BUSINESS COGNATE SCHOOL BASED

ASSESSMENT RESEARCH
This is an actual research that students will conduct about existing businesses within their community,
school, or neighbouring town. The aim of the research is to apply what you have learnt in a practical
manner.

Choose a topic from any area in the syllabus you have studied to; research, study or investigate in a
real business environment.

THE SBA/ RESEARCH REPORT SHOULD BE STRUCTURED IN THIS MANNER:

 Table of contents; This should be accurately linked to the pages included in the research project

 Topic/Title/statement of the problem

The topic should be clearly stated, brief and narrow in focus, (To a particular time period i.e
Over a six month period)

o A topic that crosses two subject area is perfect.( that is Principles of Business and
Principles of Accounts)

o The topic can be a current affair issue in Jamaica or other wise

o The topic must be appropriate to the issued studied

Sample topic:
“An investigation into the marketing strategies used by John Brown Real Juice Factory to
increase sales over a six month period.”

Here are two video links that may be of assistance to you in starting your SBA.
Business Cognate SBA - Student Tip #1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7fidv0IY54
CXC-CSEC Business Cognate SBA (POB, POA & ECON) - Part 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmvyNyMPdZ8

 The Objectives should be:

 At least two; Objective 1. speaking to the Principles of Business aspect of you title

Objective 2. speaking to the Principles of Accounts aspect of your title

The objectives should be:

 clearly stated (Unambiguous)

  Directly linked to the topic

 Realistic (S.M.A.R.T.E.R) meaning Specific, Meaningful, Achievable, Relevant, Time-

bound, Evaluate and Re-adjust.

 BACKGROUND/OVERVIEW

 Includes a description of the topic/ Issue/problem: by outlining the;

o history,

o Location AND

o Type of business structure

 Why is the topic important to you?

 Outline the impact of the topic/issue/ problem on society

This section is basically a justification of the need to conduct this research into the topic or issue
surrounding the business you have select.

 METHODOLOGY

 Explain how the information will be collected; that is the strategies that will be used
with the instruments…these include Survey interviews, analysis of documents,
observation and focus group.

 Included at least two instruments for the data collection; These Include interview
questions, observation schedule, questionnaire and checklist.

  Data collection instrument must be clearly described and justified

 Data collection instrument must be appropriate for the type of data being presented

 PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

 Data should be presented in an appropriate form using tables, charts and graphs

 Data presented should be relevant to the objectives of the project

 Data should be adequately analyzed

 Data should be analyzed using statistics- mean, median, mode

  Findings should be consistent with analyses

 Any limitations encountered must be clearly outlined. They may have significant
implication on the validity of the research, the result, conclusions and
recommendations.

 CONCLUSION: A restatement and summary of your findings to say what they mean in relation
to the stated Research Objectives

 Your conclusion should briefly summarize the project

 Conclusion must be logical and based on findings

 RECOMMENDATION:

 This is your informed research based advice that you will be give to the reader and user
of this research. It includes:
o Actions that should or could be taken based on the findings
o Suggest ions that further research be conducted to cover areas that this
research was unable to cover.
o Suggestion that further research be done covering different or a larger sample
to gather additional data

Recommendations must be realistic and informed by the findings and contribute to a better
understanding of the topic, issue and problem and provide a solution to the problem.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 Bibliography is a list of all resources used in the research , it contains the names of authors,
name of publisher (s) names and dates of publication, and are written in alphabetical order

 OVERALL PRESENTATION (marks will be awarded by the teacher for this area)

 Consistent use of correct spelling and grammar throughout the project.

 Expression of ideas logically and unambiguously

 Project should be typed in font type times New Romans, font size 14, double line
spacing.

 Marks will only be awarded for the sections specified in this outline.
BUSINESS COGNATE SAMPLE SBA TOPICS AND OBJECTIVES

TOPIC:

An investigation into the effect of an increase in the price of products at the (insert school name)
cafeteria on the profitability during Christmas Term 2017 (Sept-Dec 2017).

OBJECTIVES:

1. identify the pricing strategy used at the school cafeteria…

2. to assess the change in demand for the products at the school’s cafeteria
3. to use profitability ratios to analyze the profits during the period.
TOPIC:

An investigation into the effectiveness of social media (whatsapp/facebook) in advertising school

supplies for 2KD Enterprise over a six month period.

OBJECTIVES:

1. to analyse the impact of social media advertising on consumer demand for school
supplies from 2KD enterprise
2. to determine the most effective social media platform to be used for advertising at 2KD
enterprise
3. to prepare a sales budget for the six month period
TOPIC:

An investigation of the impact of the removal of carbonated drinks on the profits of ABC School
tuck shop for 1 year.

OBJECTIVES:

1. to prepare an Income Statement to show the profitability of the tuck shop

2. to analyse the demand for drinks other than carbonated drinks
3. to evaluate the promotional strategies used to influence students purchasing behaviour.