MATSEC SEC Business Studies study plan

Define the four factors of production and classify ten given business inputs under land, labour, capital and enterprise

Distinguish between the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors and place eight named Maltese or international firms into the correct sector with a one-line justification

Explain the difference between a need and a want and between goods and services using three original examples each

Identify the main stakeholders of a business and state one conflicting interest between any two of them

Compare sole trader, partnership, private limited company, public limited company and cooperative on ownership, liability, finance sources and continuity in a written table

Explain how the business environment (economic, legal, technological, social, environmental) affects a named firm's decisions

Describe the role of government in regulating business and supporting enterprise, giving two Maltese examples you can verify

Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of business growth versus staying small for a specific scenario

Carry out and write up a short market segmentation exercise that splits a chosen product's buyers into at least three segments with reasons

Distinguish market research methods (primary versus secondary, qualitative versus quantitative) and select an appropriate method for three given research problems

Explain the elements of the marketing mix and apply all four Ps to one real product you can describe in detail

Interpret the product life cycle and recommend one extension strategy for a product at each stage

Compare pricing strategies (cost-plus, penetration, skimming, competitive, promotional) and choose one for three given scenarios with reasons

Explain the functions of packaging, branding and labelling and evaluate how a brand builds customer loyalty

Describe distribution channels from producer to consumer and justify a channel choice for a given product

Evaluate the strengths and limitations of advertising media (television, print, social media, direct selling) for a small firm with a limited budget

Classify ten given business transactions into the correct accounting categories (assets, liabilities, capital, revenue, expenses)

Prepare a simple cash flow forecast from a set of monthly receipts and payments and comment on any month with a negative closing balance

Explain why profit differs from cash and give two situations where a profitable firm runs short of cash

Identify the main users of financial statements and state what each user wants to know

Prepare a simple statement of profit or loss (income statement) from given revenue and expense data and calculate gross and net profit

Calculate and interpret at least four ratios: gross profit margin, net profit margin, return on capital and one liquidity measure

Explain the purpose of break-even analysis and calculate break-even output and margin of safety from given figures

Distinguish between internal and external sources of finance and match three sources to three stated business needs

Compare recruitment and selection steps and draft a short job description and person specification for one role

Explain financial and non-financial motivation methods and evaluate which would work best for a low-paid retail team

Describe the stages of production, methods of production (job, batch, flow) and select the most suitable for three given products

Explain the purpose and methods of stock control and quality control versus quality assurance

Complete two full timed past-paper-style papers under exam conditions and mark them against a mark scheme or your own answer guide

Compile and re-answer every question you got wrong or left blank, writing the correct reasoning in your own words

Revise the five weakest topics identified from your marked papers using active recall rather than rereading

Practise structuring evaluation answers with a point, explanation, judgement pattern for at least four questions