Production
100 Points: Name the three main types of production systems used by businesses (from custom-made to continuous assembly).
Answer: Job, Batch, and Mass/Flow production
100 Points: Name the key New Zealand legislation passed in 2015 that sets out statutory duties for workplace health and safety.
Answer: Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA)
100 Points: Contrast a Tall organisational structure with a Flat organisational structure in terms of management layers and span of control.
Answer: Tall structures have many management layers and narrow spans of control. Flat structures have few management layers and wide spans of control.
100 Points: What are the three primary functions of a budget within a corporate or public sector organization?
Answer: Planning, Control, and Coordination
Nearest wins - When was nintendo founded
1889
200 Points: Define economies of scale and explain how moving to mass flow production lowers a business's long-run average cost per unit.
Economies of scale occur when the average total cost per unit decreases as output increases. Mass production spreads high fixed capital costs over a massive volume of products
200 Points: Contrast an Autocratic leadership style with a Democratic leadership style.
Answer: Autocratic management uses top-down directives with strict managerial control, while Democratic leadership involves workers in decision-making and values worker expertise.
200 Points: Identify the market structure that features a single dominant supplier controlling the entire market (e.g., Transpower or local lines).
Monopoly
200 Points: Define Variance in financial management and distinguish between a Favourable ($F$) and Unfavourable ($U$) variance
Answer: Variance is the difference between actual financial performance and budgeted targets. Favourable means higher revenue or lower cost than planned; Unfavourable means lower revenue or higher cost than planned.
Nearest wins - How much did Nike pay for the swish logo design
$35: Graphic design student Carolyn Davidson designed the iconic "Swoosh" in 1971 for just $35. (Years later, after the company blew up, Nike’s founder gave her a diamond Swoosh ring and a stock package)
Define a bottleneck in a production line and state ONE operational risk of running a facility at over-capacity to fix it
A bottleneck is the stage in a process chain with the lowest processing capacity that constrains total output. Over-capacity risks include equipment breakdown, increased worker fatigue/injuries, and higher overtime costs
300 Points: Define ergonomics and give ONE example of an ergonomic operational procedure in a processing plant or call centre.
Designing the physical workplace and equipment to fit human capabilities and prevent injury. Examples: Adjustable workstations, mandatory wrist/back breaks, or anti-fatigue matting on assembly lines
300 Points: Name the three workforce "leaves" in Charles Handy's Shamrock Model
Core Workforce (Professional), Contractual Fringe, and Flexible/Casual Labour Force.
300 Points: Calculate the Breakeven Quantity if a regional manufacturer has Fixed Costs of $100,000 and a Contribution Margin (Price - Variable Cost) of $20 per unit.
5000 units (Breakeven = FC/Contribution Margic = 100,000/20)
Apple had 3 founders, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Wayne sold his share (10%) early after being scared of the financial risk. How much did he sell his share for (now worth well over 100 billion) (Nearest Wins)
$800
400 Points: Explain the concept of capital-labour substitution when a factory integrates automation or robotics
Answer: Replacing manual labour with capital investments/machinery. It requires high upfront capital expenditure (CapEx) but lowers variable labour costs and marginal costs over time
400 Points: Distinguish between an HR Policy and an HR Procedure under HSWA 2015.
Answer: A Policy sets the overarching goal or commitment ("What/Why", e.g., zero-harm commitment), whereas a Procedure outlines the specific operational steps ("How", e.g., equipment isolation steps).
Explain how a Matrix Structure operates and state ONE structural tension or friction it creates for employees.
Employees report simultaneously to a Functional Manager and a Project Manager. Tensions: Dual accountability, conflicting priorities, or role confusion.
400 Points: Explain what is meant by Managerial Short-Termism when using monthly budget metrics.
Answer: When managers cut long-term essential spending (e.g., staff training, equipment maintenance, or H&S) to meet short-term monthly budget targets or secure short-term bonuses
Which business inventor (who invented a certain distinct packaging) was buried in his design - note: it is a food packaging item
Pringles
A craft brewery transitions from small-batch production to continuous flow canning. Fully explain ONE economic benefit to the business and ONE HR/worker risk associated with this transition
Economic Benefit: Reduced average unit costs via fixed cost dilution (economies of scale). HR Risk: Worker alienation, deskilling, increased task repetition, or higher staff turnover
500 Points: [Excellence Question] Fully explain how collaborating with a trade union through collective bargaining can improve a large firm's overall operational productivity
OR how it can make it worse
Answer: It standardises wage structures, improves worker retention, reduces costly staff turnover/onboarding costs, and builds workplace trust, leading to lower grievance rates and higher staff morale/output
Make it worse by encouraging 'coasting'
500 Points: [Excellence Question] Fully explain how shifting 30% of a manufacturing workforce to casual contracts (Leaf 3 of Shamrock) benefits the enterprise financially, and how it impacts workplace culture
Financial Benefit: Converts fixed labour overheads into variable expenses, allowing the firm to absorb market demand drops without paying redundancy. Culture Impact: Erodes social cohesion (whanaungatanga), creates pay/security disparities, lowers morale, and increases staff turnover
500 Points: [Excellence Question] A regional bus company faces financial pressure and cuts its Health & Safety / Driver Training budget by 15% while increasing Marketing by 10%. What are some risks to this decision
Higher driver fatigue/accidents, WorkSafe penalties, ACC levies, public liability, reputational damage, high staff turnover, and long-term costs that far exceed the initial 15% short-term savings
what famous artist designed the Chupa Chups Logo
Salvador Dali