LEARNING OBJECTIVES: At the end of this chapter students should be able to: Choose appropriate topics for their research Garner enough information to complete their School Based Assessment Organise their School Based Assessment ina manner that is easy to understand Use the various statistical tools in presenting data m= Make conclusions and draw wie based on their research 5 a CAPE Management of Business student, you L \ have to complete a School Based Assessment (SBA) unless entered as a private candidate. The SBA forms an integral part of the learning process and represents 20 per cent of your final grade, therefore care must be taken when completing it. A proper SBA cannot be done overnight, so you are encouraged to start on time and to make progress ina timely manner. Information submitted should portray your ability to analyse and evaluate data while drawing ‘on the content of the course (including laws, theories and generalisations). To this end, it is advisable that you start ‘working on your SBA as soon as you start the new school year and plan your progress through to completion and submission, Students should also consult the syllabus to ‘obtain further guidance in relation to organisation of the ‘SBA, requirements for it, the word limit, the mark scheme overt the SBA in general, to assist students in overcoming tions that come with Internal Assessment should I do?’, ‘How am I going to put what’s in my head on paper?’ and ‘How do I write this topic?". This challenge is further compounded by the fact that, in most cases, you have not yet done a substantial part of the content of the course. However, to overcome that challenge, each student is encouraged to owna syllabus so that you can scan through the content of the Unit you are studying. ‘The success of your SBA starts with your topic selection. A poor topic that cannot be researched will hinder the sourcing of relevant information. In order to choose your topic, you need to be aware of the content of the course (via the syllabus). The following are some general points that should assist you in this regard: m= The topic chosen should provide you with the opportunity to incorporate the content of one, two or all three modules in your report. Let us examine this using the following topic: “To what extent does the leadership style of Company X affect the level of employees’ motivation?’ This topic was taken from Unit 1, Module 2. In the analysis and interpretation segment of the research we could make a link between the topic and the content of Module 2 only, or could incorporate all the related content of two or all three modules. Table 40.1 (p 365) shows the content that could be incorporated in your discussions surrounding the research topic. = Your research topic can be in the form of a question or statement. Your research should be based on this statement or question and at the end you should be able to make a generalisation based on your findings. Here are some of the popular stems that are used when writing a research topic: + To what extent has + Anassessment of .. + Astudy of «= An investigation into + What Is the impact of . = An inguiry into = To research the implication of = The topic should be researchable ~ that is, not vague, too wide and not outside the scope of the Management of Business syllabus. This extent to which your topicSen Ts ® Business. : aa cen Recison making — © Proanisational structure , ace ture — ths wil is Halvatn taste Table 40.1: Module content related to SBA topics is researchable often depends on the words you used For example, a topic such as “To assess the operations of Company Y" is very broad based and has not focused on a particular problem or interest. The operations of Company Y could include a host of things. What also makes a topic researchable are the variables being ‘measured. There are two correlated variables that are often measured in research: + Independent variable — this is a variable over which the researcher has control and which he/she can manipulate. It often has an impact on the dependent variable. Therefore, in our previous example, this would be ‘leadership styles’ «= Dependent variable — this is a variable being affected by the independent variable. It is what the researcher measures during the experiment or research. Therefore in the previous example, ‘level of employees’ motivation’ would be the dependent variable. While not all research topics variables it is advisable that you narrow the scope of the topic and ensure that it can be measured and is specific rather than vague. te You can choose topics from personal business-related interests or things that have affected the business environment in relation to the content of the course since you are required by the syllabus to complete your SBA on a topic in the Unit you are one 7 care must be joe related to the other Unit. to select the topic for res relevant Unit of the syll will be measuring two ~the ob) = lectives of the firm could influence the style of leadership employed by |sadership style being used wil definitely affect how decisions are made within the : Pe give a breaiown of the ns of authority within the busines, which wil Dart of the researc aoe paral h topic and so must be discussed and analysed ciften determines th ut en determines te fw o commun also he Sree terns oe a sition ofthe business may be used to determine the motivational inthe business and can ec “An assessment of the use of teamwork in {firm's name] and its impact on its performance’ = Itis also important that you get approval for your topic from your teacher. Obtaining this prior approval paves the way forward for future guidance and suggestions. Introduction The introduction of the research is broken down into two sections: Aims/objectives of the project ‘The objectives of your research set its parameters and the outline its purpose and focus. They outline the fundamental questions that need to be answered by doing the research. ‘The objectives can also indicate the specific needs of the research = that is, what should be investigated and how should you go about doing so? Acommon mistake students make is to copy the objectives ‘outlined by CXC in the SBA section of the syllabus. However, these do not relate to your individual research and are too general and so should not be used. Your objectives should be ‘based on the topic of the research and the other content areas that you planning to incorporate in the study. By doing s0, ‘you will be giving an overview of the concepts you plan to discuss and measure. Your objectives should be stated using “action words’ that are specific and measurable. These words could include, but are not limited to, ‘explain’, ‘ascertain’, measure’, ‘outline’, ‘discuss’, ‘evaluate’, ‘identify’ and ‘find out’. For uniformity and to prevent repetition, a stem or phrase could be used before stating your objectives — for ‘example, ‘at the end of the research’, ‘the researcher hopes ‘or “the objectives of this research are to’. This stem or would then be followed by the list of objectives or back to the first example, these objectives could | CHAPTER 40 INTERNAL ASSESSMENT | 365 9| 366 | INTERNAL assessment The objectives of this SBA are to: & Ascertain the leadership styles being used at ‘Company x © Assess the level of motivation of the employees © Identity the financial and non-financial motivation strategies that are used by the firm & Describe the type of organisation structure employed by the firm 1 Explain how decisions are made within the firm and whether or not employees are involved The number of aims or objectives you have will be dependent on your topic. However, it is advisable that you do not write fewer than three objectives but, at the same time, not too many either. The important thing is to ensure that your objectives capture the scope of the research and highlight what you are researching, Background of the research This section of the introduction should make reference 10 previous published or unpublished studies and say how they affect your research. In order to do this, you must find out if there was previous research done on your general topic. This segment requires the student to give a background to the topic being researched and also outline the significance of the topic: | Background — here, the student must examine previous studies and use them to show the relevance of what is now being researched. It provides information surrounding the research topic. This could include information on the business you are researching, stating why you want to conduct this research on that particular firm, You could discuss what the different theorists say about the area of study you are doing and, then show why it now warrants research from you. For ‘example, for the topic given earlier, the background of such research would include a synopsis of the views of the different leadership and motivation theorists and how these views have impacted on the research now being pursued & Significance ~ here, the student is expected to show why this research is important and the contributions that it will make. It should indicate the usefulness of the research’s findings. Using the same topic from above, the significance of the research could be to test whether ox not employees at Company X ateallected i the same ae ‘as mentioned in pre also state who could us what decisions could ere ae Literature review This is a follow-up on n the background information collected for the research. In the preceding section you would have given a summary ‘of what is mentioned in the theories and concepts that spark your interest in the topic. However, in this section you are required to conduct research on information from books, journals, newspapers and other printed or electronic sources that are relevant to the research you are conducting. A literature review gives a description of the existing information that fs relevant to the topicbeing researched. The review should outline what was said in regard to the topic and by whom it was said. It should also display your understanding of the firm you are studying. Information about the firm is often found on its website or can be obtained by visiting the firm in person. A proper literature review should: Give a summary of important information on the research topic/problem Summarise and report on the previous studies that were conducted on the same topic Outline the strengths and weaknesses of these existing studies Critically compare and analyse existing literature, pointing out their similarities, differences and contradictions Be done in a coherent fashion. Once you have settled on your research topic, written your objectives and completed the background of the research, it is time to carry out your review of literature. This is how itis done: Search for information about the topic~ as mentioned, this can come from books, newspapers, journals and other sources. The search can be done using the topic the surrounding concepts or an aspect of the topic. Once the relevant information is found itis time to move to the next step Writing the literature review ~ this is going to take careful planning and organisation, as you want the information to flow in a logical order. The review should be written in continuous prose and should incorporate the information that was researched in the first step. You could probably start by defining the ‘key terms within your topic. That could be followed by. information that supports your hypothesis and then by information that opposes it. You could also make parisons of the relevant information and point out ontradictions or differences mportant. Since the information being written4 | here is from previous rese togive credit to the reley, not outline them here, 1 ‘arch, care must be taken ‘ant sources, While I will he intey "met has a host lo inte; of literature review. While your syllabus did 1 Not suggest a len; i igth for this section, you should try to keep it within two pages. Itis also important that you make reference to at least two soutecs of data, whether primary, secondary or a combination of both, Writing your methodology ‘This is a plan for gathering the necessary data to conduct the research. Here, the researcher outlines to the examiners the sources that were used in the gathering of data for the SBA. This should be written in the past tense. The methodology should also outline the research design; give a brief description of the sample and state how it was selected; and state the research instrument(s) used and how the research will be carried out. These areas of focus are explained in more detail below, however, you do not have to write the methodology in those sections but you must ensure that you mention the relevant information. Description of the research design This section is expected to state whether the research is quantitative or qualitative and why such a design was used. Quantitative research is the use of sampling techniques, such as surveys, to gather data that can be represented numerically and mathematically manipulated to draw conclusions or make generalisations. é Qualitative research is where data is obtained from individuals based on their opinions and value judgements and is not analysed with statistical techniques ~for example, a focus group or an interview Sources of data : wo main sources are used 10 needed for the research: CHAPTER 40) INTERNAL ASSESSMENT | 36M ® Observation this is where data is gathered by observing the people or process involved in the research. For example, the researcher could observe consumers in the business place or a restaurant could observe a location to ascertain the numbers of members of the commuting public who would be potential customers = Survey this is where information is gathered from a sample ofa relatively large group of people which is referred to as the ‘popullation’. These people are usually asked to answer a series of questions pertaining to the problem being researched. A questionnaire or interview is often used to gather such data Experiment — this information can be gathered by conducting laboratory research where both variables are scientifically assessed. Secondary data/ sources This is where previously used data is gathered to be used in the current research. Secondary data can therefore be defined as data that has been collected for previous research. ‘This data is not specific to the current research but can offer some guidance as to how to proceed. A rule of thumb i that, secondary data should be consulted before the researcher collects primary data. It can be collected from books, journals, newspapers, company reports and publications, internet sources and government publications. This section of the methodology should clearly state the sources of data collection that were used for the SBA. Ideally, you should use both sources, as that would result in a more comprehensive research, Though rare, there are some research topics that may require only secondary data. However, every effort should be made to use both sources. Research instrument Once a survey is being done, the best way to gather the relevant data would be through the use of a questionn. If the research is being cartied out on a group then you could do an interview, which would mean that you need to formulate an interview instrument. Whichever you use for your SBA, there should be a clear description of the ment, including information regarding the number of and the composition of the instrument, i.e. the ‘how many questions will be asked and how iew be conducted, i.e. face to face, via the or on social media. ‘us examine what your questionnaire should368 NTERNAL ASSESSMENT Be nat Tepresents a collection of items which lesigned to capture data from the sampled Population (respondents) ‘Your questionnaire should have an introductory Statement which introduces the researcher, states the purpose of the research, includes a statement of confidentiality and gives the respondents instructions on how to complete the questionnaire The questionnaire can consist of open- and closed ended questions. Open-ended questions are those giving the respondent an opportunity to write their responses freely. Closed-ended questions are those siving the respondent options to choose from. In order to save time and narrow the length of the responses, it is advisable that more closed-ended questions be used. The responses for the closed-ended questions should be guided by the Likert Scale, which breaks down the responses in the following format: + Strongly Agree [] Agree { ] Disagree [ ] + Excellent [] Fair [] Neutral [] Strongly Disagree [] Very Good [] Good [] Poor [1] + Always [] Often [] Rarely [] Never [] You could also create other options based on the topic you are researching. However, as much as possible, stay away from questions inviting ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers, as they do not lend themselves to substantial analysis Using the topic from the previous sections, an example of closed-ended and open-ended questions, respectively, would be: 1, How would you rate the current motivational strategies being used by the firm? Excellent [] Very Good [] Good [] Fair [] Poor [] 2. State two (2) incentives that the firm could use 10 increase your level of motivation, Sometimes [ ] ‘The questions asked on the questionnaire should be based on the objectives of the research and geared towards gathering sufficient information to complete the SBA Description of the sample and selection ~ sampling is the process of group to take part in the research. This section of the methodology should state the size of the sample and the sampling technique that was used to select the participants (on this, you might like to review Chapter 28). In the case of an interview, the number of people who participated, in addition to their positions, should be mentioned | Conducting the research ~ the methodology should give a timely and logical breakdown of how the research, will be conducted, 1 should give the period of time over Which the research was conducted. You should inlude such matters as: seeking permission from the firm; when questionnaires were issued; when you conducted the interview; and how long it lasted. Presentation of data Once you have completed the research and sourced all your relevant data, it must be presented in a way that is clear and appropriate for the SBA. This could be done as a section of the SBA or it could be incorporated in the Analysis section, Whichever method you use, it should give a summary of your findings. So, you have done your research and now you have in hand a ‘bunch’ of questionnaires and responses from an interview that was conducted but you don’t know what toda with them, A good way to startis to go through each question on the questionnaire and tally the different options that were chosen. This would represent your raw data. You could then go ahead and calculate the percentage of people who choose each particular option. As for the open-ended questions on the questionnaire, you could summarise the respondents! answers, looking for any similarities or differences. Once this is done, you need to consider presenting the data using the different statistical tools available. These tools include: © pie charts = histograms = bar charts ™ tables © graphs, See Figure 40.1 (p 369) for examples, Whichever of these tools you use, you must ensife that they are properly numbered and labelled. The data presented should be relevant to your topic and in particulat to the aims or objectives of the SBA. It is also important! ‘ote that you cannot generate a diagram for every que the questionnaire but instead you should generate ‘have greater impact on the research and answeringAO: Exams ot statistic oe Analysis of data ‘ While the presented data gives a good graphical summary of the information that was collected, it is not an end in Bet i \d answers to The purpose of the analysis of data is to fin Picea researched. This section should givea breakdown of the responses to the questions asked. The discussion ‘be based on the diagrams that you constructed Should also oe pe preceding section. The analysis could be this may differ from class to or generated in the j done under each diagram but INTERNAL similarities and disparities. This should be done using percentages or actual data. For example: Six out of ten people stated that they were comfort able with the leadership styles being used or 60 per cent of respondents stated that they were comfortable with the leadership style in Company X, As a matter of caution, students are discouraged from using very general terms such as ‘many’, ‘few’, ‘most’, ‘some’, ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ to describe their findings. dents should also pay attention to their calculations to that the information is accurate.om STERNAL ASSESSMENT Interpretation of results This section of the SBA draws on your knowledge of the content of the Subject. The interpretation of results is where You discuss the results of the research in terms of the theories and concepts taught in the subject. Students wanting to acquire full marks for this section 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. Students should ensure that the interpretation of the results also incorporates the previous research that was done, as mentioned in their literature review. Conclusion and recommendations The section summarises the entire SBA and makes the necessary recommendations based on the findings. The conclusion should state the salient points that were discussed within the SBA. Here, the researcher should state the outcome of the research in terms of the research topic and objectives. You should seek to answer the questions: ‘What did the findings prove or disprove?” and ‘Did the findings show any correlation between the variables being ‘measured?’ The recommendations made 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, Recommendations could also be made on issues that need to be addressed or how something being done can be improved. Good recommendations are those which show that the student has a good grasp of what was mentioned in the research and the business theories and concepts. The recommendations should preferably be done in bullet points, as this makes it easier to identify them. Try to ensure that you make at least four recommendations. References and citations While some students may put very little effort into this section of the SBA, it is very important. Plagiarism is a deadly and dangerous ‘sin’ in research. As such, the plea is that, if you refer to another author's work, you should ‘identify the source of the information. Do not take it and make it look like your own. Special censure that all the seco and internet sources) are documented and you had conducted throughout the SBA, note that the all quot vere not paraphrased within the SBA must be cited so asig give credit to their authors. These sources from which the Citations were taken must then be placed in the references, ‘The references should be organised in accordance with the standards stipulated by CXC. These are the APA format and the MLA style mentioned above. You should consult the latest version of one of the two formats and organise your references and citations in the same manner. These can be found on the internet or in your school library. Appendices While no mark is assigned to this section, it serves the purpose of holding all additional documents, graphs, charts and diagrams that could not be a part of the body of the SBA. Where graphs or diagrams are placed in the appendices which have information that was used in the SBA, reference should be made so that the reader can refer to these graphs — for example ‘See Figure 6 in Appendix V, You are also required to place in your appendices a blank copy of your research instrument(s) ~ that is, questionnaires and interview questions. Some other general comments that should be made here are: = In order to maximise marks, use the guidelines in your syllabus to organise the SBA ~ that is, the way in which the information is presented. Please note the different headings and what should fall under each heading = To optimise the help being offered by the teacher, the SBA should be done in a timely manner. The schedule dates that have been agreed on by you and your teacher MUST be adhered to, especially if you have chosen to have more than one draft being corrected and handed back to you '™ The report should be approximately 2,500 words, either typed using double spacing with a 1-inch margin or legibly handwritten. If handwritten, please write on every other line. Please note that observing the word limits in itself allocated a mark, Note to teachers One of the strategies that I have used over the years which Works for'me isto discuss the SBA in a clas in the very fis, eek Of the school term. 1 then use the opportunity to set ines for parts of the SBA before collecting the whole a © this end, a date for topics and aims could be sel or, say, methodology and then literature review » Say, October, and so on. Each piece is then corrected Mned to students. You could also ask your stucenls