SE1500 Business Management

Business Management

Revision and Tutorial Session

Past Exam Paper

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 SE1500 Business Management

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Introduction to Business Management
First/Second Year Examination
CLOSED BOOK

Date: XXXX
Time: XXXX
Duration: 2 hours

Instructions to Candidates
1. Answer ALL questions.
2. Section A is weighted 30%, section B is 40% and section C is 30%.
3. Use of calculators IS allowed. Students must bring their own calculator which must be
from the Casio FX-83, Casio FX-85, HP10s or HP10s+ series. No other type of calculator
is allowed.

Materials provided
1. EDPAC multiple choice for questions 1-30 (section A)
2. Answer booklets for the remainder of the exam (sections B and C)

Please note that the exam questions are printed on both sides of the exam paper.

This exam paper must not be removed from the exam room.

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 SE1500 Business Management

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 SE1500 Business Management

SECTION A - MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

We have already covered this part during the lecturing exercises, and also through Part 1 and
Part 2 of Tutorials (there will be about 30 questions)

SECTION B - SHORT QUESTIONS

Answer all questions. Each question is worth 8 marks.

1) Name and define each element of Osterwalder and Pigneur’s (2010) Business Model
Canvas?

2) Define Porter's Generic Strategies and Faulkner & Bowman’s Strategy clock. What are the
key points of difference between these two strategy frameworks?

3) Briefly explain John Kotter’s 8-step process for successful change management?

4) The fixed costs of Widget Limited are £210,000 and the variable costs are £15 per unit. A
recent forecast says Widget Limited is expected to sell 11,000 units at a price of £35 per
unit. However, a recent marketing study suggests that an advertising campaign would
increase sales to around 14,000 units. The advertising campaign is not cheap, it would
cost £40,000. Should Widget Limited pay for an advertising campaign or not? Using CVP
analysis justify your decision with figures?

5) A business project has the following estimated cash inflows over a three-year period. If
the discount factor is 10% what is the Net present value of this project?

Year Cash inflow

1 £300
2 £1,000
3 £400
The initial outlay is £1,000

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 SE1500 Business Management

SECTION C
Read the following scenario and answer the question by drawing on appropriate theories and
frameworks from the course. As a guide, section C should take around 30 minutes to
complete

Scenario
Eva is the manager of a team that works on business improvement projects. The team has a
mix of abilities within it and co-worker relations are generally very good. The work is varied, as
projects relate to different areas of the business (e.g. products, materials, operations,
packaging) and usually throw up complex challenges. However, Eva is growing concerned that
one member of her team – an engineer named Jack – is becoming demotivated. Jack is a
capable and talented engineer whom Eva has coached and directed since she took over the
team two years ago. Jack works on system protocols for all projects. The work is routine and
quite repetitive as there are rules and procedures that have to be adhered to for safety
reasons, but Jack knows the job is important and he’s done well with the protocols since he
started working on them 6 months ago. However, Jack appears to be going through the
motions lately, putting in less effort and looking disinterested. Eva is worried Jack may leave.
She doesn’t want to lose him, but she’s unsure what to do. The organisation provides Jack
with a good working environment and salary. To motivate Jack, Eva recently offered him a
financial bonus to finish his work ahead of schedule, but this seemed to make little impact on
his effort levels. Eva is wondering if she should be tougher with Jack: “Maybe he just needs to
be told to buck up his ideas?”

1) Drawing on theories and concepts from the course, diagnose what might be causing
Jack’s lack of motivation and effort. Explain what steps Eva could take to improve the
situation with Jack. Marks will be awarded for the selection and careful application of
salient theories and concepts.

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