Editor's comment

Teaching Business & Economics, Summer 2005 by Cullimore, Duncan

Welcome to the Summer Edition of Teaching Business & Economics. It provides a set of excellent articles that give a mix of update and practical teaching support that many people will find useful. Throughout the journal reference is made to the EBEA website: do visit it.

The first article by article by Robert Gausden focuses on the impact of oil price rises, and presents reasons for an optimistic view of the UK economy's ability to withstand a marked increase in the price of oil. However, it concludes by warning that, on account of demand as well as supply factors contributing to the recent price rise, the oil price may remain at a relatively high level for the foreseeable future.

On Page 9 you will find a range of suggestions for texts that should help to humanise and invigorate economics lessons.

The Business Update (1) article is based on John Kay's presentation at the EBEA conference in March. In it, John rethinks what happens in markets, in order to take into account the social context within which individual markets operate. In a wide ranging and fascinating article peppered with examples, he suggests that markets can only be fully understood when that context is part of the analysis.

The second Business Update is David Myddelton's Conference presentation 'Why do most companies make losses?'

The first Business in the Classroom piece is a really lively set of lesson activities which came out of the visit to the Manchester United football ground during the Annual Conference. They can be used in Business Studies AS/A2/AVCE classes. All materials are photocopiable resources. The activities are designed with differentiation and learning styles in mind, in order to cater for all students' learning needs. The power point presentation is also published (and will be downloadable from the EBEA members-only web site).

The second article, by Andrew Gillespie, reflects his concern about the quality of evaluative answers in A Level Business Studies. Andrew brings to bear his experience as an A Level examiner as well as a teacher of the subject to suggest how candidates could make more of the opportunities in questions asking for evaluation.

The ICT on Line article focuses on interactive IT resources in general and the Cash Flow Biz ed resource in particular. Again this should be very useful for the many members who use this fine site.

I need to publish an erratum at this stage. In the last journal Angela Joyce wrote an article for the ICT on Line section, called "Biz/ed Internet Resources and Internet for Business Studies" and I gave the author as Andy Beharrell, not Angela. Also, the second screen shot (page 29) should have been of the Biz/ed Internet Resources front page at http://catalogue.bized.ac.uk/ . Apologies to Angela.

The journal closes with the Resource Reviews, edited as usual by Sue Turner. Sue would like more resources to review so please keep these coming in.

Finally I would like to thank all contributors to this edition and also to note that it will be my last as General Editor. People don't queue up to do this kind of work but it is interesting and a privilege, and I have been grateful for the opportunity to do it and to continue to work for the Association. Nancy Wall and I are soon to exchange roles. She will edit the Journal and I will be the Chief Executive. Please therefore e-mail Nancy your contributions (enwall@aol.com). Please also come along to the events and participate in the other networking opportunities.

Duncan Cullimore