Syllabus: Cambridge - IGCSE Business Studies
Module: 2.2 Organisation and Management
Lesson: 2.2.2 The Role of Management
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Introduction
This lesson forms part of the Cambridge IGCSE Business Studies syllabus (0450), under the topic 2.2 Organisation and Management, with a specific focus on 2.2.2 The Role of Management. It develops learners’ understanding of how managers contribute to the success of a business by performing key roles.
For teachers, careers leads and SLT, this topic presents a natural opportunity to link curriculum to workplace readiness. Understanding management roles connects directly to how organisations function in reality—an essential part of building commercial awareness and career confidence in students.
Key Concepts
According to the Cambridge IGCSE specification, students are expected to understand:
Functions of Management: The five key roles—planning, organising, coordinating, commanding, and controlling.
Importance of Effective Management: How these functions contribute to business success.
How Managers Achieve Objectives: Through decision-making, delegation, and leadership.
Relationship with Organisational Structure: Managers’ responsibilities within different types of business hierarchies.
This topic is foundational to broader commercial awareness. Students move beyond abstract definitions to see how leadership and decision-making shape business outcomes.
Real-World Relevance
Effective management can be observed in nearly every professional setting, from logistics firms coordinating global supply chains to local hospitality businesses responding to customer demand. A timely case study is Marks & Spencer’s recent business transformation under CEO Stuart Machin, who spearheaded a more agile, decentralised management model that empowered middle managers to make quicker customer-facing decisions—resulting in a strong uplift in performance.
Additionally, consider the NHS’s operational management response to changing patient volumes during winter surges. Planning and controlling functions are critical when aligning staffing, resources, and scheduling to public needs.
These examples reinforce the practical relevance of this topic for students across a variety of interests—not just those considering careers in business.
How It’s Assessed
This topic may appear across all three IGCSE paper formats:
Paper 1 (Short-answer and structured questions):
Students may be asked to define or explain roles such as “planning” or “controlling”, or apply them to a scenario (e.g. “Explain how a manager could use the planning function to solve a staff shortage.”)Paper 2 (Data response):
Typically includes case-based questions that assess a student’s ability to identify management functions in context and evaluate their impact.
Command words to prepare for:
Define – e.g. “Define the term ‘organising’.”
Explain – e.g. “Explain why planning is important to a business.”
Analyse – e.g. “Analyse the impact of poor management on business performance.”
Evaluate – e.g. “Evaluate whether coordinating or controlling is more important in a fast-growing business.”
Encourage students to structure responses using real-world examples where possible, reinforcing applied understanding.
Enterprise Skills Integration
This lesson naturally supports several of Enterprise Skills’ core development themes:
Decision-Making & Problem-Solving: Students analyse how managers choose between options, balancing risks and resources. Simulated scenarios can help students understand trade-offs, such as cutting costs vs maintaining quality.
Commercial Awareness: By understanding managerial functions, students learn how decisions affect different business areas—finance, operations, HR—building a deeper sense of how organisations create value.
Workplace Readiness: Planning and communication are essential skills in any job. Students exposed to management roles gain insight into team dynamics and leadership expectations in professional settings.
Incorporating tools from Skills Hub Futures, such as the “Project Management Basics” or “Data-Driven Decisions” sessions, reinforces these concepts with zero prep time and builds evidence for Gatsby compliance.
Careers Links
This topic is strongly aligned with Gatsby Benchmark 4—linking curriculum learning to careers—and supports Benchmarks 5 and 6 when enriched with employer examples.
Relevant job roles and pathways include:
Team Leader or Supervisor
Operations or Logistics Manager
Project Coordinator
Retail Manager
Human Resources Officer
Incorporate resources such as virtual employer case studies and workplace challenge scenarios from Skills Hub Futures to create encounters with authentic management decisions. These activities connect seamlessly with career learning objectives and offer rich evidence portfolios for Ofsted.
Teaching Notes
Top Tips:
Use mini role-play exercises to explore each management function. For example, have students simulate planning an event or coordinating a product launch.
Tie lessons to students’ part-time job experiences—ask: “Have you ever had a manager who planned poorly? What was the result?”
Embed decision-making frameworks—like SWOT or pros/cons tables—to help students develop structured thinking.
Common Pitfalls:
Students may confuse “controlling” with micromanaging. Clarify that in a business context, it refers to monitoring performance and correcting deviations.
Learners often memorise definitions without applying them. Prioritise case-based discussion to encourage deeper comprehension.
Extension Activities:
Invite a local manager (e.g. from a retail store) to speak or provide a written Q&A about their daily responsibilities.
Run a time-limited simulation where students must manage a project using all five management functions—this could be adapted from Skills Hub Business scenarios.
