Joe's Smoothies (JS) Joe graduated with a Business degree. He then spent a year travelling around Asia. He discovered a local drink. This was a fruit smoothie, with added nuts and seeds for protein, that many people drank instead of a meal. When he returned home to country Y he found no suppliers of this type of product. Joe is considering setting up a small café producing smoothies to supply this potential new market segment. It would be called 'Joe's Smoothies'. This would be possible with a low level of start up capital. This is important as he has no savings. He created a business plan with estimated costs (Table 2.1) and estimated demand and average selling price (Table 2.2). This data was based on a sole trader business in one location. Looking at the data, Joe thought that the business would be low risk and had the potential for national expansion. Table 2.1: Estimated cost information ($) | | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter | | :-------------------- | :------- | :------- | :------- | :------- | | Capital Investment | 2000 | | | | | Fixed costs | 10000 | 10000 | 10000 | 10000 | | Average variable cost | 2.50 | 2.00 | 2.50 | 3.00 | Table 2.2: Estimated demand and average selling price (with no market research) | | Spring | Summer | Autumn | Winter | | :--------------------- | :------- | :------- | :------- | :------- | | Demand (units sold) | 1000 | 3500 | 1500 | 500 | | Average selling price | $3.50 | $6.00 | $3.50 | $2.50 | Before opening Joe's Smoothies, Joe approached a business adviser who asked him about his market research. Joe had not done any. The business adviser suggested it would be a good idea to do some primary market research to collect information about his target market and potential demand.
- (a)(i)Define the term 'market segment' (lines 5–6).[2]
- (a)(ii)Explain the term 'start up capital' (lines 6–7).[3]
- (b)(i)Refer to Table 2.1 and Table 2.2. Calculate the break-even level of sales for JS in the summer.[2]
- (b)(ii)Explain two factors which may influence the demand for Joe's product.[4]
- (c)Analyse two methods of primary market research that Joe could use.[8]
- (d)Discuss sources of finance Joe could use to start up his business.[11]
Mark scheme
Marking points from the official mark scheme (Feb/Mar 2020). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.
- [2] A correct definition
- [1] A partial, vague or unfocused definition
- [0] No credible content
- [2] A correct definition could cover the following: A group of potential customers/a division of the market
- [2] A correct definition could cover the following: That all have similar characteristics/needs and wants
- [2] Exemplar: A group of potential customers who have similar needs and/or wants (Two elements covered)
- [2] Exemplar: A part of the whole market which has similar characteristics (Two elements covered)
- [1] Exemplar: Customers with similar characteristics (A simple statement)
- [1] Exemplar: Different groups of potential customers (An understanding but too vague)
- [0] Exemplar: customers (Too vague)
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