MICO SCHOOL OF CONTINUING STUDIES

MANAGEMENT OF BUSINESS

SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT GUIDELINE

This School- Based Assessment takes the form of a research paper which should be approximately 2500 words
which should be typed double spaced. This should be based on any topic covered in any one, two or all three
modules of the unit being assessed. The school- based assessment for each unit requires that candidates
undertake a project which must demonstrate their skills in research, analysis, evaluation and presentation of
information. This SBA accounts for 20% of your final grade.

Requirements:

1. Students must choose a firm or simulate a firm on which they want to do their investigative research
project.

INTRODUCTION

2. Formulate a topic statement/ aim of the project: (2 marks)

Choose a topic from one area in the syllabus from any one of the modules. The topic should be specific
and researchable.

Examples:
a. An investigation into the type of leadership style used by Courts Jamaica Limited and how this
affects employee performance.
b. A study into the factors affecting productivity at XYZ Company and how this impacts
revenues.
c. An investigation into the method of production used by Grace Kennedy`s and how this
particular method affects operations.

The topic consists of four parts

I. Stem ( for example, to what extent does, a study of, to research the implications of, an
assessment of etc.)
II. One topic from the syllabus
III. Company you are carrying out the research on
IV. Dependent variable or link to an area of the firm. This is what the researcher measures during the
experiment or research (for example, impact on sales, profitability, employee performance,
employee motivation etc)

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3. Formulate objectives from aim/ topic: (2 marks)

The objectives of your project set its parameters and outlines its purpose and focus. Students should aim
for at least three objectives. These should be based on the aim/ topic and should be in the form of a
statement. You should start out with action words that are specific and measurable. These words could
include to: explain, identify, ascertain, outline, find out, evaluate etc.

Example:

At the end of the research, the researcher hopes to:

1. Identify the type of leadership style used by Courts Jamaica Limited.
2. Find out how the leadership style adopted affects employee performance.
3. Ascertain how the leadership style used benefits the firm.

4. Justification for the topic: (2 marks)

This should show how the completion of the project will help you to better understand the business
world. This should be between one and two short paragraphs.

Example:

This topic was chosen because it was one that the researcher thought would give him/her a better
understanding of effective production by a large firm. The researcher feels that this topic is very
important to a firm, because it determines the efficiency of production. That is, in order for the
production of goods to be efficient, the right production method must be chosen by the firm.

5. Background of the project: (2 marks)

This section of the introduction should make reference to previous published or unpublished studies that
may be related or affects your research. In order to do this, you must find out if there was previous
research done on your general topic. This will therefore require a brief background to the topic being
researched and also outline the significance of the topic. Be sure to include the source from which you
obtain your information. These might include newspaper articles, online journal, internet sites etc.

6. Literature review (10 marks)

This should start out with an introduction to the business. Namely, background info on the business such
as product or service offered, location, date operation commenced etc. Specific mention must be made
of the areas within the business that are being studied.

Also, a summary of previously published information on your topic should be presented. In this
summary you need to credit the author and the source used, since the information being written here is
from previous sources and not your own. The views of authors should be analyzed to show your own
understanding and views. This information may come from textbooks, newspaper, journals or other
sources. Please note that all the information must flow in a logical order. Both primary and secondary
sources may be in the literature review. The APA style should be used for citation. This section should
be between two and three pages in keeping with the word limit.

7. Methodology: (6 marks)
This is a description of the steps that you went through in order to gather the needed information. This
should be written in the past tense. This should be combined into:
a. Research design- this should state where the methods that were used to gather the data and a brief
description on each method and why it was used. Example, state whether primary or secondary data
was used and give specific examples of each.
b. Description and selection of sample- identify the method of selection used to collect sample whether
random, systematic etc. Identify who you selected: gender, title etc.
c. Research instrument- briefly describe the instrument that was used to gather information. Example
interview, questionnaire etc. Describe the instrument in terms of how many questions were there,
how many were open ended and closed ended etc. Use “the researcher” when referring to yourself.

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 8. Presentation of data: (6 marks)
This should relate to your objectives. Information should be presented using graphs charts and tables.
These diagrams should be properly explained and labeled.

See example below:

Figure 1:

Showing the Motivational Strategies

Employed
Bonus Schemes
Empowerment 31%
34%

Job Enlargenment
Profit Share Fringe Benefits
11%
7% 17%

This pie chart shows the motivational strategies employed. The charts shows the motivational strategies ranked
in the following order: empowerment 34%, bonus schemes 31%, fringe benefits 17%, job enlargement 11%,
and profit share 7%.

9. Analysis of data: (6 marks)

This should give a summary of the findings 9responses), outlining patterns, trends, high points,
similarities and disparities. This should be done using percentages or actual data.

For example:

60 per cent of respondents stated that they were comfortable with the leadership style used by the
company. The remaining 4 per cent said that they were not comfortable with the leadership style used
by the company.

10. Interpretation of data: (6 marks)

Information collected from the research should be properly explained and students should give their own
views. State whether you agree or disagree; what was wrong or right. What meaning do you get from the
statistical data etc. You are to relate your views:
• To business concepts from the syllabus,
• Other topics if possible, i.e. one content area and another. For example, if you talk about
decisions being made only by managers, you could link it how this can affect the motivation of
workers. At the end of the paragraph you also need to summarize the content to show how this
relates to the title.
• To business theories, for example, the work of Elton Mayo, Max Weber etc. Try to relate what
the theory suggests with what is happening in the business.

For example, the figure above shows that 90 per cent of workers are not motivated to work. According
to Stimpson etal (2009) motivation is………… (pg 176). In terms of the business, it
means…………However, lack of motivation may be because…………

You are also to make reference to the business and site your sources throughout. To acquire full marks for this
section, students must demonstrate that they have a good grasp of the course content and are able to relate that
knowledge to the findings of the SBA.

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 11. Conclusion and Recommendation: (6 marks)
The conclusion should state the salient points that were discussed in the SBA. Here the researcher
should state the outcome of the research in terms of the research topic and objectives.
The recommendation should be based on the findings of the research. Having done the research, you
should now look at the shortcomings or the potential for shortcomings and recommend how these could
be overcome by the firm. This could also relate to how something being done can be improved.

Use bullet points and provide at least 3 conclusions and recommendations.

12. Referencing and Citation: (3 marks)

At least three sources should be used.
The APA format of referencing should be used for the Bibliography. For example:
• McWorter, K. (2010). Academic Reading (7th ed.). Toranto, Canada: Longman.
• Mancusa, S., and Viola, S. (2015). The Mercies of Man: The last days. Washington, DC: Mcmillan.
• Root, George. (2019). Motivational Strategies in Business.
https://smallbusiness.chron.com/motivational-strategies-business-4636.html
Retrieved May, 2018.

In text citation should also be done. For example: According to Management of Business for Cape
Examination (2014)……. or as stated by John Mock (1995)………..or
(Kallai et al 2011, p. 10)

13. Appendix:
An unanswered copy of the questionnaire or interview schedule should be placed here.

14.Table of Contents:
This should be neatly done. Pages must correspond to each topic. The pages must also correspond to the
topic(s) throughout the project.

For example:
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Aim and Objectives…………………………………………………………...………...... 3
Justification of Topic………………………………………………………...……………4
Background of Project……………………………………………………………...…….5
Literature Review…………………………………………………………………………………..6
Methodology……………………………………………………………………………………......9
Presentation of Data………………………………………………………………………..….…10
Analysis and Interpretations of Data………………………………….…………………….....14
Conclusion…….......…………………………………………………………………..……….....17
Recommendation…………..…………………………………………………………...………...18
References…………………………………………………………………………………………19
Appendix…………………………………………………………………………………………..20

15.Cover Page:
The cover page should be properly labeled as follows:
Management of Business
School based Assessment
Unit
Topic (properly written)
Diagram or picture relating to your topic or research
Personal data such as:
• Name of candidate
• School
• Center number
• Registration number
• Country
• Year submitted
• Teacher

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16. Please note the following area for which marks will be awarded.

• Communication on information in a logical way using correct grammar.

(6 marks)

• Overall presentation of report. (5 marks)

TOTAL 60 MARKS