AquaTrail Kayaks (ATK) is a small family-owned business that hires kayaks to tourists, sells branded waterproof bags and provides guided river tours. During the peak season, customers have complained that kayaks are not ready at the booked time, some equipment is poorly maintained and online bookings sometimes overlap. ATK’s marketing manager wants to spend more on social media promotion to attract visitors. The finance manager argues that ATK should first appoint an operations manager to redesign the booking system, maintenance schedule, staff rota and stock control for accessories. The owner is unsure whether operations management is important enough to justify the extra salary cost.

Mosaic Bites (MB) prepares vegan lunch bowls in a rented city kitchen and delivers them to office workers. MB’s brand is based on fresh ingredients, personalized toppings and ethical local suppliers. Demand has increased, but delivery times are inconsistent and food waste is high. The operations supervisor proposes reducing the menu from 18 bowls to 6, preparing ingredients in larger quantities early each morning and using cheaper non-local suppliers. This should reduce labour time, waste and ingredient costs. The marketing manager is worried that MB may lose customers who value choice, freshness and its ethical image.

SparkStitch (SS) is a small service business that alters school uniforms for parents. SS currently accepts walk-in customers at one shop. The operations manager is considering a new operations system: customers would book online, uniforms would be collected from three schools twice per week, and completed work would be returned by van. SS would need to train staff and change its scheduling system.

Selected weekly data are shown below. Show all your working if calculations are used in your answer.

TerraBite Kitchens (TBK) prepares packaged salads for office workers. TBK currently uses disposable plastic bowls. To make its operations more sustainable, TBK is considering buying reusable containers and installing a small washing line. The marketing manager believes customers will pay slightly more for a more sustainable product. Some employees are concerned that washing containers will add pressure during busy periods.

Selected weekly data are shown below. Show all your working if calculations are used in your answer.

The figures provided allow evaluation of weekly operating performance only. Purchase and installation costs for the reusable containers and washing line, washing-line capacity, maintenance, water use and busy-period staffing requirements are not provided. In your conclusion, identify how these missing data limit the decision.

RenewIT Works (RIW) collects used laptop computers from large businesses, refurbishes them and sells them at reduced prices to schools. RIW also provides maintenance support for the schools after purchase. Its mission is to reduce electronic waste and improve students’ access to technology. Demand is rising, but RIW’s operations are under pressure: some donated laptops arrive damaged, spare parts are difficult to source and school customers complain about slow repairs. RIW’s operations director proposes investing in more sustainable operations, including reusable transport crates, improved testing of donated laptops, harvesting spare parts from unusable devices, more staff training and a supplier code of conduct. These changes would increase short-term costs and may slow deliveries during implementation.

RapidLab Diagnostics (RLD) is a private medical testing laboratory. RLD's operations managers are considering introducing an automated sample-sorting system. The system would scan, sort and route blood samples to the correct testing stations. RLD currently sorts samples manually. A large hospital has offered RLD a contract if the new system can be operating within 12 weeks. The project manager has prepared activity data for a Gantt chart.

Selected project data are shown below.

Selected operational and financial data are shown below. Show all your working if calculations are used in your answer.

BridgeByte (BB)

Read the resources and answer the questions that follow.

Resource 1 — Background of the social enterprise

BridgeByte (BB) is a social enterprise that collects donated laptops from large businesses, refurbishes them and sells them at very low prices to schools serving low-income families. BB also provides online support sessions for students using the devices. BB's mission is “to turn unused technology into access to learning”.

BB's operations transform donated laptops, replacement parts, volunteer labour, technical knowledge and information from schools into reliable devices and support services. Demand has increased rapidly after several education charities recommended BB. However, the operations manager is concerned that BB's current central workshop is no longer suitable. Some laptops wait several weeks before inspection, and recent quality problems have increased the number of returned devices.

Resource 2 — Table 1: Selected operational and financial information

Resource 3 — Social-media statistic

A short video showing students receiving BB laptops was viewed 1.8 million times in one week. BB received many offers of donated laptops, but also many public comments asking why some schools were still waiting.

Resource 4 — Quotation from BB's operations manager

“Marketing promises that every child can be connected within a month, but our operations cannot inspect batteries and install software quickly enough. We need to decide whether to expand the central workshop, train community repair partners, or reduce the range of laptop models we accept.”

Resource 5 — Possible operational changes being considered

BB is considering investing in automated diagnostic equipment, introducing stricter rules about the condition of donated laptops, and training local community organizations to complete simple refurbishment tasks.

NourishLoop (NL)

Read the resources and answer the questions that follow.

Resource 1 — Background of the social enterprise

NourishLoop (NL) collects surplus ingredients from supermarkets and restaurants and transforms them into low-cost frozen meals for older people and families experiencing food insecurity. NL operates as a social enterprise: it aims to reduce food waste while improving access to nutritious meals. Its outputs include physical frozen meals, home delivery and nutrition advice delivered by volunteers.

NL's operations are becoming more complex. It must collect unpredictable food donations, prepare safe meals, manage freezer capacity and deliver orders on time. A local government agency has offered NL a three-year contract to provide meals to community centres, but the contract would require more consistent output and stricter delivery times.

Resource 2 — Table 1: Selected weekly operations data

Resource 3 — Social-media statistic

NL has 86 000 followers on its main social-media account. Posts about reducing food waste receive high engagement, but posts about late deliveries receive negative comments from service users' relatives.

Resource 4 — Quotation from a volunteer driver

“The mission motivates us, but the schedule changes every day. Sometimes meals are not ready when drivers arrive, and sometimes we are asked to deliver more meals than can fit in one van route.”

Resource 5 — Operational options being considered

NL is considering an online scheduling system, a second rented kitchen, a refrigerated van, and clearer rules about which donated ingredients can be accepted for meal production.

ThreadCycle Collective (TCC)

Read the resources and answer the questions that follow.

Resource 1 — Background of the social enterprise

ThreadCycle Collective (TCC) is a social enterprise that collects textile waste from fashion retailers, transforms usable textiles into school uniforms and tote bags, and runs repair workshops for low-income communities. Its purpose is to reduce landfill waste and provide affordable clothing while offering paid training to unemployed young adults.

TCC has developed a creative production process: volunteers sort donated textiles by fibre type and condition, trainees cut usable fabric panels, and skilled supervisors assemble products. TCC also runs weekend repair workshops, teaching customers how to extend the life of clothing. A national charity has asked TCC to supply uniforms for 60 community schools, which would greatly increase demand for the physical products and reduce the time available for repair workshops.

Resource 2 — Table 1: Selected information for TCC

Resource 3 — Social-media statistic

TCC's most shared social-media post was a video showing trainees turning discarded fabric into uniforms. It received 640 000 views and led to several retailers offering more textile waste than TCC can currently store.

Resource 4 — Quotation from TCC's founder

“We are not just making uniforms. We are changing how people think about waste, work and clothing. But if we become too focused on large orders, we may lose the community workshops that make us different.”

Resource 5 — Operational choices being considered

TCC is considering leasing a larger workshop, buying semi-automated sewing machines, limiting the types of donated textiles it accepts, and creating a separate team for repair workshops.