
	Trending ▼ ICSE CBSE 10th ISC CBSE 12th CTET GATE UGC NET Vestibulares ResFinder

GCE MAY 2008 : (A2 2) Objectives and The Business Environment People in Organisations, Accounting and Finance, Marketing and Operations Management

4 pages, 3 questions, 0 questions with responses, 0 total responses,

	gce	+Fave Message
	Profile Timeline Uploads Q & A

Home > gce >

Instantly get Model Answers to questions on this ResPaper. Try now!
NEW ResPaper Exclusive!

Formatting page ...

ADVANCED General Certificate of Education 2008 Business Studies Assessment Unit A2 2 Module 1 to 5 Objectives and The Business Environment, People in Organisations, Accounting and Finance, Marketing and Operations Management A2T21 assessing [A2T21] TUESDAY 27 MAY, AFTERNOON TIME 1 hour 40 minutes. INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Answer all questions. INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES The total mark for this paper is 80. Quality of written communication will be assessed in all questions. Figures in brackets printed down the right-hand side of pages indicate the marks awarded to each question or part question. ADVICE TO CANDIDATES You are advised to take account of the marks for each question in allocating the available examination time. This is a synoptic paper in which you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the connections between the different elements of Business Studies. A2T2S8 3639 Read the information below and answer the questions that follow. The Carphone Warehouse 1 During 2007 The Carphone Warehouse Group plc (The Carphone Warehouse) withdrew its sponsorship of the television reality show, Big Brother. The bad publicity associated with the show was not something that The Carphone Warehouse wanted to be part of. For an organisation that had grown so rapidly, this negative publicity could have easily reversed its good fortunes. History 2 Since trading began in 1989, The Carphone Warehouse has achieved major growth. Its aggressive expansion plans have made it the largest independent retailer of mobile communications in Europe. It is located in 10 countries and has over 1,500 stores. The company believes its continued success lies in its ability to offer customers a better mobile life by anticipating and catering for all their mobile needs. Figure 1. The Development of The Carphone Warehouse 1989 93 The Carphone Warehouse was founded as a UK mobile phone retailer. The company enters a period of rapid organic growth. 1996 The company opens its first stores outside the UK, in Paris and Dublin. 1998 The company acquires GEAB Teleshop, a leading independent mobile phone retailer in Sweden, and Comprotoel Groep, a Dutch mobile phone wholesaling and retailing business. 1999 The company acquires the UK business, Tandy, the general electrical goods and mobile phone retailer with 268 stores spread across the UK. 2000 The company acquires ACJM SL, a Spanish specialist mobile phone retailer and also enters Germany through the acquisition of Otto Boenicke. The Carphone Warehouse also acquires Cellcom, a UK provider of billing, customer call and messaging services. This represents its first move into Facilities Management ( FMS ) and a significant extension of the existing retail strategy. 2001 The company continues to build its Telecom Services division through the acquisition of CMC, one of the leading mobile telecoms services businesses in France. 2002 The company announces the acquisition of Opal Telecom PLC, an alternative network operator providing fixed line solutions to the business market. 2003 The company launches TalkTalk, its new residential fixed line telecoms service, as a direct competitor to BT (British Telecom). 2004 The company makes its first move into the continental European fixed line market with the acquisition of Xtra in Spain. 2005 The company launches Mobile World an industry first mobile service which allows customers to make cheap international calls from a mobile phone. Two major residential fixed line competitors, Onetel and Tele2 UK are also acquired, doubling the share of the UK residential market to 10%. Source: Adapted from www.carphonewarehouse.co.uk A2T2S8 3639 2 3 Philosophy The Carphone Warehouse aims to exceed customers expectations by providing an innovative approach to service. In order to stay at the front of this dynamic and rapidly moving industry, it constantly develops new ideas and services for its customers. These do not always come from the top and it relies on people throughout the business to maintain its high standards. By incorporating new ideas in retailing and new technologies, the company has created a stimulating and rewarding environment for all of its employees. Strategy 4 The Carphone Warehouse s strategic approach is built on three primary objectives: 5 To continue to grow market share in all its geographical markets. To maximise the lifetime value of its customers, both by providing a level of service that encourages repeat business, and by identifying relevant new products and services. To become the leading alternative provider of fixed line telecommunications services in the UK. The company fully recognises the importance of employees and encourages their involvement in the achievement of its objectives. Corporate Social Responsibility 6 The Carphone Warehouse has a strong track record as a responsible employer, consumer and distributor. The Group has a dedicated Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) manager who co-ordinates strategy and actions, interacting with senior management within business operations, human resources and communications. This has resulted in the development of a range of initiatives including the following: (a) Charity, community and employee activities. The Carphone Warehouse supports two partner charities, Barnardo s and Get Connected. TalkTalk, The Carphone Warehouse s fixed line service, has its own partner charity, TreeHouse, supporting the needs of children with autism throughout the UK. (b) Diversity and inclusion. The Group recognises the importance of diversity and inclusion, and has systems in place to recruit employees of different genders, ages, disabilities and ethnic origins. (c) Helping with Homelessness. The Carphone Warehouse works with Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH), helping to develop skills and confidence in people who have been homeless, by offering two-week work placements. (d) Employees. Human Resource departments within The Carphone Warehouse aim to ensure that the work environment, recruitment and training processes are of the highest standard. The aim is to maximise employee satisfaction. A range of incentives helps boost pay and self-esteem, from earning up to 2,000 for recommending friends for a job, to an annual awards ceremony hosted by celebrities. Monthly beer nights and other events such as the company ball also strengthen working relationships. The Sunday Times 100 Best Company survey revealed that 81% of employees say their team is fun to work with and that their colleagues care a lot about each other. A2T2S8 3639 3 [Turn over (e) Regulatory and social responsibilities. The group tries to ensure that the risks associated with social, environmental and ethical responsibilities are relatively low and also that controls are in place to ensure compliance with new laws and regulations. (f) Disability discrimination. To ensure that it is offering disabled customers the ability to obtain goods and services in just the same way as any other customer The Carphone Warehouse has a special needs section on its retail website. It also provides dedicated phone numbers for its customers, customer care packs containing magnifying glasses, easy-grip pens and billing in a number of formats for the visually impaired. (g) Mobile phones and health. Despite recent studies in the British Medical Journal declaring that mobile phones are unlikely to damage health, the company supports continued research in this area. (h) Adult content. The Carphone Warehouse takes the risks associated with adult content seriously and has introduced a code of practice in the UK, to apply to all The Carphone Warehouse branded web channels. (i) Environment. Stores have a requirement to ensure that all packaging and store waste is returned to its warehouses to be recycled and re-used. The Future 7 The future of communications is very exciting. There are always new developments in the market and The Carphone Warehouse prides itself on constantly being one of the first to introduce quality products and services to customers, tailored to their individual needs. The global mobile communications industry is still in its infancy. The Carphone Warehouse is helping it to grow and in turn is growing with it. Source: Adapted from www.carphonewarehouse.co.uk 1 Evaluate The Carphone Warehouse s philosophy of involving employees in the achievement of its objectives. [20] 2 Evaluate the implications for The Carphone Warehouse of operating on a global scale. 3 Evaluate The Carphone Warehouse s strategy of acting in a socially responsible manner. [30] Permission to reproduce all copyright material has been applied for. In some cases, efforts to contact copyright holders may have been unsuccessful and CCEA will be happy to rectify any omissions of acknowledgement in future if notified. SP (NF) T56221/3 [30]

Formatting page ...

Additional Info : Gce Business Studies May 2008 Assessment Unit A2 2 Modules 1to 5: Objectives and The Business Environment, People in Organisations, Accounting and Finance, Marketing and Operations Management
Tags : General Certificate of Education, A Level and AS Level, uk, council for the curriculum examinations and assessment, gce exam papers, gce a level and as level exam papers , gce past questions and answer, gce past question papers, ccea gce past papers, gce ccea past papers

gce chat

Horizontal lines at:
Guest Horizontal lines at:
AutoRM Data:
Box geometries: