What is the business environment, and how do local and global changes affect jobs?
The local and global business environment: the sectors of employment, what globalisation means, and how changes in the business environment affect jobs and the skills employers want.
A CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work guide to the local and global business environment. Covers the sectors of employment, the meaning and effects of globalisation, how technology and change affect jobs, and the skills and qualities employers look for.
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What this dot point is asking
This dot point asks you to describe the business environment in which people work: the sectors of employment, the meaning and effects of globalisation, how change and technology affect jobs, and the skills employers want. The marked skill is defining the key terms, explaining how the business environment changes, and connecting those changes to the kind of workers employers look for.
The sectors of employment
People work across different parts of the economy, and you should be able to identify the main employment sectors:
- Primary sector: taking raw materials from the earth, such as farming, fishing and quarrying.
- Secondary sector: making and building things, such as manufacturing and construction.
- Tertiary sector: providing services, such as retail, health, education, tourism and finance.
In Northern Ireland, as across the UK, the tertiary (service) sector now employs the most people, while the share of jobs in manufacturing and farming has fallen over time. Recognising this shift is part of understanding the business environment.
Globalisation
Globalisation has both effects on jobs, and a balanced answer notes both. It can create jobs when overseas companies invest locally and open new operations, and it widens the market for local firms. It can also cost jobs when work moves to countries where labour is cheaper. Showing both sides is what earns marks.
How change and technology affect jobs
The business environment is always changing, and technology is a major driver. New technology and automation can replace some jobs, especially routine ones, while creating new jobs that need different skills, such as ICT and digital skills. Other changes, such as the economy growing or shrinking, also affect how many jobs are available. The key idea is that the world of work changes, so workers need to be adaptable and willing to learn new skills.
The skills and qualities employers want
Because the business environment changes, employers look for a set of employability skills that apply across jobs:
- Good communication: speaking, writing and listening clearly.
- Reliability: turning up on time and being trusted to do the job.
- Teamwork: working well with others.
- Problem solving: dealing with difficulties and thinking for yourself.
- ICT and digital skills: using technology confidently.
- A willingness to learn: adapting as jobs change.
Naming a skill is the start; explaining why an employer values it is what earns marks.
Try this
Q1. Name the three sectors of employment. [3 marks]
- Cue. Primary (raw materials), secondary (making things), tertiary (services).
Q2. What is globalisation? [2 marks]
- Cue. The process by which the world has become more connected, with businesses, goods, money and people moving across borders.
Q3. Name two skills employers look for. [2 marks]
- Cue. Any two of: communication, reliability, teamwork, problem solving, ICT skills, willingness to learn.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of CCEA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
CCEA Unit 3 (style)4 marksExplain what is meant by globalisation and give one way it can affect jobs.Show worked answer →
A four-mark question. Reward a clear definition of globalisation and a developed effect on jobs.
Globalisation is the process by which the world has become more connected, as businesses, goods, money and people move more freely across borders, so companies trade and operate worldwide.
Effect on jobs: globalisation can create jobs when overseas companies invest locally and open new operations, but it can also cost jobs when work moves to countries where it is cheaper. A strong answer defines globalisation and explains a real effect, positive or negative.
CCEA Unit 3 (style)6 marksDescribe two skills or qualities employers look for and explain why each is valued.Show worked answer →
A six-mark question. Reward two developed employability skills, each explained.
Skill one: good communication. Employers value workers who can speak and write clearly and listen well, because it helps them work with colleagues and customers and avoid mistakes.
Skill two: reliability and teamwork. Employers want staff who turn up on time, can be trusted to do the job, and work well with others, because this keeps the business running smoothly.
Other valid skills include problem solving, ICT skills and a willingness to learn. A top answer names a skill and explains why an employer values it, rather than listing skills.
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Sources & how we know this
- CCEA GCSE Learning for Life and Work specification — CCEA (2017)