Business activity affects the daily lives of all Canadians as they work, spend, save, invest, travel, and play. It influences jobs, incomes, and opportunities for personal enterprise. Business has a significant effect on the standard of living and quality of life of Canadians, and on the environment in which they live and which future generations will inherit. Eventually, all students will encounter the world of business, whether they work in urban or rural areas.  They must be prepared to engage in business activity with confidence and competence.  Young people need to understand how business functions, the role it plays in our society, the opportunities it generates, the skills it requires, and the impact it can have on their own lives and on society, today and in the future.

The Goals of Business Studies

The fundamental purpose of the business studies program is to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to achieve success in secondary school, the workplace, postsecondary education or training, and daily life. The goals of the business studies curriculum are to enable students to:

• gain an understanding of business concepts through the study of subjects such as accounting, entrepreneurship, information and communication technology (ICT), international business, marketing, and business leadership;
• achieve business, economic, financial, and digital literacy;
• develop the skills, including critical thinking skills, and strategies required to conduct research and inquiry and communicate findings accurately, ethically, and effectively;
• apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes acquired through the study of business to a variety of learning tasks and relate them to business phenomena on the local, national, and global levels.​