These eight questions use invented businesses, so you can practise the skills from the physical and technological resources cluster. Try each one before opening the answer.
Questions
Q1. A fictional bakery must produce 300 loaves in a 3-hour morning window. Machine M makes 80 loaves an hour and Machine N makes 120. Which meets the need?
Answer
M: 80 × 3 = 240, which is short of 300. N: 120 × 3 = 360, which meets 300. Choose Machine N, and check its price. See selecting resources for a business need.
Q2. Write one sentence explaining why the cheapest machine may be a poor choice.
Answer
The cheapest machine may not have the capacity to meet the business’s need, so the business would lose orders or pay for extra labour to cover the gap.
Q3. A van is serviced for RM250 every three months. A breakdown costs RM1 800 to repair and two days of lost earnings at RM350 a day. Compare yearly servicing with one breakdown.
Answer
Servicing: 4 × RM250 = RM1 000. Breakdown: RM1 800 + 2 × RM350 = RM1 800 + RM700 = RM2 500. One breakdown costs RM1 500 more than a year of servicing. See maintenance and resource management.
Q4. What is downtime, and why does it matter in Q3?
Answer
Downtime is the period a resource cannot be used. In Q3 the van earns nothing for two days, so the business loses RM700 on top of the repair bill.
Q5. With weights cost 3 and ease 1, Option X scores cost 4 and ease 2, and Option Y scores cost 3 and ease 5. Calculate the weighted totals.
Answer
X: 4×3 + 2×1 = 12 + 2 = 14. Y: 3×3 + 5×1 = 9 + 5 = 14. They tie. See comparing technology choices using supplied criteria.
Q6. In Q5, the case says the owner will be the only user and is new to technology. Which option would you recommend, and how do you word it?
Answer
Recommend Y: “The totals are equal, so the decision depends on the case. The owner is new to technology, and Y scores higher on ease of use, so Y may reduce mistakes. The owner should check the price gap first.”
Q7. Match to copyright, trademark or patent: (a) a new machine that folds cloth faster, (b) a shop’s logo, (c) a photograph of the shop’s products.
Answer
(a) Patent, because it is an invention. (b) Trademark, because it identifies the business. (c) Copyright, because it is a creative work. See intellectual property concepts in plain terms.
Q8. A student writes: “A patent lasts a fixed number of years and fully protects the business.” Explain what is wrong with the sentence.
Answer
The sentence states a rule from memory, which must be checked on the official source, and it promises “fully protects”, which no concept guarantees. A careful version: “A patent may help protect a new invention, and the business should check the current rules with the official authority.”
If you got these wrong
Match each miss to a lesson and redo its worked example.
- Q1 and Q2: selecting resources for a business need.
- Q3 and Q4: maintenance and resource management.
- Q5 and Q6: comparing technology choices.
- Q7 and Q8: intellectual property concepts.
Record each miss in the mistake log. If you want a teacher to go through your answers, see online one-to-one Business tuition.