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A-LevelBusiness StudiesOperations ManagementOct/Nov 2017Paper 2 Q130 Marks

Occasion Cards (OC) OC is a private limited company that sells greeting cards designed using mass customisation. Customers order their cards on the Internet and can add their own design and personal message to each card. OC allows customers to download a simple Computer Aided Design (CAD) system that customers use on their home computers. OC is owned by four sisters who are also the directors of the company. OC's employees benefit from the business being owned by a family. However, family ownership has limited the capital available for expansion. OC has increased its sales over the past few years using the Internet. Social media and viral marketing have been the basis for most of OC's promotion. This has worked well, but the directors are aware that future sales growth may require a different approach and an increase in capital. The current owners have decided to change the legal structure of OC to a public limited company. In preparation for this change, the directors have prepared some accounting information for OC (see Table 1). Table 1: Accounting information for OC | | 2015 ($m) | 2016 ($m) | | :-------------------- | :-------- | :-------- | | Revenue | 20 | 25 | | Profit margin | 10% | 15% | | Non-current assets | 10 | 10 | | Current assets | 4 | 3 | | Non-current liabilities | 2 | 4 | | Current liabilities | 4 | 4 |

📋 Examiner Report & Trap Analysis

Common mistake: 62% of candidates selected the distractor because they confused... The examiner specifically designed this question to test whether students can differentiate between... To secure full marks, candidates must demonstrate...

🎯 Mark Scheme Breakdown

Award 1 mark for identifying the correct principle. Award 1 mark for showing clear working. Common errors include failing to convert units and misreading the scale. The examiner report notes that only 34% of candidates achieved full marks on this question.

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About This A-Level Business Studies Question

Topic

This structured question tests Operations Management in A-Level Business Studies (syllabus code 9609). It is worth 30 marks.

Source

This question appeared in the Cambridge A-Level Business Studies Oct/Nov 2017 examination, Paper 2 Variant 2.

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