Introducing
principles of business
Yvonne
Harvey, Contributor
 |
| Kemiesha
Kelly, student of St. Jago High School and president of the National Secondary
Student's Council. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer | Hello
everyone. I trust you enjoyed the summer break? Yes, it's time once again for
the academics. Many of you were successful in the May/June 2007 examinations and,
therefore, congratulations are in order. For those of you who have to try again,
I say keep trying until you make it. Welcome
to those of you who will be embarking on the principles of business (POB) course
and examination for the first time. A lot of hard work lies ahead, but if you
begin early, I.e. from the word go, you will be able to take everything in stride
and the course will not be a burden to you. The
first thing I need to point out is that the POB syllabus that will be examined
in May/June 2008 is new. You must ensure, therefore, that you obtain the correct
syllabus. The syllabus will state on the front, "Effective for examinations
from May/June 2008". You may also check the website www.cxc.org for an update
of the syllabus. Structure
and Organisation of the Syllabus The
syllabus has three (3) profile dimensions as follows: Profile
Dimension 1: Organisational Principles Profile
Dimension 2: Production, Marketing and Finance Profile
Dimension 3: The Business Environment Profile
Dimension 1 has four sections, while profile dimensions 2 and 3 have three sections.The
titles of these sections are given in the syllabus. You
should also note that unlike the previous syllabus, the syllabus to be examined
from May/June 2008 will only be done at the General Proficiency level. Each candidate
will be awarded a grade on a six-point scale (grades one to three are regarded
as passing grades). In addition, a letter grade will be give under each profile
dimension. The
Examination The
examination will consist of three papers. Paper
One (1hr. 15 min.): This will be a 60-item multiple choice test. Questions
will be based on all three profile dimensions. Total marks:60. This will account
for 30 per cent of the final mark. Paper
Two (two hours): This is commonly called, the essay paper. Section A will
consist of three compulsory questions from sections one, two, five, six and seven
of the syllabus. Section
B will consist of four questions, two questions from sections one to seven and
two questions from sections eight to 10. Candidates
will be required to answer two questions from this section. All questions on this
paper are worth 20 marks (Total marks:100). This paper is 50 per cent of the final
mark. Yvonne
Harvey teaches at Glenmuir High School. | 
