Explain vs analyse
Explain
Explain questions (3 marks) only appear in Section A of the paper, which is not based on any case study material. Therefore answers to Explain questions do not require any application or contextualisation.
In a 3 mark explain question, state a drawback/advantage/benefit and provide two logical linked strands. Make sure the answer is not vague however, and does in fact answer the set question. It is often useful to write three separate sentences when doing this rather than condensing an answer into two sentences.
- make a point
- give a reason why (often given as âbecauseâ)
- state the consequence (positive or negative) for the business
Examples of explain questions include:
Question
Explain one benefit to businesses of conducting market research.
A benefit of conducting market research is that a business can make more informed decisions. This will lead to the business developing more products that customers want and therefore having more sales.
Question
Explain one benefit to DJâs Chocolate Manufacturing of using a market map.
A market map would allow DJâs Chocolate Manufacturing to spot a gap in the market. This would lead to the business developing chocolates that would fill the gap, such as a high-quality, low-priced chocolate. Therefore, the chocolate manufacturer would have a competitive advantage through a unique selling point (USP).
Question
Explain a benefit of creating a cash flow forecast.
A cash flow forecast can be shown to a bank when applying for a loan. This would lead to a business being able to access additional finance. Therefore, the business would be able to expand or purchase more stock.
Analyse
Analyse questions (6 marks) require considering the benefits and/or drawbacks of the concept identified in the question. These questions always require application to the given case study. There should ideally be five linked strands of development from one or two points which must have application throughout.
Examples of analyse questions include:
Question
Analyse the impact of Yannaâs Bikes using the internet as a form of promotion.
Using the internet to promote a bike sales business could allow Yannaâs Bikes to access more customers. This would lead to increased awareness of the business among people looking to purchase bikes or cycling accessories, therefore potentially increasing sales and revenue for the business. However, using the internet to promote a bike sales business could also increase costs. This would lead to the business having less money available to spend on other forms of promotion, such as leaflets and billboards local to the cycling shop. This could therefore reduce the impact of promotion in the local area.
Question
Analyse the impact of competitors on Sarmaâs CafĂ©.
Competitors could mean that Sarmaâs CafĂ© needs to provide high-quality coffees and cakes for customers to purchase. This would lead to the cafĂ© having a competitive advantage over other cafĂ©s in the local area, therefore increasing sales of exotic coffees and cakes for the cafĂ© business.
Competitors would also mean that Sarmaâs CafĂ© needed to offer excellent customer service, such as checking that customers are happy and dealing with any issues as they arise. This would lead to the cafĂ© getting better reviews and therefore more chance of gaining customers who are interested in purchasing exotic coffees, cakes and other baked goods.
Question
Analyse the benefits to Mateâs Bakery of globalisation.
Globalisation would allow Mateâs Bakery to imports goods such as flour, flavourings and eggs from abroad. This would lead to the business being able to source a wider variety of ethical bakery ingredients at a cheaper price from Fairtrade suppliers, therefore increasing its potential to grow as a business in the baked goods industry.
Globalisation would also allow a business to sell its baked goods and services abroad. This would lead to a larger potential customer base for the business, therefore increasing its potential to make more than its ÂŁ85 million revenue and ÂŁ6.5 million profit.