Core A - Mock practice exam 2 (2023)

 Core A – Mock practice exam 2 (2023) 

 

Section A: Business context and culture 

1. Business to consumer (B2C) 

2. One mitigation technique is implementing DSE policies in the workplace. 

3. One way digital technology could impact the company’s culture is less face-to-face communication. With digital technology, employees are able to communicate virtually with online meeting software therefore decreasing face-to-face communication which could make employees feel more isolated. 

4. a) A digital footprint is everything a person does on the internet, which leaves a trace of activity to them. Survaillance is the monitoring or watching of people and their actions online. 

b) By addressing the group’s concerns with surveillance, the company can ensure the user’s privacy is being respected and they are only collecting the necessary data required for the smart devices. This will help the users feel their data is more private and secure. 

5. a) Specific and time bound. 

b) By setting time bound objectives, the company can ensure that their objectives are realistic with time constraints. This can help employees feel more motivated to hit the targets as the objectives feel more achievable, which will lead to greater productivity and a higher chance of the product being on time and successfully launched. 

6. Security risks could affect the new online classroom platform as cyber-attacks could be launched against the platform. For example, a hacker might launch a denial-of-service attack against the online classroom platform leading unreliable sessions and even operational downtime. This loss of productivity could cause the business to lose clients and gain a bad reputation leading to them becoming less competitive in the market.  

7. Sustainability must be considered when planning the new growth strategy as the business should strive to use sustainable processes and materials in the long-term. This use of sustainable practices will give the business a better reputation to eco-considerate clients and businesses, attracting a larger customer base and promoting growth. A reduction in the business’s carbon footprint should also be considered when planning the new growth strategy. By using power efficient components, they are being more environmentally aware and outputting less carbon emissions as a third-party organisation. Doing so will improve the business’s reputation and reduce their costs of operations in the long-term, therefore allowing them to grow quicker and more efficiently. 

8. Non-compliance could impact Tanveer’s business due to the legal factors associated with data protection violations. The Data Protection Act 2018 allows for fines and other punishments to be given to businesses who demonstrate non-compliance and a lack of consideration for sensitive customer information. If Tanveer’s online store is found to be in non-compliant terms with GDPR and data protection regulations, he could face fines and even imprisonment leading to economic and reputational damage to the business. 

9. It is important for the company to understand customer and end user needs as it allows them to create a more realistic project plan. By understanding the end user needs, the business can introduce SMARTER (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound, evaluate, re-evaluate) objectives which can help motivate the project team and help them to understand the project better. When the project team have an improved understanding of the project, it is more likely to be successful and closer to the end user’s requirements. The business should also fully understand the needs of the end user as to avoid scope creep. Scope creep is a process where the scope of the project is altered usually to incorporate extra features which were not fully discussed and communicated with the project team. Scope creep can lead to demotivation for the project team and can also lead to delays on the project deadline as there are now more requirements to fulfil. By fully understanding the end user’s needs beforehand, the company can ensure that the scope is fully set to avoid delays and other negative impacts. This is why it is important for the business to understand customer and end user needs as it allows them to create a better project plan which is more likely to produce a successful project. 

10. There are several factors that could influence the business environment of BuildSkills UK. The managing director must ensure these factors are fully understood to create a more realistic and successful 10-year business plan. 

One factor that could influence the business environment is technological factors. For example, technology is becoming more readily available and accessible for individuals not in education, employment or training (NEET). This increase is digital availability for NEET individuals may cause them to seek out training opportunities as the benefits of digital technology are being promoted more in society. An increased volume of people will see how technology can impact their day-to-day lives and how society is becoming reliant on these devices. This growth in digital access will bring more people to BuildSkills UK to seek training opportunities which will cause growth for business. This is why the managing director should consider technological factors to create a more successful 10-year business plan. 

Another factor that could influence the business environment is political factors. For example, governments are concerned about the digital divide in society and want to reduce it as much as possible. NEET individuals with a lack of digital training are less likely to access job opportunities and are more digitally discriminated. To reduce this, the government could introduce economical grant programmes which can be given to businesses such as BuildSkills UK to help reduce the digital divide and the impacts it brings to non-technical people. Buildskills UK could use these grants for new equipment, staff and growth which is something the managing director should consider when planning a successful 10-year business plan. 

Another factor that could influence the business environment is social factors. For example, an increase in downward social mobility could cause more people to become not in education, employment or training. This means there will be more people in the local communities and nationally who BuildSkills UK can offer training to. This increase in clients will cause the company to require larger training spaces, more equipment and more staff which would cost the company over time. The managing director must consider this factor when planning the 10-year business plan as it is essential for managing expenses and growth in the long term and mitigating risks with an increased volume of trainees. 

In conclusion the managing director must consider these factors as they could greatly influence the business environment leading to BuildSkills UK gaining the opportunity to grow and expand, becoming a more recognised and reputable brand. 

 

Section B: Diversity, inclusion and digital environments 

11. The individual is less likely to be able to access job opportunities online. 

12. Local area network and wide area network. 

13. A) Natalia could upgrade key network infrastructure to increase the speed of the systems her employees use. She could also research an implement a cloud service solution such as platform as a service (PaaS) which will be faster, more efficient and will require less management. 

b) By upgrading the network infrastructure of the current solution, she could introduce more efficient and faster components which will be able to handle traffic more efficiently. This will lead to a more resilient digital environment as the systems will become faster and quicker to use, increasing productivity for the employees. 

14. Increased diversity and inclusion within the workforce could make products more innovative as new ideas can be brought into the business. For example, someone from a different culture or who has had different experiences can bring in new ideas to improve products, making them more innovative and unique in the market. It can also make products more inclusive as a more diverse workforce can promote collaboration and help to understand accessibility requirements that need to be built into the product making them more inclusive.  

15. By addressing inclusive recruitment, Muhammed can help hiring managers address demographic imbalance in the digital sector. For example, by promoting inclusive recruitment, it reduces discrimination that could occur in the hiring process for new employees which could lead to a demographical imbalance. Being more aware of inclusive recruitment could make the hiring managers more likely to be fair and inclusive when making hiring decisions. Muhammed can also address government initiatives which can be given to businesses who promote inclusive recruitment programmes. Hiring managers will be more likely to help with reducing demographic imbalance within the digital sector as the have initiatives from the government to implement inclusive recruitment. 

16. By using software as a service (SaaS) the college can improve the accessibility of its learning materials as students can access them anytime, anywhere. For example, cloud solutions such as SaaS will allow students to access learning materials from home or on a mobile device which can allow them to remain productive and revise using reliable learning resources. SaaS allows the students greater flexibility and access to learning resources outside of the college. 

17. a) Open shortest path first (OSPF) 

b) OSPF can be used in the conference centre to enable efficient packet routing between devices on the centre’s network. OSPF is much more efficient than traditional routing protocols like RIP as it pre-calculates the best route for the data to travel allowing for faster communication speeds. This will allow businesses to collaborate more effectively and allows the network to become more efficient and reliable. 

18. Considering Marco’s needs, Microsoft Windows is the most suitable OS for his laptop. This is because he requires a laptop with good software compatibility so he can share resources with clients. Microsoft Windows is the most common operating system and has the best compatibility with software. It is also compatible with adobe suite which is a very common software for graphic designers and video/image editors. 

19. Digital inclusion is important when developing this product as it increases accessibility for the product. For example, digital accessibility should be considered when developing new products to make them accessible for people with needs and requirements such as transcription features for deaf individuals or language translation technology for non-English speakers. Introducing digital inclusion principles can give the business a better reputation and make the project more successful as it addresses accessibility requirements for the group. 

20. VirtualNet UK Ltd will benefit from improving the resilience in their digital environment. By introducing new hardware, software and digital policies they can ensure that client’s concerns are addressed effectively, and they can improve their reputation following the recent data outage incident. 

One benefit of improved resilience in their digital environment is less risk of operational downtime. For example, in the recent outage incident that occurred, VirtualNet UK Ltd’s clients complained that systems were taken down which led to less productivity for the customers and affected downtime. By improving the resilience in their digital environment, VirtualNet can reduce the risk of downtime by implementing backup systems so when one is affected, clients can be switched to the backup system and downtime can be avoided for them. This will increase the business’s reputation as clients will be more likely to trust hosting with VirtualNet in the future as their hosted applications will be less likely to experience operational downtime. 

Another benefit of improved resilience in their digital environment is increased security. For example, by implementing better security practices and measures, VirtualNet can ensure that client’s data is secure from breaches. In the recent outage incident, VirtualNet’s clients complained about security concerns they had for sensitive data that was being held in the data centre. By improving the resilience in their security systems, VirtualNet can earn the trust back of the customers as they will now be more confident that important data is secured efficiently and properly. Increased security measures will also help VirtualNet avoid fines for being non-compliant with GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 and will also improve their reputation among clients and potential customers. 

Another benefit of improved resilience in their digital environment is less risk of data loss. For example, by introducing data backup systems, VirtualNet can ensure its client’s data is protected from loss if an incident would occur. By improving the backup process, the company can ensure that client’s data is properly backed up efficiently and securely. This would improve the company’s reputation as it proves their commitment to data security for their clients which builds trust in the business-to-business relationship in which they operate. It also means that clients feel more comfortable hosting with VirtualNet as they feel their data is backed up and secured from loss. 

In conclusion, improving the resilience in VirtualNet’s digital environment will help the business to recover their reputation following the outage incident which lead to customer complaints. Clients will also feel more comfortable hosting applications with VirtualNet as they can ensure that data is being backed up and stored securely. 

 

Section C: Learning and planning 

21. Author of the source, date the source was written. 

22. Roma should check the origin of the source to ensure there is no bias included in the information. She could also research the qualifications of the author and research the source is based on to ensure its accuracy and validity. 

23. a) The project could be delayed. The project may run over budget.  

b) If the software development project is delayed, potential customers may look for alternative solutions instead. This will lead to a loss of reputation and revenue for Jack and his project will be less competitive against similar software. 

24. A) Mia should make sure her aims and objectives are relevant to the project. She should also consider end user needs when identifying her aims and objectives. 

b) Mia can use her end user’s needs to understand the aims and objectives of the project. For example, she can fully understand the project’s final requirements and plan her aims to in keep with the needs of the end user. 

25. A) Chloe could use wearable IoT devices like a smart watch and home automation like Amazon Alexa or Google Home (AI devices). 

b) By using a wearable IoT device like a smart watch, she can track her fitness routine and set goals for herself to complete. This will help Chloe to manage and improve her fitness more effectively. 

26. By achieving accreditation to professional disciplines, students will be more prepared and presentable in a professional work environment. This will help them in job interviews and working within a team environment as they are able to communicate more effectively and be more productive when working. This can impact their career as they are more likely to get better job opportunities and benefits such as pay increases. 

27. By using the might have, should have, could have, would have method (MoSCoW) the college can prioritise the requirements for the project based off the urgency surrounding them. Key requirements can be identified and compared to understand the priority and importance in a minimum working solution. This will help the project team be more focused and deliver a working solution before the deadline. 

 

TIME CONSTRAINT: 2 HOURS 

FINISHED IN: 1 HOUR, 48 MINUTES