How To Ace Your Business Studies Essay

Business Studies students, this one’s for you! By now, you’ve probably recognised that Business Studies is a rewarding subject, providing you with a greater understanding of how the economy functions and gaining base-level business knowledge. As part of your Business Studies exam, you will be asked to write an essay. Your Business Studies essay is an opportunity to contextualise your business knowledge in the real world. Your examiner will want you to demonstrate your knowledge about contemporary business theories, as well as analytical skills, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. 

Today we will share with you how to ace your Business Studies essay. We will provide practical essay-writing tips and specific keywords to look out for when reading the essay question. By following our guidelines, you will be able to write a Business Studies essay that is well-structured, compelling and insightful. 

Before we begin, we highly recommend practicing! As part of your exam preparation, practice writing essays. Use the example essay questions provided at the end of this post, follow the prompts, so you understand the requirements. You will begin to feel more comfortable and confident, and ultimately set yourself up for success before you even begin writing your Business Studies exams!

Understand the question

The first step to writing a captivating Business Studies essay is to pause, carefully read the question and take time to understand what you are being asked. We recommend underlining the verbs in the question to fully grasp how to proceed. Examine the exact wording so you can work out the approach you need to take.  

Here are some verbs to look out for:

• Mention
• List
• Name
• Suggest
• Identify
• Describe
• Discuss
• Evaluate
• Analyse
• Comment
• Motivate
• Compare
• Illustrate
• Criticise
• Interpret
• Review
• Examine
• Explain

There are two types of essay questions you could be asked:

• Case study - This is where you are asked to write an essay on a business or situation. 
  
• Discussion - This is where you will be required to discuss a specific topic. You will need to review key arguments and provide reasons for and against each one. 

Make an essay outline

An essay outline will enable you to create a more organised essay, include a range of points and avoid repetition. You will also be able to evaluate the question more thoroughly and provide a well-thought-out argument. 

Begin by listing, brainstorming or mind-mapping all your thoughts. This is called a ‘brain dump’ and will allow you to clear your mind of all the essay-related thoughts whirling around in your brain. By getting all your thoughts on paper, you will be able to start crafting a compelling Business Studies essay in a more structured manner.

Create your essay plan

The next step to writing an engaging Business Studies essay is to construct your essay plan. This will help you to organise your main arguments and ideas so you can present them in a logical sequence when you begin writing. Glance at your list, brainstorm or mind-map and select the points you wish to include in your essay. Write out your key points that you wish to include in your introduction, main body and conclusion. During this process, you will spark off new ideas and begin to digest and analyse the information you have gathered. 

Write your essay

Introduction

Begin your Business Studies essay by outlining your understanding of the essay question and commenting on how you plan to address it. This is where you present your thesis statement of claim which will determine the contents and direction of your essay. Define the objectives of the essay and set out exactly what you are reaching a conclusion for. This is a good place to include definitions of business terms if you wish to do so. 

Main body and discussion

Use the main body of your essay to provide a detailed analysis of the topic. Make sure you have critically examined different viewpoints to provide a robust debate, covering reasons for and against the presented argument. In case study essays, this is where you provide evidence to support the arguments or main points you raise. 

Conclusion

A well-written essay includes a conclusion that has been reached by logical reasoning. Use this space to concisely pull together the main points in your discussion, explicitly stating your viewpoint as the final result. You should not mention any new arguments in your conclusion, as this is the space where your existing thoughts culminate. 

Essay writing tips

There are two key elements to standing out when writing an essay: paragraphs and connective phrases. 

Here’s how to use both:

• Paragraphs are useful because they signal to your examiner that you are moving onto a new point. This will also encourage you to avoid repetition! Each paragraph forms a building block, which forms part of your entire essay. 
  
• Connective phrases will keep you focused on the question. Phrases like “this means that” or “this will impact the business” introduce your analysis, and phrases like “this is of crucial importance because” or “other factors to consider are” introduce the evaluation. 

Bonus: Don’t focus solely on knowledge at the expense of your evaluation and analysis. Your examiner is looking for proof that you understand the topic at hand and are able to expertly evaluate and analyse the content, not just what you know. 

Edit and proofread

Always check your essay for spelling, stylistic errors, grammar and punctuation mistakes before completing the task. 

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you edit and proofread your essay:

• Have I answered the essay question?
• Is my essay presented in a logical order?
• Is the content accurate and relevant?
• Have I supported my main points with arguments and examples?
• Is my language clear and concise?
• Is my spelling and punctuation correct?

Example questions

Here are five essay questions extracted from actual Business Studies exams. You can use these to practice writing Business Studies essays as you prepare for your exams. 

Describe the principles of ethical and professional behaviours. Evaluate the issues that pose challenges to the business environment in terms of ethical and professional behaviour and comment on its application in the business enterprise.

The human resources manager is responsible for compiling the job description and job specification. Suitable candidates can be recruited internally using various recruitment sources. The interviewees should be familiar with their role during the interview. Businesses must ensure that the employment contract complies with the legal requirements of the employment. 

Write an essay on the human resources function in which you include the following human resources activities:

• Outline the differences between job description and job specification. 
• Discuss the impact of internal recruitment on a business. 
• Explain the role of the interviewee during the interview. 
• Advise businesses on the legal requirements of the employment contract. 

The National Credit Act (NCA), 2005 (Act 34 of 2005) provides a framework to regulate the credit market. It protects the rights of consumers and provides guidelines on how businesses should comply with this Act. Businesses may face penalties for not complying with the National Credit Act. 

Write an essay on the National Credit Act in which you include the following aspects:

• Outline the rights of consumers in terms of the National Credit Act. 
• Discuss the impact of the NCA on businesses. 
• Explain ways in which businesses could comply with the NCA. 
• Advise businesses on the penalties they may face for non-compliance to the Act. 

Investing in fixed deposit provides investors the opportunity to decide whether they want to receive simple interest or compound interest. Investors must also consider various types of shares before making investment decisions. Some invest in companies that are listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE).

Write an essay on investment securities in which you include the following aspects:

• Outline the differences between simple interest and compound interest. 
• Explain the advantage of a fixed deposit as a form of investment. 
• Discuss any three types of shares. 
• Advise businesses on the functions of the Johannesburg Securities Exchange (JSE). 

Jake wants to target a new BEco Bottle at sports people and needs to increase production. He is considering two options to achieve this:

• Outsource production of the sports bottle to India. 
• Use hire purchase to buy the new equipment to manufacture the sports bottle in his existing factory. 

Analyse the effect of each of these two options for the business. 

Evaluate which of these two options will have the bigger impact on the future success of the sports bottle.

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