What is the Advanced Higher Business Management project, and what does it require?
The project: an independent investigation of a live organisation or issue, presented as a researched report with analysis, conclusions and recommendations, worth 40 marks (one third of the course).
An overview of the SQA Advanced Higher Business Management project: an independent investigation of a live organisation or issue, written up as a researched report with analysis, evidence-based conclusions and recommendations, worth 40 marks and externally marked.
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What this key area is asking
The project is the coursework component of Advanced Higher Business Management and the place where the course's research and evaluation skills are assessed in full. This is a single overview: you need to know what the project is, what it requires, and how it is marked, so you can plan and execute it well. (The how-to skills, research, referencing, analytical tools, evaluation and conclusions, are taught across the evaluating-business-information module.)
What the project is
The project is where Advanced Higher's independent, evaluative character shows most clearly: the candidate, not the teacher, drives the investigation, with limited supervision.
What it requires
- A focused aim. A clear, manageable question on a real organisation or issue, narrow enough to investigate in depth (published example briefs include evaluating the impact of technological developments on an organisation and its stakeholders, or exploring how a firm's ethics affects stakeholders).
- Research. A range of reliable primary and secondary sources, referenced properly with a full bibliography.
- Analysis and evaluation. Interpreting the information critically, often using force-field analysis, a Gantt chart or critical path analysis, not merely describing the organisation.
- Conclusions and recommendations. Substantiated, realistic and prioritised, following from the evidence.
The report structure
A typical report has an introduction (the aim and the organisation), the analysis of the researched information, the conclusions and recommendations, and the research and references (with a bibliography). It is written to a professional standard within the word count and the SQA's conditions of assessment.
Examples in context
Why the project matters
The project is a third of the whole award and the clearest test of Advanced Higher's independent research and evaluation skills. It draws directly on the evaluating-business-information module (research, referencing, analytical tools, financial evaluation, conclusions) and on knowledge from the external and internal environment areas applied to a real organisation.
Try this
Q1. State what the project is and its weighting. [2 marks]
- Cue. An independent, externally marked investigation of a live organisation or issue, written up as a researched report, worth 40 marks (about a third of the course).
Q2. Explain two features of a successful project. [4 marks]
- Cue. Any two of: a focused, manageable aim; reliable, properly referenced research; critical analysis and evaluation rather than description; substantiated, realistic, prioritised recommendations, each developed.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA AH style6 marksDescribe what is required in the Advanced Higher Business Management project.Show worked answer →
Describe means give detail. The project is an independent investigation of a real (live) organisation or business issue, written up as a formal report. The candidate chooses a focused issue and a clear aim, researches it using both primary and secondary sources, analyses the information (often using the course's analytical tools), and presents evidence-based conclusions and justified recommendations. The report includes an introduction, the analysis, conclusions and recommendations, the research, and full referencing and a bibliography, within a set word count (around 2500 to 3500 words excluding footnotes, appendices and bibliography). It is completed with limited supervision and is externally marked by the SQA, worth 40 marks, one third of the course.
A strong answer covers the independent investigation, the research, the report structure, referencing, the word count and the external marking, rather than just calling it a piece of coursework.
SQA AH style8 marksDiscuss how a candidate could make their project successful.Show worked answer →
Discuss means weigh and judge. A successful project starts with a focused, manageable aim on a real organisation or issue, narrow enough to investigate in depth (a vague or huge topic is a common pitfall). It draws on a range of reliable primary and secondary sources, referenced properly to avoid plagiarism and show the research. It analyses the information with appropriate tools and evaluates it critically, rather than just describing the organisation. And it reaches substantiated conclusions and clear, realistic, prioritised recommendations that follow from the evidence.
A candidate should also plan and start early (a Gantt chart helps), keep careful records of sources, and write to the structure and word count. A strong answer judges that depth of analysis and evaluation, a focused aim, reliable referenced research and evidence-based conclusions are what lift a project, while a descriptive, unfocused or poorly referenced report underperforms, rather than listing.
Related dot points
- The question paper: its two sections (a case-study section and a section sampling all areas), the marks, duration and weighting, and the command words (describe, explain, compare, distinguish, discuss) that signal what an answer must do.
How the SQA Advanced Higher Business Management question paper works: the case-study section and the section sampling all areas, the marks, time and weighting, and the command words that tell you whether to describe, explain, compare, distinguish or discuss.
- The SCQF level and grading: Advanced Higher as an SCQF level 7 qualification, how the question paper and project combine into an overall grade A to D, and what the level signals for progression.
What SCQF level 7 means for SQA Advanced Higher Business Management: how the 80-mark question paper and the 40-mark project combine into a single grade A to D, and what the level signals for progression to university and beyond.
- Research methods and referencing: primary and secondary research, sampling, the criteria for reliable information, and the conventions of referencing, bibliographies and footnotes used in the project.
How business information is gathered and cited in Advanced Higher Business Management: primary and secondary research, sampling, the criteria for reliable information, and the referencing, bibliography and footnote conventions used in the project.
- Drawing conclusions and making recommendations: synthesising analysed information into reasoned, evidence-based conclusions and clear, justified strategic recommendations, the culmination of the evaluation skill.
How to reach conclusions and recommendations in Advanced Higher Business Management: synthesising analysed information into reasoned, evidence-based conclusions and clear, justified strategic recommendations, the culmination of the evaluation skill and the heart of the project.
- Evaluating financial and performance information: interpreting reports, financial data, statistics and surveys, judging their reliability and limitations, and using them to assess organisational performance.
How financial and performance information is interpreted in Advanced Higher Business Management: reading reports, financial data, statistics and surveys, judging their reliability and limitations, and using them to assess how well an organisation is performing.