mind your business vce
Smaro Daskalaki
Rosalie Fourniotos
Sophie Sakellaropoulos
Teachers -
Business Management
The VCE Business Management study design follows the process from the first idea for a business concept, to planning and establishing a business, through to the day-to-day management of a business. It also considers changes that need to be made to ensure continued success of a business.
To better understand business management concepts, it is vital that students can relate their learning to real life situations. BSC students participate in field excursions to visit a diverse range of businesses which allows them to see first hand the theories that they have learned being put to practice. Additionally, the owners and operators of these businesses are available to answer questions and provide first hand insight into what it takes to run a successful business.
Recently, the Year 12 Business Management students toured the Carlton United Brewery Brewhouse to gain understanding of the operations process within a manufacturing business. Seeing how the business is run on a day to day basis provided opportunity to identify the many internal and external factors can affect the efficiency of an operation. Following the tour, the group then took the opportunity to visit Victoria Gardens shopping centre to observe the operations of retail stores, particularly IKEA.
Year 11 students enjoyed a recent visit to a pasta restaurant in Richmond - Ms Frankie - to support their studies on the internal environment of a business. This excursion was particularly focused on investigating the importance of the many decisions a prospective business owner needs to make during the planning stage of the business.
Wani Sak (business owner) was on hand to speak to our students. She answered many and varied questions about her journey towards opening Ms Frankie as well as her quest to ensure the restaurant's ongoing success. Wani's presentation provoked significant discussion about what it takes to be a business owner, allowing students to see beyond the 'dollars and cents' or of a business. The motivations, resilience, determination and ambitions of a business owner are all significant factors in any successful business venture. This personal face of the business was noth interesting but also inspirational.
Zak Tsiouklas
Year 11
The excursion to the Carlton and United Breweries was an insightful experience that gave us an in-depth understanding of the operations of a business. Our tour guide showed us the various materials that go into the production of beer, the process of fermentation and the bottling and packaging required to create a quality product. It was a very good way of solidifying the connection between the theory we learn in class and its real life application, and was overall a very interesting and enjoyable excursion.
Daniel Porter
Year 12
The excursion was very beneficial in the way it related to our current studies. The brewery walk-through gave us a clear picture of how operations are carried out in an actual workplace environment. I would definitely recommend this excursion for future Year 12 students as this is very relevant to the Operations Management topic in our course.
Huy Nguyen
Year 11
Through the excursion we got to experience first hand the operation of a business, and gained insight into the journey of the formation of the business. This was a truly interesting experience. The owner was inspirational, showcasing different sets of skills and qualities that she has gained by simply pursuing her passion - rather than just focusing on profit.
Erdem Kuruku
Year 11
The excursion offered an interesting insight into the workings of a real business. We got the chance to ask unique questions about how such a successful business came to be. The excursion answered a lot of questions we could not answer in a classroom environment. It was refreshing to see the theory we have learned in practice.
Aggeliki Gaganos
Year 11
The best part of this excursion was learning about hospitality: the way a restaurant works and what it took to actually build that business. It was nice to be able to meet the owner and ask questions. In addition I thought the pasta was amazing! 😊
Sabin Bhandri
Year 11
I really enjoyed the food and love the fact that they make everything fresh at the restaurant. When we got to tour inside the kitchen - it was a clean and professional environment. We also interviewed the owner. She had a great personality and I can see how that affects the business and how the restaurant has come to be so successful.
Chris Neocli
Year 12
The excursion related to our classroom learning about what it takes to run a business successfully and what to look out for when starting a business. It was great to get to eat the food and go through the kitchen. The owner talked about all different aspects of running a business and essential to making it successful .
Manzil Lamichhane
Year 12
The excursion gave us an inside look of a business and demonstrated how the business came about, which helped our class better understand how a business works in practice. The best part was obviously the food but also the information we received about her life and how she turned her passion into a reality.
Benjamin Kleinig
Year 11
Seeing the kitchen and how everything operated behind the scenes was very interesting.
Michael Moro
Year 11
It was good to speak to the owner and not just read from a textbook. It was interesting to learn how she set up the restaurant and why she chose that particular location.
Alex Patoulidis
Year 11
It was good to meet a real entrepreneur and see things from their perspective. It was also interesting to find out that the decision to make the business was out of passion for the job and not just the money… I would recommend this excursion as it gave us a real life experience and this was a good way to learn from and ask questions in the real world.