Business Communication (A Level) (Cambridge (CIE) A Level Business): Exam Questions

Tidewater (TW)

Tidewater (TW) operates a cargo port in country M. It employs 780 people loading, unloading and storing containers, working across three shifts a day.

TW's workforce comes from eleven different countries, and around 40% of staff do not speak country M's main language fluently.

Instructions from the operations office are given over radio, often while machinery is running. Written safety notices are displayed in country M's language only.

Table 1.1: TW selected data

TW's directors want to reduce both figures before the port's licence is reviewed.

Kingsway (KW)

Kingsway (KW) is a recruitment agency in country R that places office staff with employer clients. It employs 90 consultants.

Two years ago KW closed its four regional offices. Consultants now work from home and communicate entirely by email, instant messaging and video call.

Table 1.1: KW selected data

New consultants say they find the job hard to learn without experienced colleagues nearby.

Halewood (HW)

Halewood (HW) owns nine department stores in country B and employs 1,400 people.

HW's board has been discussing whether to close two stores that are losing money. No announcement has been made.

Staff in all nine stores have heard from colleagues that closures are coming, though nobody knows which stores. Sales assistants in two profitable stores have begun applying for jobs elsewhere.

Table 1.1: HW selected data

HW's human resources director says the board should announce its decision now.

Swiftgate (SG)

Swiftgate (SG) delivers parcels across country E. It employs 2,600 people at 22 depots and one head office.

All communication passes through head office. If one depot needs to redirect parcels to another because of a vehicle breakdown, the request must go up to head office and back down to the second depot.

Table 1.1: SG selected data

SG's operations director has suggested letting depot managers contact each other directly.

Clearvale (CV)

Clearvale (CV) manufactures glass for windows and doors in country T. It employs 620 people across two factories working around the clock.

Communication problems are frequent. Production targets are posted on noticeboards, changes to specifications are passed on verbally between shift supervisors, and staff say they often learn about company decisions from colleagues rather than from managers.

Table 1.1: CV selected data

CV's directors must choose between installing digital display screens showing live targets and specification changes, or introducing weekly team briefings led by supervisors.

Marchmont Motors (MM)

Marchmont Motors (MM) owns fourteen car dealerships in country K. Each dealership has a sales department and a separate service and repair workshop.

Sales staff sometimes promise customers a delivery or repair date without checking with the workshop. Workshop staff order parts only once a car arrives.

Table 1.1: MM selected data

MM's directors are considering whether to invest in a shared system linking sales and the workshop, or simply to employ more mechanics.