Post-Maturity Challenges

Year Level

Year 12

Duration

45 minutes

Class Size

10 students

Unit

Transforming Business Strategies

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Lesson Focus

Investigate the challenges faced by businesses during the post-maturity stage, including sustainability and market competition.

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Queensland Curriculum Alignment

Learning Objectives

This lesson aligns with the Queensland Humanities and Social Sciences (Economics and Business) curriculum for senior students by addressing the investigation of contemporary business challenges and strategic adaptation in a changing market environment:

• Analyze economic and business issues including sustainability in business practice.
• Evaluate strategic responses of businesses to challenges during growth and maturity phases.
• Communicate explanations and arguments using relevant business concepts.

Standards Addressed

• AC9HE9S05: Creating descriptions and explanations using economic and business knowledge, and concepts.
• Supports development of reasoned arguments related to business issues, aligned with Queensland senior syllabus expectations.

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Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Explain two major challenges businesses face in the post-maturity stage.
• Demonstrate understanding of how sustainability and market competition affect businesses during this stage.

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Resources Required

• Whiteboard or smartboard
• Markers or digital drawing tool for mind maps
• Audio recording or playback device with pre-recorded key points
• Handouts with brief text summaries (dyslexia-friendly font and layout)
• Case study examples of real businesses (for extension activity)
• Student notebooks or digital devices for notes and essay writing

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Lesson Breakdown

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Welcome students and briefly recap the previous lesson — the maturity stage in business lifecycle.
• Introduce the concept of the post-maturity stage and outline challenges, focusing on:
• Market competition (e.g., market saturation, decline in sales)
• Sustainability (environmental, economic, social)

Teacher Notes: Use clear, concise language with emphasis on key terms (print these on the board). Provide an audio version of this introduction to support dyslexic students.

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2. Group Discussion and Brainstorming (15 minutes)

• Organise students into 3 groups of 3-4 to discuss:
• What key challenges a business might face when it enters the post-maturity stage.
• How sustainability challenges and market competition could impact strategic decisions.
• Each group creates a mind map on a shared whiteboard or paper, visually organising ideas.

Differentiation:

• Visual learners: focus on mind map creation.
• Students with attention difficulties: assign clear roles within groups, such as note-taker or presenter.
• Provide sentence starters and guiding questions to scaffold discussion.

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3. Whole-Class Sharing (8 minutes)

• Groups present their mind maps.
• Teacher consolidates and emphasises two major challenges for businesses in post-maturity:
• Challenge 1: Maintaining competitive advantage amid market saturation.
• Challenge 2: Implementing sustainable business practices to meet stakeholder expectations.
• Use audio playback of key points to reinforce learning for all, and especially dyslexic students.

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4. Individual Reflection and Formative Assessment (10 minutes)

• Students write a short paragraph explaining the two key challenges identified.
• Prompt them to include examples or scenarios where possible.
• Collect these for formative feedback.

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5. Extension Activity Explanation (2 minutes)

• Explain the extension task for those interested in deeper learning:
• Write a short essay at home on a specific business’s strategies to overcome post-maturity challenges.
• Provide example businesses and criteria for essay evaluation.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Group work encourages peer support and varied engagement.
• Mind mapping visually organises information for diverse learners.
• Clear role assignments help students with ADHD focus and contribute meaningfully.
• Provide audio recordings and clear, dyslexia-friendly print resources.
• Offer extension activities for advanced students to apply knowledge critically.

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Assessment

• Formative: Paragraph explaining challenges in post-maturity stage.
• Extension: Essay on business overcoming post-maturity challenges (optional).

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Reflection and Follow-Up

• Review student paragraphs for understanding of post-maturity challenges.
• Use feedback to adapt lesson 3 to address any misconceptions.
• Encourage students to discuss extension essays in upcoming lessons.

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This lesson design aims to develop critical understanding about how businesses must evolve to remain viable in the post-maturity stage, firmly grounded in Queensland's curriculum requirements for Year 12 Business, and tailored to a small, diverse class. The use of mind mapping and audio supports multiple learning styles and needs, including those with dyslexia and ADHD, enhancing engagement and comprehension.