3.1.2 Stakeholders - AQA A Level Business (First teaching 2026)

This three-lesson pack introduces students to stakeholders and ethical responsibilities. Lessons 12–13 explore the difference between internal and external stakeholders, their objectives, and how business decisions can create both positive and negative impacts for groups such as employees, shareholders, customers, suppliers, government and the local community. Students then develop higher-level thinking by examining stakeholder conflict, prioritisation and stakeholder power, using engaging role play, debate and real business examples such as John Lewis, Shein, McDonald’s and Apple. The lessons build towards a 15-mark evaluation task on whether businesses should prioritise shareholders or wider stakeholders.

Lesson 14 then moves into ethical responsibilities to stakeholders, exploring how businesses go beyond legal requirements to act fairly towards employees, customers, suppliers and communities. Using relatable examples such as Lush, Patagonia and Amazon, students assess the tension between ethics and profit maximisation, before applying their knowledge to a 9-mark assess question on Amazon raising warehouse wages above the Real Living Wage.

Includes:

• Engaging starters & retrieval
• Internal vs external stakeholders
• Stakeholder objectives and conflict
• Stakeholder power and prioritisation
• Real-world business examples and dilemmas
• Role play, debate and ranking activities
• Ethical responsibilities to stakeholders
• Profit vs ethics decision-making
• 9-mark assess exam practice
• 15-mark evaluation task
• Peer assessment & plenary tasks

Low-prep, engaging and fully aligned with AQA A-Level Business (First teaching 2026, first exams 2028).