Questions:
This examination is composed of two parts. Answer all questions.
PART I (50 Marks)
- Read the case carefully and complete the proposal by filling in the correct sentence NUMBERS. (Some parts of the proposal will have more than one sentence) Do not copy the sentences; do not add your own ideas.
Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza
1. Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza is a medium-sized chain of fast-food restaurants. Its branches are predominantly based in the north-west and Midlands of the United Kingdom and, until lately, this regional concentration and profile has enabled the chain to compete with the larger, international fast-food brands in these areas (many of whom have outlets near to a Zinn’s restaurant). 2. However, in recent years, many of Zinn’s restaurants have begun to struggle; they are losing both customers and staff. 3. The décor and furniture look tired, cooking equipment needs replacing; the menus require updating. As with all fast-food businesses, the chain’s sales have been threatened by the recent trend towards ‘healthy eating’ and concerns over the environmental impact of the fast-food sector. 5. The recent recession has boosted sales slightly as customers look for cheap opportunities to eat out. 6. Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza should move to healthy combination of meals along with healthy drinks that needs careful planning with the help of food dieticians. 7. Various contests like ‘the happy family moments’, ‘coast to coast’, ‘Full of care’ are to be introduced. 8. Direct marketing as the term suggests, is a method of directly marketing to your consumers by means such as telephone marketing, Online marketing, E-mail based marketing, etc. which Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza needs to tap especially now. 9. The working hours and pay scale of the staff must undergo revision. 10. Lugo furniture manufacturers, situated in Midlands, use the extremely attractive Candi Tube Collections that attracts all ages. The company has quoted very reasonable charges for refurnishing. 11. By introducing the contests there will be a boost in sales and market share by creating an awareness of the brand and instilling it in the minds of the consumers. 12. The telephone, online marketing that offers direct information to the consumers on their diverse products and services will giving the consumers sufficient knowledge about the products and deals of Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza. 13. Good décor and furniture attract the eyes naturally. And the rule goes if the staff is happy, the customers are also happy. 14. There is threat that Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza may be labelled as JUNK FOOD SUPPLIERS and POOR SERVICE PROVIDERS, if changes are not made. 15. No business wants to close down because customers do not trust.
| Category | Sentence Number |
| Analysis of the problem: | |
| The Reasons: | |
| Proposed Solutions: | |
| Benefits of the proposed solutions: | |
| Risk to the organisation if the proposed changes are not made: |
- Read the sentences below and decide the function of each sentence by specifying which states a claim and which states a support. Fill your answers in the blank boxes.
| Sentence | Function |
| Belgrade, as a tourism destination, is not competitive in terms of walking tours around the city compared to other major Serbian destinations. | |
| This is due to the undeveloped infrastructure around green areas (Maksin, 2011). | |
| As a post-industrial city, Belgrade lacks revitalization, which makes it less competitive. | |
| So, a holistic economic approach that takes into account human and environmental needs may help change the situation (World Tourism Organization, 2011). |
PART II (50 marks)
In well written essay of around 300 words, answer the following question.
Team working is one of the core skills for employability. According to Schein (1980), teams form for both functional and psychological reasons. Write an essay discussing the functional and psychological reasons according to Schein theory. (This question will test your essay writing and paraphrasing skills.)
Answer:
- Read the case carefully and complete the proposal by filling in the correct sentence NUMBERS. (Some parts of the proposal will have more than one sentence) Do not copy the sentences; do not add your own ideas.
Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza
1. Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza is a medium-sized chain of fast-food restaurants. Its branches are predominantly based in the north-west and Midlands of the United Kingdom and, until lately, this regional concentration and profile has enabled the chain to compete with the larger, international fast-food brands in these areas (many of whom have outlets near to a Zinn’s restaurant). 2. However, in recent years, many of Zinn’s restaurants have begun to struggle; they are losing both customers and staff. 3. The décor and furniture look tired, cooking equipment needs replacing; the menus require updating. As with all fast-food businesses, the chain’s sales have been threatened by the recent trend towards ‘healthy eating’ and concerns over the environmental impact of the fast-food sector. 5. The recent recession has boosted sales slightly as customers look for cheap opportunities to eat out. 6. Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza should move to healthy combination of meals along with healthy drinks that needs careful planning with the help of food dieticians. 7. Various contests like ‘the happy family moments’, ‘coast to coast’, ‘Full of care’ are to be introduced. 8. Direct marketing as the term suggests, is a method of directly marketing to your consumers by means such as telephone marketing, Online marketing, E-mail based marketing, etc. which Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza needs to tap especially now. 9. The working hours and pay scale of the staff must undergo revision. 10. Lugo furniture manufacturers, situated in Midlands, use the extremely attractive Candi Tube Collections that attracts all ages. The company has quoted very reasonable charges for refurnishing. 11. By introducing the contests there will be a boost in sales and market share by creating an awareness of the brand and instilling it in the minds of the consumers. 12. The telephone, online marketing that offers direct information to the consumers on their diverse products and services will giving the consumers sufficient knowledge about the products and deals of Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza. 13. Good décor and furniture attract the eyes naturally. And the rule goes if the staff is happy, the customers are also happy. 14. There is threat that Zinn’s Burgers and Pizza may be labelled as JUNK FOOD SUPPLIERS and POOR SERVICE PROVIDERS, if changes are not made. 15. No business wants to close down because customers do not trust.
| Category | Sentence Number |
| Analysis of the problem: | 5 |
| The Reasons: | 3 |
| Proposed Solutions: | 6,8,9 |
| Benefits of the proposed solutions: | 11, 12, 13 |
| Risk to the organisation if the proposed changes are not made: | 14 |
- Read the sentences below and decide the function of each sentence by specifying which states a claim and which states a support. Fill your answers in the blank boxes.
| Sentence | Function |
| Belgrade, as a tourism destination, is not competitive in terms of walking tours around the city compared to other major Serbian destinations. | The function of this sentence is to claim the fact that Belgrade is not very competitive when it comes to walking tour. This is considered to be a claim. |
| This is due to the undeveloped infrastructure around green areas (Maksin, 2011). | This sentence is supported by the research which makes the sentence a support. |
| As a post-industrial city, Belgrade lacks revitalization, which makes it less competitive. | This sentence is claim as it provides information about how Belgrade lacks the revitalization. |
| So, a holistic economic approach that takes into account human and environmental needs may help change the situation (World Tourism Organization, 2011). | This sentence states that this support as it is supported by the WTO. |
PART II (50 marks)
In well written essay of around 300 words, answer the following question.
- Team working is one of the core skills for employability. According to Schein (1980), teams form for both functional and psychological reasons. Write an essay discussing the functional and psychological reasons according to Schein theory. (This question will test your essay writing and paraphrasing skills.)
Teamwork is considered to be one of the most important skills which is required for employability in recent times. According to the theory proposed by eminent scholar, Schein, culture of an organization is one of the most important and primary aspects which influences the behaviour of the people. The theory clearly states that there are three levels of culture in the organization, the artifacts, the espoused values and the basic assumptions.
Aligning this theory with the formation of teams, it can be seen that there are many psychological and functional reasons which lead to effective team formation. The artifacts focuses on the surface culture like clothes, languages, traditions, technology and many more. It can be seen that this plays a huge role in the formation of a team. For example, the firefighters are seen to have a certain dress code and use the same equipments which paves way for them to formulate a team which works in an efficient manner in their field.
More than the functional reasons, there are many psychological reasons which help in the formation of teams in an organization. The espoused values reflect on aspects like philosophies, strategies and many more. According to scholars, people tend to bond especially when they have the same philosophies and support similar strategies which is essential for effective teamwork (Stancu et al 2020). This is considered to be one of the reasons which has been helping in team building. The other aspect that has been discussed in the theory is the fact basic assumptions which reflects on the values and beliefs which form the base of the culture and has an impact on every activity. For example, there are many assumptions which are common to many people like every team should have proper communication in order to maintain clarity and ensure the fruitful operations of the workplace. These assumptions together often help in formulating an effective and an efficient team.
References
Stancu, A., Ariccio, S., De Dominicis, S., Cancellieri, U.G., Petruccelli, I., Ilin, C. and Bonaiuto, M., 2020. The better the bond, the better we cope. The effects of place attachment intensity and place attachment styles on the link between perception of risk and emotional and behavioral coping. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 51, p.101771.
Zeyada, M., 2018. Organizational culture and its impact on organizational citizenship behavior. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 8(3), pp.418-429.
