Application Strategies and Resources

Business classroom engaged with Business Brain game

Bringing Business to Life in Your Classroom

Here's where the real magic happens! The dynamic world of business demands communication and flexible thinking, and your classroom should reflect that energy.

Our resources empower your students to:

Talk and discuss: Develop essential communication skills crucial for any business environment.
Think flexibly: Confidently apply and adapt business concepts to diverse, real-world contexts.
Develop financial acumen: Develop their ability to read, interpret and create financial statements through simulated game play.

With over 80% of the HSC exam (NSW) questions requiring students to relate theory to specific businesses, these activities are designed to strengthen these vital skills. Your students will build the confidence to excel under exam pressure and beyond.

Here's 3 solutions to bring your class to life:

1: Play Business Brain for your students to engage, apply and excel

Business Brain fosters mental agility through the application of business theory to a variety of business contexts, using a simple and effective, game-based approach.

There are millions of businesses and yes, the same set of business theory applies to each of them. But in very different ways. THIS ability to draw these links to a variety of business settings is one of the defining traits of business intelligence.

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Here is just ONE Way to Play (more ideas below):

Students randomly select a Business Card. Choose from our Small-to-Medium Enterprise Version or the Large and Global Business Version. Each card presents a profile of a very specific, unique firm.
Students draw Question Cards. These cards feature a series of thought-provoking questions directly related to business education concepts.
Working together, students discuss and formulate responses, applying their knowledge of business theory directly to the randomly selected firm. This isn't just about recalling facts; it's about making connections and justifying their reasoning.
Once a question is answered, the group selects a new Business Card and repeats the process. This continuous cycle of applying concepts to vastly different businesses rapidly flexes and develops their ability to adapt and think on their feet.

Download these instructional guides to see the full range of potential activities in your business classroom:

SME Version

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Large and Global Business Version

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Why Business Brain is a Game-Changer:

Develops Mental Agility: Challenges students to quickly pivot their thinking and apply theory to diverse, unexpected contexts.
Enhances Application Skills: Directly addresses the critical exam requirement of relating business theory to specific, real-world scenarios.
Fosters Communication: Encourages lively discussions and collaborative problem-solving.
Boosts Confidence: Prepares students to excel under pressure, whether in exams or future business challenges.
Eliminates Monotony: Keeps lessons fresh and engaging by introducing new business contexts with every draw.

Business Brain is more than just a game; it's a proven method for building the practical, adaptive skills your students need to thrive in the complex world of business.

2: Play Make a Statement to develop financial acumen through game action

Make a Statement provides students with the opportunity to learn by DOING. In a simulated game play for a whole variety of businesses, students face random business events and record them on the 3 Financial Statements, competing against their classmates to be the most profitable business!

Playing Make a Statement allows students to see the relationships between the statements, and how a business' financial performance is impacted by external events and management decisions.

There are 3 Levels of Game Play:

Beginner:

Focus on the basics FIRST with simple businesses and simple transactions. Learn through action and play how various businesses have different expense structures, purchasing requirements and capital assets.

Sell goods and services and pay for stock. Pay expenses as things break down and feel the rush as the business takes off! Grow your business with an interest-free loan from Mum!

Ideal for junior commerce or in the early stages of senior business classes.

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Intermediate:

The business and game play becomes a little more complex with the introduction of credit sales and purchases, interest on loans and more challenging events - positive and negative.

Who will be the winner? Random card selection determines the sales volumes, purchases of key inventory, and other factors impacting business performance - all directly related to very different types of business operations.

Ideal for senior business classes - in Year 11.

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Advanced:

The gameplay gets more complex - with the integration of events from Operations, Marketing and Human Resources - all impacting the business' performance.

Calculating ratios and detecting trends, your students will see the implications of a range of influences and strategies from business theory in the context of a technology manufacturer.

Ideal for senior business classes - in Year 12.

Master Financial Statements Through Dynamic Simulation!

Beyond textbooks and lectures, the true understanding of business finance comes from doing. Make a Statement transforms the often-intimidating world of financial statements into an immersive, engaging, and highly effective learning experience for your students.

Imagine the impact when:

Students are actively managing a simulated business, making decisions that directly affect its financial health.
The random selection of cards introduces real-world unpredictability, forcing students to adapt and think on their feet.
Complex concepts like the Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Cash Flow Statement become tangible and intuitive through immediate feedback.

This isn't just a game; it's a powerful tool for developing genuine financial acumen and confidence. Your students will learn to interpret financial data, understand cause and effect, and truly grasp the stories these statements tell about a business's performance.

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3: Provide space for holistic learning with 'Open for Business'

Bridging the Gap: From Linear Lessons to Holistic Business Understanding

The reality of business is wonderfully complex: it's an organic, interconnected whole, where everything happens simultaneously. Yet, our courses often demand a linear, topic-by-topic approach.

Think of it like colouring in a circle: you use a straight line (our curriculum) to fill a rounded space. There's inevitable overlap, revisiting, and new discoveries as you go. A truly deep understanding of business is holistic, not just a series of isolated facts.

Sticking purely to a straight-line progression through theory can be limiting – a 'blinkered' view of something so dynamic and interrelated. Students need to see the bigger picture!

That's why programmed time for open business exploration is absolutely key.

Subscribe to the 'Open for Business' Blog!

Get contemporary articles and video, with focus questions and related syllabus dot points to discuss with your students.

Running a scheduled "Open for Business" activity provides the perfect platform to:

Provide Real-World Context: Connect what's learned on that "straight line" directly to a current media article, a compelling business video, or a real-world company story.
See Theory in Action: Students witness how the concepts and theories they've studied are implemented by actual businesses.
Foster Holistic Thinking: This active exploration allows links to be made between the messy, organic reality of business and the structured theory from the course.

It's perfectly fine – even encouraged! – if students encounter ideas not yet formally covered, or if they revisit previously learned concepts. This mirrors the real business world, building true business intelligence through engagement with contemporary news and events.