An objective is believable when it has a number, a time and evidence that the number is possible. State the target first, then attach the facts that support it.
This lesson is part of SPM subjects and learning resources. It follows explaining the need behind an enterprise idea.
What are the three parts?
- Target: a number, such as boxes sold or money earned.
- Time: by when, such as the end of month 3.
- Evidence: the facts that make the number realistic.
Worked example: a fictional kuih stall
Imagine a fictional enterprise, Kuih Kak Sal, invented for this lesson. The owner wants to sell boxes of kuih from a table outside a neighbour’s house on Sunday mornings.
Objective. Sell 60 boxes of kuih each Sunday by the end of month 3.
Evidence 1. In a trial on two Sundays, the owner sold 24 and then 31 boxes. The average is (24 + 31) ÷ 2 = 27.5 boxes, so about 28 boxes.
Evidence 2. A questionnaire of 20 neighbours found that 12 would buy at RM6 a box. That is 12 out of 20, or 60%.
Evidence 3. The table can serve about one customer a minute, so 60 boxes in a two-hour morning is possible.
Reading the evidence. The trial shows a start at about 28 boxes. Reaching 60 in three months means adding about 32 boxes a Sunday, more than doubling sales, so the target is ambitious. The questionnaire shows interest, but not yet purchases.
A careful answer states this: the objective is possible but depends on growing sales, and the evidence supports about half the target today.
The mistake: a hopeful number
A weak answer states “sell 60 boxes” with no facts. It could be realistic or not, and the marker cannot tell.
| Version | Content | Believable? |
|---|---|---|
| Hopeful | “We will sell 60 boxes every Sunday” | Not shown |
| Supported | “We sold 24 and 31 in trials, and 12 of 20 neighbours said they would buy, so 60 by month 3 is possible” | Partly shown, with its limits stated |
The fix is not to lower the target. It is to put a fact next to it, and say what the fact does and does not prove.
Which evidence is stronger?
A trial sale is stronger than a questionnaire, because people actually paid. A questionnaire is stronger than an opinion. Ranking your evidence shows the marker that you know the difference.
Check yourself
A fictional stall owner wants to sell 40 cups of drinks a day. In a trial day, 26 cups sold. A questionnaire of 10 passers-by found 7 would buy. Which evidence is stronger, and does it fully support the target?
Answer
The trial day is stronger, because 26 cups were actually sold. The questionnaire shows interest only.
It supports part of the target, since 26 is 14 cups short of 40. The owner needs reasons to expect growth, such as a longer opening time.
What to study next
Read on in distinguishing an assumption from a tested observation and see how money movements test an objective in reading a fictional cash-flow example.
If you want a teacher to question your objectives and evidence, see online one-to-one Entrepreneurship tuition.