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Unlocking Business Growth Through Strategic Learning: How BDC Leverages Bloom’s Taxonomy
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In the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship, where every decision can make or break a business, the ability to think strategically is not just a skill—it’s a necessity.

At the Deakin Business Development Clinic (BDC), we’ve taken this challenge head-on by embedding Bloom’s Taxonomy into our innovative teaching pedagogy, ensuring our students are not just learning, but mastering the discipline of strategic planning for real-world business growth.

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a hierarchical model that classifies learning activities into levels of complexity and specificity, from basic knowledge recall to advanced critical thinking.

A deep level of learning is achieved by structuring the learning experience in steps, typically referred to as scaffolding. (As detailed in Anderson and Krathwohl’s 2001 adaptation of Bloom’s Taxonomy, A Taxonomy for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment.)

Bloom's Taxonomy. Source: https://5minutebi.com/2023/07/29/what-is-blooms-taxonomy-with-technical-learning-example/

 

In the BDC, students engage in learning activities at each level of complexity described in the taxonomy, stepping through transitions explained by Shabatura (2013): 

  1. Before you can understand a concept, you need to remember it;
  2. To apply a concept, you need first to understand it;
  3. To evaluate a process, you need first to analyze it;
  4. To create something new, you need to have completed a thorough evaluation.

At BDC, we’ve embraced this model in building a structured learning pathway that guides our students through the complexities of business strategy and decision-making. 

How We Apply Bloom’s Taxonomy in the BDC Program

  1. Remember: Laying the Foundation with the 7 Levers Framework.

Every strategic journey starts with a strong foundation. For our students, that foundation is the 7 Levers Framework—a powerful tool designed to focus decision-making on profit growth. By introducing this framework early, we ensure that students memorize the key concepts on which the program builds. 

  1. Understand: Using Case Studies to see how the framework components come together.

To understand the strategic benefit of using the 7 Levers Framework, students  work with it to structure their approach to provide solutions to a range of case studie. These learning exercises help reinforce students’ expertise in using the framework in various business contexts. 

  1. Apply: Turning Knowledge into Action

At BDC, theory meets practice as students apply the 7 Levers Framework to their client’s actual business processes. The application step is where students begin to bridge the gap between classroom learning and applying it in real-world business challenges, preparing them for the more complex tasks ahead.

[Want to be a client and work with our amazing Student Consultants to grow your profits – find out more here.] 

  1. Analyse: Dissecting Business Dynamics

Once students have applied the framework, they move on to analysis. Here, they examine the interplay between the seven business levers—Suspects (traffic), Prospects (engagement), Conversions (sales), Average Item Price (pricing strategy), Average Items Per Sale (upselling), Transactions Per Customer (repeat business), and Margins (cost control)—to understand how each impacts overall profitability. This analysis is crucial in identifying where the most significant growth opportunities lie. 

  1. Evaluate: Making Strategic Choices

With a thorough analysis in hand, students evaluate the significance of each lever, considering both its impact on the bottom line and its potential for improvement. This step challenges students to make strategic decisions, selecting the lever that offers the greatest potential for profit growth and crafting a focused plan to enhance it. 

  1. Create: Developing Actionable Strategies

Evaluation leads to creation. Students develop tactical activities tailored to the selected lever, complete with an implementation plan, budget, and projected return on investment. This stage is where students’ strategic thinking transforms into actionable strategies that can drive real business results. 

  1. Teach: Passing the Torch of Knowledge

The final step in our taxonomy-structured approach is perhaps the most transformative. Students not only implement their strategic plans but also engage with their entrepreneur clients to teach them the principles behind their decisions. This role reversal—from student to teacher—not only reinforces the students’ learning but also empowers the entrepreneurs to continue applying the 7 Levers Framework in their business growth strategies.

Why Bloom’s Taxonomy Works for BDC 

By structuring our program around Bloom’s Taxonomy, we ensure that each stage of learning builds on the last, leading to deeper understanding and more effective application of business strategy principles. Our students don’t just leave with theoretical knowledge—they walk away with the skills and experience needed to make a tangible impact on any business they touch. 

At the BDC, we’re not just preparing students for the business world; we’re preparing them to lead it. 

 

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