Look no further than the Business Module on the Professional Business Diploma…
As we move towards the end of the second term of the diploma, students are just coming to the end of the Share Report project, which forms a core part of this term’s Business curriculum.
The project, created by Head of Business, Peter Madams, is designed to give students knowledge and insight to stock markets, specifically companies in the FTSE 100 index – and how a company share price can be impacted by external factors, such as the news, economics and politics, both within the UK and globally.
Understanding How External Factors Influence Share Price
Students invest a fictional £10k in a FTSE-100 business of their choice, recording the share price, week-by-week, through the term. Each week in lessons they research the news affecting the company and discuss the wider financial news that could be impacting not only the share price, but the economy and the FTSE100 index.
The final figure outcome is assessed as a profit, or a loss, with students being required to write a business report with their analysis of the final figure, and whether they would advise others to invest.
Share Report Project Feedback From Students
Current student Minnie decided to invest her pot in Hargreaves Lansdown, a well-established private equity financial services company. She chose it because finance is a new sector of interest to her and she thought it would be a reliable and well-established business to follow over the term. She told us she has “enjoyed the weekly chats, seeing the impact of politics both locally and internationally on the share price – particularly with the current US political landscape….the discussions helping to shape what can be pulled back into our final reports for assessment..”
Edward decided to pick British American Tobacco as his business to follow, finding the project an interesting challenge in a sector he knew nothing of previously. He has ended the project 17% in growth, and through analysis of publicised company finances he now knows that the vaping market contributes 40% of the overall revenue, and that BAT pays a dividend yield of over 7%.
Honor picked Next PLC, a high street retail name she recognised. Following the share price over the critical Christmas sales period indicated to her the impact of consumer Boxing Day sales spending. “The cost of living crisis and Next’s decision to close a high number of stores on such an important trading day reflected their shift in priorities and the diminishing profitability of in-store shopping events. This was reflected in my investment tracker of their share price….”
Learning Financial Terminology For A Career In Business
Head of Business, Peter Madams, highlighted that the project helps students understand the financial terminology of the stock market world, and through the study of the share price, week-by-week, over a period of time, they get a real feel for the reality of external factors influencing a company and its share price.
“Ultimately, they have to justify why they may have made a profit or loss in the final report submission at the end of the project. This gives them greater confidence in having an awareness of the business environment, which is valued by employers when they enter the workplace, no matter which sector…”
Find out more about the Professional Business Diploma curriculum here.