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GCE JUN 2009 : (AS 1) The Competitive Business - Revised

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Sp N ec e ifi w ca tio n Assessment Unit AS 1 assessing The Competitive Business [AT111] AT111 Business Studies *AT111* AdVAnCed SuBSidiAry (AS) general Certificate of education 2009 wedneSdAy 10 june, morning Time 1 hour 30 minutes. inSTruCTionS To CAndidATeS Write your Centre Number and Candidate Number on the Answer Booklet provided. Answer both questions. inFormATion For CAndidATeS The total mark for this paper is 80. Quality of written communication will be assessed in question 1 parts (c), (d) and (e) and question 2 parts (c), (d) and (e). 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 or part question in allocating the available examination time. 5667 1 Study the information below and answer the questions that follow. Favourite sweet in mint condition The "Polo" name and image is reproduced with . the kind permission of Soci t des Produits Nestl , S. A. The "Polo" name and image is reproduced with the kind permission of Soci t des Produits Nestl , S. A. Fig. 1: over sixty years of Polo Polos are small round mints made by Nestl . Launched in 1948, the brand quickly became a market leader and is still the UK s No1 mint, having just celebrated its 60th birthday. Its famous advertising slogan, The mint with the hole , continues to be used today. The sweets are made using flow production techniques in Nestl s factory in York, from the original recipe at a rate of approximately 20 million mints per day. A company spokesperson, talking about how the mints were made, stated that during production, each sweet is subject to immense pressure, roughly equivalent to two elephants jumping on it. Machines are capable of producing up to 32,400 sweets every minute if running continuously at full speed. An area equivalent to 160 football pitches is used to grow the mint plants needed in order to meet annual production requirements. Steady sales have enabled such efficient production techniques to be developed. Nestl takes great care to ensure that the highest quality standards are maintained in its factory, using a variety of quality control methods. Since its introduction, variations of the original Polo mint have been produced. Some of these have been successes, whereas others have not. However, none have been as successful as the original Polo mint. Variations have included Spearmint, Fruit flavoured, Sugar free, MiniStrong Polos and Polo Holes. 5667 Adapted from Polos The Mint with the Hole found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3073655, Polo celebrates its 60th birthday found at http://www.thepress.co.uk/news/2199020 and Favourite sweet in mint condition found at http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print. 2 (a) Explain two ways by which Nestl could measure the quality of its products. [4] (b) Explain two advantages to Nestl of using flow production techniques to produce Polo mints. [4] (c) Analyse the factors that might affect productivity within a business such as Nestl . [8] (d) Discuss best practice benchmarking as an approach to quality within a business such as Nestl . (e) Evaluate two possible extension strategies that Nestl might use to extend the product life cycle of Polo mints. 5667 [12] [12] [Turn over 2 Study the information below and answer the questions that follow. jessops plc Jessops was founded in 1935 when Frank Jessop opened a photography store in Leicester. The business grew steadily and by 2001 Jessops had opened its 200th store. It was successfully floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2004 as Jessops plc and was voted Photo Retailer of the year for the tenth year running in 2005. Jessops is currently the largest photographic retailer in the UK with a comprehensive range of over 16,000 photographic, video and digital products. It also operates via an on-line store, through mail order, telesales, business to business and wholesale operations. The company prides itself on its exceptionally high standard of customer service. Recent research shows that 94% of customers rate the service they receive as excellent or good. Jessops uses market research continually to ensure that it is meeting customer requirements. As the popularity of digital imaging continues to grow, Jessops operates within five market segments. These are cameras, photographic accessories, developing and printing, camcorders and other photographic hardware. Although Jessops faces competition within each of these areas, directors believe that there is no single nationwide retailer who competes against the business across the whole range of products and services that Jessops offers. Jessops differentiates itself from its competitors through the combination of its national store portfolio, broad product range, customer service ethos and the in-depth product knowledge of its staff. Although it began by selling its products and services to photo enthusiasts, it now appeals to the wider mass market as a result of its focus on providing value for money. 5667 Adapted from http://www.jessops.com/corporate/company.asp Information correct at time of press. (a) Explain two advantages to Jessops of operating an on-line store. [4] (b) Explain two reasons why Jessops should carry out market research. [4] (c) Use demand and supply curves to analyse how the equilibrium price and quantity of a digital camera might be affected when a competitor introduces a new model. [8] (d) Evaluate the usefulness to a business such as Jessops of using random and quota sampling techniques when conducting market research. [12] (e) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages that Jessops may have experienced by becoming a public limited company in 2004. [12] THiS iS THe end oF THe QueSTion PAPer 5667 5667 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. T80865/1

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Additional Info : Gce Business Studies June2009 Assessment Unit AS 1 The Competitive Business - Revised
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

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