THE BUSINESS STUDIES SYLLABUS IN CBSE AT A GLANCE
Class XI The class XI syllabus has been designed to familiarize the students with the principles and practices bearing on business, trade and industry and their relationship to society. While the first part apprises the students with the foundation of business, its purpose, structure and forms; the second part takes him further to setting up a company, obtaining finance, dealing in stock exchange and internal and international trade.
Class XII The class XII syllabus is divided into two parts. The first part, which is compulsory covers Principles and Functions of Management, In the second part there are three optional Courses out of which students are to choose any one as per their liking and aptitude.
The optional course on Functional Management specifies application of management principles in specific areas of business activities, such as personnel, finance, and marketing. This course is expected to be helpful to those who wish to pursue Commerce at the higher level of studies.
The course on Factory Organisation provides knowledge and information bearing on the practical aspects of setting up and running a manufacturing unit. Students who aspire to start their own manufacturing unit or join family business involving factory operations should be able to derive useful application oriented guides from study of this subject. They will have learnt the basics of setting up and organising a small scale factory unit and handling factory routines.
The third optional course is on Office Administration which provides knowledge and understanding of the various aspects of office organisation and the techniques of efficient handling of office work.
A study of this course is expected to lay down the foundation enabling students to pursue a career in any modern business office. This course may be of equal interest to girl students as well.
Need for review of the syllabus Though the practical utility of the Syllabus cannot be denied, it has been found that the spirit of the syllabus is not percolating down to the students of our education system.
The optional courses in class XII were framed with the objectives to diversifying the courses catering to varied needs of the students for higher education, self employment and wage employment. But most schools are known to offer only one option to the students thus
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defeating the very purpose of providing optional courses.
A study conducted by the Examination branch of the CBSE has revealed that more than 95% of the schools opt for the optional course on "Functional Management". Very few schools offer "Office Administration" and only a couple of schools offer "Factory Organisation". The main reasons underlying this position could be identified as follows-
(i) Limited number of Commerce teachers in a School,
(ii) Lack of Teacher's ability to teach subjects like Auditing, Factory Organisation, etc.
(iii) Scarcity of adequate good text books in these optional courses.
Given this situation many schools have suggested that these options be discontinued and combined into one compact syllabus.
It is also felt that the Business studies syllabus holds limited opportunities for adequate skill development in students. A student has little or no exposure to the business system prevailing in India and the processes and qualities that go for effective functioning of a business unit.
The development of proper work culture, business ethics, awareness about business environment and skills for enhancing individual and group work performance should be the primary concern for curriculum developers in Business Studies which is not reflected properly in the existing system.
A comparison of the CBSE syllabus with the B.Com (Pass) Course of Delhi University reveals that most of the contents in its papers on Business Organisation and Management, and Financial Accounting are covered by the CBSE syllabus. Thus the B.Com (Pass) course offers little or no challenge for students going for the courses.
The next two chapters highlight the need for review of the CBSE syllabus in the wake of the recent globalisation of economy and its resulting impact on business education. One must also be abreast of what is going on in this area of business education at school level all over the world so as to take up this mammoth task with a broadened and enlightened out look.
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