BUSINESS STUDIES JSS1 FIRST TERM - A-VIBEBLOG
SCHEME OF WORK BUSINESS STUDIES JSS1 FIRST TERM
WEEK TOPIC
1 Introduction to Business Studies
2 The Office
3 Office Staff
4-5 Right Attitude to Work
6 Different Departments in an Organization
7 Occupation
8 Introduction to Commerce
9 Division of Commerce
10 Production
11 Revision
WEEK ONE
INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS STUDIES
MEANING OF BUSINESS STUDIES
Some decades ago, the means by which people earned their living was through trade by barter system.
Trade by barter is a means of exchanging good s for goods and services for services. In this system, someone who needs one thing or the other has to look for someone who has what he wants and also needs what he has. But on the invention of money, people in the society started thinking of what to do in order to earn a living. This was the beginning of business in large volume because money started serving as a means of exchange.
Business can be defined as a legal means (i.e good means) of earning a living by people in a society. People in the society earn their living on daily or monthly basis by engaging in one trade or the other. Therefore we can define business studies as the study of the means through which people in a society earn their living by engaging in commercial activities or occupational services.
Some people in the society today engage in trading that is, they buy goods from one place and another and sell the goods at a price higher than the purchase price in order to make profit. The profit made by the trader is his/her daily or monthly earning which he or she will use to satisfy his/her needs.
SCOPE OF BUSINESS STUDIES/ COMPONENT OF BUSINESS STUDIES
Business studies as a subject covers many areas of human endeavor. The study of business studies enables many people in our society today to know much on the following subjects and how these subjects can be applied in their practical lives. The subject covered by the studies of business are mainly:
Business Administration or business management
1. Economics 5. Shorthand
2. Bookkeeping/ accounting 6. Typewriting
3. Banking and finance 7. Computer
4. Office practice 8. Marketing
9. Insurance
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN BUSINESS STUDIES
It is possible with hard work and focus, to choose a career in any of the areas we discussed in the above paragraph. A student can study business administration or economics or accountancy or become a banker. It is also possible for a student to study marketing, insurance or transportation. The choice of career all depends on the interest of the student.
IMPORTANCE OF BUSINESS STUDIES
Since man has advanced beyond a stage of trying to produce everything required by his family, no individual or country can survive without engaging in one form of business or another. The study of business therefore enables the students to understand various business activities that exist and the profit they make. Finally, business studies enables students to develop keen interest in various forms of business which they can take up after leaving school.
WEEK TWO:THE OFFICE
TYPES OF OFFICE
Basically there are two types of office and they are:
1. Big or large office
2. Small office
BIG OR LARGE OFFICE: this is a large building partitioned into small offices.
SMALL OFFICE: This could just be a single room with a table, telephone and in some cases, fax machine and a computer.
An office is usually at the centre of every organization, it serves as the life wire of the organization
FUNCTION OF AN OFFICE
The functions of an office may be different from one office to another, but most functions performed by an office are as follows;
1. RECEIVING INFORMATION: An office receives information from within and outside the organization by means of
2. Correspondence e.g letter, faxes, E-mail, e.t.c.
3. Telephones calls
4. Personal contacts
5. RECORDING INFORMATION: A piece of information received by an office by means mentioned above is recorded and filed away for use when the needs arises.
6. ARRANGING INFORMATION: Information recorded is distributed to various sections and departments that need it.
WEEK THREE: THE OFFICE STAFF
Office staff or a clerical officer is an employee or a worker of an organization who performs clerical and administrative duties in an office. A clerk who keeps records concerning the financial transactions of the organization is called an account clerk.
Clerical work
Some of the clerical works or duties performed by a clerk in an office are:
1. Record keeping
2. Filling of letters and other documents.
3. Bookkeeping records
4. Machine operation
5. Calculation
6. Duplication or duplicating work
7. Collection and keeping records of information
8. Opening and keeping of files in the office
9. Distribution of letters that are received in the office
10. Answering telephone calls.
11. Filing of letters or any other document
12. Receiving of visitors
13. Stapling of documents together by using a stapler
14. Keeping sales records by the sales clerk.
15. Keeping financial records by the accounting clerk
16. He may be asked to make tea and get some snacks for his boss or other senior staff.
17. Preparation of payment voucher
18. Arranging document office and keeping them in the office cabinet.
19. Sorting out needed documents and files from
20. He may be sent on errand within and outside the organization when there is no messenger in the office.
Qualities of an office staff
The qualities of a clerical staff can be divided into two parts, they are:
· Personal qualities
· Job qualities
Personal qualities of clerical staff
1. The clerk must have a good secondary education of at least West Africa Senior Secondary School Certificate.
2. He must have the ability to speak simple and correct English or grammar
3. He should be smart and neat in appearance
4. He must be polite, cheerful and tolerant
5. Must be ready to learn new things
6. He must be a good health i.e. physically fit or sound to do the job
Jobs qualities of clerical staff
1. The clerk must have an interest in his job
2. He must be hardworking
3. He should be punctual to work
4. He must have a pleasant manner even in an unpleasant situation.
5. He should have the right skills for his job and know the job very well.
6. He must ensure that his office is neat and tidy always.
7. He must not be absent from work without the permission of his boss or superior
8. He must not gossip about other staff in the office
WEEK FOUR: DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS IN AN ORGANIZATION
The size of an organization depends on various departments in an organization. In a one man business the owner can act as an accountant, receptionist, clerk, manager, personnel manager, e.t.c in this type of organization the departments are few. But in a large organization where division of labour is practiced people with different fields of learning work in their special areas in an organization, we have what is called division of labour and specialization.
TYPES OF DEPARTMENT
In a large organisation there are various departments. Such department includes:-
1. Administrative department
2. Personnel department
3. Accounts department
4. Sales department
5. Purchasing department
6. Production department
Their functions are as follows:-
ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT
1. Formulation of policies
2. Arranging reception room for visitors to the organization
3. Maintaining efficient filly system
4. Documenting incoming and outgoing letters
PERSONNEL DEPARTMENT
· Employing new staff
· Arranging staff training
· Looking after staff welfare
· Keeping staff record
· Carrying out staff dismissal
ACCOUNTS DEPARTMENT
· Preparing and paying staff wages and salary
· Keeping records of assets and liabilities
· Paying those who the organization is owing
· Collecting money from outsiders who owe the organization
· Making sure that invoices are sent to those who purchased goods from the organization
· Offering financial advice to the organization
SALES DEPARTMENT
· Selling and marketing the organization’s products.
· Advertising the organization’s products
· Offering after-sales services
· Following consumers change in taste
PURCHASING DEPARTMENT
· Buying new materials and equipment at reasonable prices
· Monitoring the available goods in the market
· Checking invoices submitted by suppliers to ensure they agree with goods supplied.
WEEK FIVE: INTRODUCTION TO OFFICE EQUIPMENT
Office equipment are tools and assets used by a firm or an organization. The organisations use them for the following:-
1. To receive information
2. To disseminate information
3. For saving valuable items, etc.
VARIOUS TYPES OF OFFICE EQUIPMENT
The various types of office equipment in use in an office are :-
1. OFFICE CABINET: This is a place when documents, surplus cash, and valuable items are kept
ADVANTAGES OF OFFICE CABINET
1. It prevents document, cash and valuable items from being stolen
2. It prevents the above items from fire explosion
2. TYPE WRITTER: This is a machine which prints letters on paper by means of keys
ADVANTAGES
1. It makes the secretary work faster
2. It presents the typed work neatly
3. It is faster than using pen to write
3. TELEPHONE: This is a machine through which information relating to an organization in question is received and given. Telephone could be digital or analogue
ADVANTAGES
1. It helps to give out information
2. It helps to receive information
4. COMPUTER: this is an electronic machine or device which accepts data in the form of input, processes it, and gives out information in the form of output. Kinds of computer are-:
· personal or micro computer
· mini computer
· mainframe
ADVANTAGES
1. it is faster
2. it gives accurate information
3. Information is easily accessed through the use of computer
5. CALCULATOR: this is also called adding machine. This is an electronic, machine which performs arithmetic work of division, multiplication , and subtraction, etc.
ADVANTAGES
1. it performs arithmetic work at faster rate
2. it gives accurate information based on input
6. FAX MACHINE: This type of machine is used by large organization, and it is used to send and receive short information for the organization
ADVANTAGES
1. what is office equipment?
2. it is faster than computer
other equipment are telex, telegram photocopy machine, etc.
WEEK SIX: CLERICAL STAFF
A clerical staff is someone who keeps record of account or sales in an office .Generally , a clerical staff is assigned to do written work.
Examples of a clerical staff are
1. Accounts clerk
2. Sales clerk, etc
QUALITIES OF A CLERICAL STAFF
1. Must possess a sound minimum education of West African Senior School Certificate or its equivalent
2. Must have the ability to speak official language fluently
3. Must be endowed with good health
4. Must be willing to improve on his education
5. Must have the ability to respond to enquiries with alertness of mind, precision and interest.
6. Must have an ambition to take to a profession.
7. Must like clerical duties such as recording and filling.
8. Must be cheerful and courteous when attending to callers
9. Must possess the ability to take correct decisions without being directed.
10. Must be neat and smartly dressed always.
WEEK SEVEN
Occupation refers to various activities that are legal, ( that is not against the law ) which people engage in, in order to earn their daily living. It can also be defined as the activities in which people engage themselves in, in order to earn a living.
CLASSIFICATION OF OCCUPATION
Occupations are divided or classified into the following groups:-
1. Extractive occupation: this occupation involves people whose activities are directed to the process of bringing natural resources from the sea and soil. Examples of those in this occupation are farmers, fishermen, hunters, etc. they produce raw materials.
2. Manufacturing occupation: those involved in this are engaged in changing the form of the raw materials extracted by workers in extractive occupation. Examples of workers in this occupation are cloth weavers, motor manufacturers, etc.
3. Constructive Occupation: workers involved in this occupation engage in assembling different components extracted and manufactured by both the extractive and manufacturing occupation workers. Examples are road construction, bridge construction
WEEK EIGHT
Meaning of Trade: trade is the buying and selling of goods and services. It can also be defined as the activities which cover exchange, buying and selling of goods and services
Branches of Trade
Trade has three main branches which are as follows
1. Home Trade: this is the act of exchanging, buying and selling of goods and services within a country. For an example: Mr. Ade in Lagos buys goods from Mr. Aminu in Kano . This is home trade because both the buyer {Mr. Ade} and the seller {Mr. Aminu} are Nigerians and they reside in Nigeria. In home trade only one currency e.g (naira in Nigeria) is in use. Home trade is divided in two wholesale and retail trade
2. Wholesale Trade: involves buying in large quantities from the manufacturers and selling to the retailers. Those involved in wholesale trade are called wholesalers
3. Retail Trade: this involves buying in small quantities from the wholesaler and selling in units to the final consumer. Those involved in retail trade are called retailers
WEEK NINE
MEANING OF AIDS TO TRADE
By the expression “Aids to Trade” we mean those things or agents that make trade to grow . The aids to trade make trade easy and for this reason they are called aids to trade or factors of trade or auxiliary to trade.
THE AIDS TO TRADE
These aids to trade are:
1. Insurance
2. Banking
3. Transportation
4. Warehousing
5. Advertising
6. Communication and
7. Tourism
FUNCTION OF AIDS TO TRADE
The functions of above aids to trade are as follows:
1. Insurance: insurance covers risks. It is an aid to trade because it encourages business men to take risky business ventures.
2. Banking: the two main functions of a bank is to save money and lend money. This money accepted and saved for costumers are lent to businesses as capital. In this way the bank is an aid to trade .
3. Transportation: transport helps trade by moving goods from one place to another. For example it moves goods from where they are surplus to where they are scares.
4. Warehousing: this is concerned with storing goods in safe condition until they are demanded. Therefore, warehousing prevents scarcity of goods.
5. Advertising: this is the activity that is concerned with informing members of the society that a particular good or service exists, its quality and function. Advertising is an aid to trade because it creates an awareness and demand for goods and services.
6. Communication: this is a form of interaction (i.e. discussion), letter, telephone etc between buyers and sellers with the intention to sell or buy. An example is a letter of enquiry about the goods available in the warehouse
7. Tourism: this covers all the activities which make someone on tour to be comfortable examples of activities under tourism are good hotel accommodation, tourists centers etc. tourism assists trade because tourists from foreign countries bring foreign currency into the economy
WEEK TEN
DIRECT SERVICES
Direct services are simply those services that are rendered to directly on person- to-person basis and the payment for them is made by us directly to the service providers. Examples of direct service occupations are barbing, services of a private doctor, a private teacher, a personal lawyer, a steward etc
INDIRECT SERVICES
Indirect services are the services enjoyed by us, but the payment for which is not made directly by us. The services that fall under this heading include:-
1. The doctor in government hospitals.
2. The policemen
3. The soldiers
4. The teacher in government colleges
From the above explanation, we can now see that payment for indirect services is made on our behalf by the government
DIRECT SERVICE OCCUPATION
These include those whose daily activities involve giving satisfaction, amusement, enjoyment and rendering of personal service to others. Example of those in this occupation are actor, dancer, doctor, etc
INDIRECT SERVICE OCCUPATION
These involve those who earn their living by rendering one type of service or another to members of the public. Example are police, soldier, etc.
