Business Studies Help

[Malik Ahmed]

AOA. Guys this might sound textbook stuff to you but I would appreciate any help I can get.


You see, I got As in my first two Business Studies mocks. In my last one however I scored a 58/100. This has begun to worry me, I am usually good at coping with exam stress and pressure but the only subject worrying me now is what some people call 'The easiest A level present'.

So here is my request, any brothers or sisters who have experience in Business Studies can you please guide me and help me do P2. I am told by my teacher that I do not answer the questions correctly, how can I do so? I mean how should I attempt 6/8/10 mark questions? Are there certain routes I need to follow? Are there any tips or techniques I should know?

I have always tried my hardest helping others during exams and before them, now I am in a hole and need someone to pull me out. Any one who can help? Please do take 5 minutes or so and reply if you can help.
Thanks and Allah Hafiz

 

[Kangxidi]

I was just typing about how to do this one by one, I will copy and paste this to you in a few minutes.

 

[Kangxidi]

Your first step will be to read your question carefully. Words such as "factors","how","why","what" are VERY crucial as they will be the basic platform on which you will write your answers on. Common mistakes include misunderstanding the word "factors" as "how", while the word "factor" means "things that we need to consider", which obviously will guarantee you to lose half of your mark as you will not answer your question the way it should have been answered. I believe this is why your teacher says that you did not answer the question properly. It is a common mistake (including myself, too!) that we read and interpret the question wrongly, and as a result giving out the wrong answer.

As of P2 (especially the essays), it is actually a nice thing because everything is within the case study. Every single information that you can base your argument on. They will not give you questions if there is insufficient information to back it up. The second step you will need to do is to identify which piece of information that might be of a use. If you notice how I answer doubts in P2, you will see that I always pick up the relevant information. That way it is much easier to start/expand your arguments as you know which key pieces of the case study can be used to help you.


Third step - see how your key points that you have identified in step 2 can help you build an argument for the question. Remember that the beauty of P2 (and business in a broader sense) is that there is no right or wrong answer - it is how good you are in convincing that your points are valid within the context of the business.

Fourth step - write down your answers in relation to the key information that you have identified in step 2. If the question asks on how to increase motivation, and the case study mentions that the workforce doesn't perform well albeit a large financial reward, you can start an argument such as "The fact that the workforce does not seem to be motivated with financial rewards may imply that non-financial rewards are the real motivators within the group."

The green text is how you build a bridge from your argument to your case study (what makes your point a "life" point instead of just raw theory based concept like what we always do in P1) and the blue text is what you are expected to infer from the case study. This is where they expect you to apply your business knowledge to the context. It is a very simple example, yet you should have a rough idea as to what sort of things you will need to do.

Fifth - Note down the number of marks! 8 marks are usually 3-4 points explained with definition while 10 marks are usually 4-5 points explained with definition.

Sixth - Conclude your answer with a finishing touch, that may come in a balancing argument that analyses the strengths and weaknesses of your points in your main body, adding extra, unexplained points (which may be true if the question is very broad and there can be points which are valid yet cannot be mentioned in the case due to lack of information). That last point may be quite hard to understand, so here is a simple example:

- Discuss the factors that person A may need to consider before opening a branch in country X

Realistically there are countless things that A has to think of before opening a branch, things like marketing functions (its target market, if there is demand, competitors, etc), HR issues (recruitment, training, language), government interventions (legal minimum wage, legal documents) down to cultures and habits, and a lot more. It is very unlikely that the case will provide us with all of these details. So as a conclusion you may say "Apart from the above given issues, A has to consider other outlying factors such as recruitment, legal proceedings and other marketing aspects in order to be able to fully justify his decision"

As a footnote, it is almost impossible to create a rigid step by step guide on how to answer a P2 essay question, as its structure will be wildly affected with how the case is, and of course the question being asked. There is no way I can give a general as to how to start structuring your answer unless we discuss one particular question each time. Again for the conclusion the above is a very rough and vague examples of millions of ways of how a conclusion can be withdrawn. The best way at the end is to practise more each time, as you will be able to understand the general skills of structuring and picking up points better.

I recommend you to get an expert (your teacher or tutor) to mark some of your assessments and identify points of improvements, as it is almost impossible to mark your own answer in P2 (since there is no right/wrong answer, you will write and believe your answer is the best answer when it is not necessary the case from different perspectives). Markscheme is of a little use for guidance, so your best bet would be your teachers/tutors.

That is for essay, the others, less technical part should present little challenge, unless if you do want me to give some small tips on how to define.

Sorry for the long writing, hope it actually helps you, even a tiny bit.

Thread that we (and pretty much most of the people) use for Business:

https://www.xtremepapers.com/community/threads/business-studies-9707-post-your-doubts-here.24039/

Please do drop by there and see how I explain P2 essays, you will understand what I am talking about more.