We have currently been covering Managing Change Effectively in class. How this will be questioned in the 2008 HSC is unknown but below you will find a classic question from the 2004 paper that blends effective change management with marketing strategies and emplyoment relations. This is an effective way for examiners to measure your learning in this partiicular area.

You are advised to read over this question and to see how you would approach answering this question. Note that this question tests your knowledge from 3 separate topic areas. Whilst we haven’t done much on Employment Relations yet you may still recall enough on the Marketing Strategies we did in Year 11 to answer that part of the question as well.

Answer the question in a writing booklet. Extra writing booklets are available.

In your answer you will be assessed on how well you:

¦ use your knowledge and the information provided
¦ communicate using relevant business terminology and concepts
¦ present a logical, well-structured answer to the question in the form of a business report
Question 26 (20 marks)

Business Basic Phone Company is a retailer of mobile phones. Most of its products have
been sold to customers 25 years of age and over, mainly for business purposes. Its product range, promotion and pricing strategies are tailored to appeal to business organisations.

Business Basic Phone Company has retail outlets in major shopping centres. Customers
need to come to the shop to purchase products and pay accounts. Its employees are mainly  permanent, working 9.00 am–5.00 pm, with some casual staff employed on weekends and  for late-night trading on Thursdays.

In recent years there has been:

• increasing competition in the mobile phone market;
• changes in the type of consumers buying mobile phones;
• changing expectations for mobile phone products and services; and
• changing retailing methods, such as web-based marketing of mobile phones.
These changes have forced Business Basic Phone Company to seek the advice of a
consultant about the directions the business needs to take if it is to remain competitive.

You have been engaged as a consultant by the managing director of Business Basic Phone
Company to prepare a report for the Board.

In your report: propose a marketing strategy that would enable the business to expand its market share; explain the impact of this new strategy on effective employment relations; and recommend strategies for managing this change effectively.

The Marking guidelines given to examiners for this question were as follows;

MARKING GUIDELINES
Criteria Marks for an A response (17-20 out of 20)
• Presents a sustained, logical and well-structured business report and clearly communicates using features of a business report with appropriate business terminology and concepts.
• Puts forward for consideration an appropriate marketing strategy that would enable the business to expand its market share
• Relates cause and effect of the impact of the marketing strategy on effective employment relations
• Provides detailed reasons in favour of strategies for managing the change effectively