Syllabus: Pearson Edexcel GCSE Business
Module: Understanding External Influences on Business
Lesson: 1.5.2 Technology and business

Introduction

This article supports delivery of the Pearson Edexcel GCSE Business specification, specifically section 1.5.2 Technology and business, within Theme 1: Investigating Small Business. It’s designed for teachers, SLT, careers leads, and headteachers looking to connect curriculum content with employability, real-world examples, and Enterprise Skills pedagogy.

This unit explores how the use of technology transforms business operations, customer relationships, and productivity—an essential part of understanding how businesses stay competitive in a digital-first economy. It speaks directly to the Gatsby Benchmark aim of linking curriculum learning to careers and supports both lesson planning and strategic curriculum intent.

Key Concepts

According to the Pearson Edexcel specification for GCSE Business, students must learn:

• How technology influences how businesses operate, including:

  • E-commerce and digital communication

  • Social media and targeted advertising

  • Mobile and app-based technology

• The benefits of technology for businesses:

  • Improved efficiency

  • Reduced costs

  • Access to wider markets

• The potential drawbacks:

  • Cost of implementation and training

  • Security and data protection issues

  • Dependence on IT systems

Students should be able to apply these concepts to a range of business contexts – from start-ups to global firms – and understand how tech decisions affect business performance and customer satisfaction.

Real-World Relevance

From the rapid growth of small online sellers using Etsy and TikTok Shop, to how supermarkets like Tesco use predictive algorithms for stock control, this topic is anchored in visible, relatable change. Consider:

• Gymshark, which scaled from a garage-based startup to a global fitness brand via social media influencers and e-commerce.

• Monzo Bank, a digital-only bank disrupting traditional financial services with app-based customer service and instant budgeting tools.

• Local cafés using Square for contactless payments and digital loyalty cards to stay competitive against chains.

Technology is no longer a bonus feature for business – it’s the backbone. Helping students spot how tech changes affect operations, marketing, and staffing makes this module more than a syllabus box ticked. It becomes preparation for the world they’re walking into.

How It’s Assessed

This topic is typically assessed in Paper 1: Investigating Small Business. Students may face:

• Multiple-choice or short-answer questions about specific technologies (e.g. “State one advantage of using e-commerce for a small business”).

• Data response questions based on a business case study using tech tools.

• 6-mark “explain” questions focusing on benefits/drawbacks.

• 9-mark or 12-mark “justify” or “evaluate” questions requiring balanced arguments (e.g. “Evaluate the impact of introducing online ordering on a small bakery”).

Command words to reinforce in lessons:
Define, Explain, Analyse, Evaluate, Justify. Encourage students to use connectives like “this means that…” and “as a result…” to build stronger chains of reasoning.

Enterprise Skills Integration

Technology and business links directly to Enterprise Skills including:

• Problem-solving: Analysing how digital solutions improve customer service or logistics.

• Decision-making: Choosing between investing in an app or social media strategy.

• Creativity: Designing innovative marketing campaigns using digital platforms.

• Critical thinking: Weighing the risks and rewards of tech adoption for small businesses.

Enterprise Skills’ Pitch Deck Analyser can help students evaluate tech-driven business ideas for viability and customer value—ideal for group project work or end-of-unit revision tasks.

Careers Links

Mapped to Gatsby Benchmark 4 (Linking curriculum learning to careers), this topic provides rich discussion around:

• Digital marketing roles (SEO specialist, content strategist)

• Business IT and support roles (data analyst, systems technician)

• Start-up culture and entrepreneurship

• Logistics and e-commerce fulfilment (warehouse automation, AI-driven supply chains)

Careers leads can embed short role profiles into lessons, or run drop-down day workshops exploring “tech behind the brand” in retail, banking, and leisure sectors.

Teaching Notes

Top Tips for Teachers:

• Use blended media: short business case videos (BBC Bitesize, TED-Ed), infographics, and local business interviews to contextualise theory.

• Build from experience: ask students where they last shopped online or interacted with a brand via social media, then map it back to tech strategies.

• Use “Tech Audit” starter activities: students analyse how a real or fictional business uses digital tools.

Common Pitfalls:

• Overgeneralising: students may assume tech is always positive – make sure they explore drawbacks and nuance.

• Missing application: encourage use of specific business examples rather than vague answers like “it helps the business sell more.”

• Underdeveloped evaluation: model how to argue both sides using PEEL or similar structures.

Extension Ideas:

• Set a mini project where students propose a tech solution for a local business.

• Use MarketScope AI to simulate changes in consumer behaviour due to digital channels and discuss the business response.