Page 4 - Business Studies 11-12 (2006)

3
Introduction
This document replaces The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Business Studies, 2000. Beginning in September 2006, all Grade 11 and 12 business studies courses will be based on expectations outlined in this document.
Secondary Schools for the Twenty-First Century
The goal of Ontario secondary schools is to support high-quality learning while giving indi- vidual students the opportunity to choose programs that suit their skills and interests.The updated Ontario curriculum, in combination with a broader range of learning options outside traditional classroom instruction, will enable students to better customize their high school education and improve their prospects for success in school and in life.
The Importance of Business Studies in the Curriculum
Business activity affects the daily lives of all Canadians as they work, spend, save, invest, travel, and play. It influences jobs, incomes, and opportunities for personal enterprise. Business has a significant effect on the standard of living and quality of life of Canadians, and on the environ- ment in which they live and which future generations will inherit. Eventually, all students will encounter the world of business, whether they work in urban or rural areas.They must be pre- pared to engage in business activity with confidence and competence.Young people need to understand how business functions, the role it plays in our society, the opportunities it gener- ates, the skills it requires, and the impact it can have on their own lives and on society, today and in the future.
The business studies program will build a strong foundation for those who wish to move on to further study and training in specialized areas such as management, international business, marketing, accounting, information and communication technology, or entrepreneurship. It will also provide practical skills for those who wish to move directly into the workplace.
Engaging in the world of business involves studying individuals, communities, and organizations, assessing their needs and problems, and generating solutions. Business studies draws upon facts, concepts, and processes from many other fields of study. For example, close links exist between marketing and communications, accounting and mathematics, entrepreneurial studies and tech- nology, international business and world studies, and management and studies of society and human nature. Furthermore, knowledge and skills related to information and communication technology are relevant across all disciplines. Students will be able to apply what they learn in other subject areas to their study of business, as well as to transfer the knowledge and skills they acquire in business studies to their work in other areas.
Business studies provides students with a new, practical context for many of the subjects they studied at the elementary level, including mathematics, science and technology, language, and social studies. It helps students to recognize the relevance of these subjects as they are applied in the world of business – for example, in the study of individuals and diverse communities;