
Milestones
Week 2: Can compute break-even, productivity, and five financial ratios from a self-built statement without notes, scoring at least 8/10 on your own problems.
Week 4: Can produce a PESTEL, five-forces, and SWOT analysis for an unseen sector in 45 minutes with no internal contradictions.
Week 6: Can explain legal forms, contract types, and collective bargaining in a 10-minute recorded verbal explanation without notes.
Week 8: Complete the 90-minute integrated mock case, scoring at least 60% overall and at least 50% in every one of the seven domains.