Unit 2

Unit 2

Unit 2:

Which teaching methods can be used to explain the contribution of each business function to the success of a business?

INTRODUCTION

Business functions are the activities carried out by businesses and they can be divided into core and support functions. Core business functions are activities of an enterprise yielding
income e.g., the production of final goods or services intended for the market or for third parties. There are eight business functions which include administration, finance, general
management, human resources, marketing, production, public relations and purchasing. This content was partially covered in Grade 10 and 11 as the quality indicators of various
business functions. Learners may perform well if they understand the quality indicators of each concept. It should be noted that each business function has its own specific standards
on how quality should be achieved and maintained. The performance of each department is then measured against the expected quality indicators. Teachers are advised to adequately teach and assess this topic during the academic year as it consists of many marks especially if it is assessed in Section C as an essay question. Furthermore, it has been reported in the 2015-2021 national and internal moderator’s diagnostic reports that many candidates perform poorly on this topic even though it progresses from Grade 10-12. Reference must be made to the recommendations made on these reports with specific reference on how to clarify misconceptions and errors committed by the 2015 cohort.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this Unit, you should be able to:

  • Explain the quality indicator of each business function
  • Suggest differentiated teaching and assessment methods on business functions.
  • Develop an assessment task on various business functions.

 

Important points to consider/Tips for teaching the quality indicators of business functions
  • Request learners to name and briefly explain the meaning of each business function.
  • All concepts related to quality indicators must be taught in detail, with emphasis being placed on activities that take place in each quality concept to achieve the desired outcome.
  • Teachers must provide a detailed description of each quality concept and explain the relationships between quality concepts.
  • Explain the meaning of each business function using practical examples before explaining how each business function contribute to the success of a business/quality indicators.
  • Start with the quality indicators of the general management as this department is responsible for developing the business vision and coordinating other business functions.
  • Integrates notes and illustration when explain the core activities of each function. Refer to the example below.

 

  • Use the above example to explain other quality indicators of business functions and give practical examples of the quality indicators of each business function
  • The General management function should work together with the administration function as the latter conducts research on latest developments in the market and bring them to general manager’s attention.
  • The human resources function also work close with the General management as it must recruit people with necessary skills and knowledge to achieve the vision and mission of the business
  • Learners may be requested to bring newspaper clippings on the quality indicators of business function Refer to the example below: