Before you recommend, separate what the case tells you from what it leaves out. Then give a recommendation with a condition that names the decisive missing fact.
This lesson belongs to how business functions depend on each other. It follows explaining how a staffing decision affects more than one function.
The fictional case
Kedai Makmur is a neighbourhood shop open six days a week. The owner wants to open on Sundays. The case states that Sunday opening needs one extra worker at RM90 a day and that two nearby shops are closed on Sundays.
Known and missing
| Known from the case | Missing from the case |
|---|---|
| Extra worker costs RM90 a day | Expected Sunday sales |
| Two nearby shops are closed Sundays | Whether the worker is available and willing |
| Shop is open six days now | Electricity and other running costs on Sunday |
The decisive fact is expected Sunday sales. If sales stay below RM90 of extra profit, the change loses money.
The mistake that costs marks
The first mistake is a confident recommendation with no condition: “The shop should open on Sundays because competitors are closed.” It uses one detail and ignores the cost.
The second mistake is refusing: “We cannot recommend because the case does not say the sales.” That earns little, because it does not use what the case does say.
A conditional answer says, “I recommend trial opening on Sundays, because two nearby shops are closed, which may bring extra customers. This makes sense provided the extra sales cover the RM90 worker cost, so the owner should record Sunday sales over a few weeks.”
| Feature | Confident | Refusing | Conditional |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision | Yes | No | Yes |
| Uses case detail | One | None | Two |
| Names decisive fact | No | No | Yes |
A three-line frame
Write: my recommendation, the reason from the case, and the condition that would change it. Keep the condition specific enough to act on.
A trial period is often a sensible condition, as it gives the owner the missing information at a small cost.
Check yourself
A snack stall may move to a busier street where the rent is higher by RM400. Name one fact the case gives, one it lacks, and a conditional recommendation.
Answer
Known: the higher rent. Missing: how many more customers the busier street would bring.
“I recommend moving provided extra sales would cover the extra RM400 of rent, so the owner should count passing customers at the new location first.”
What to study next
Go on to supporting a response with a coherent sequence of business effects, or try the practice set.
For a teacher to practise recommendations with you, see online one-to-one Business tuition.