IB Business Management HL 6.1.10 Gantt chart Question Bank
Practise IB Business Management HL 6.1.10 by applying gantt chart concepts to exam-style questions.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2024
- Course
- Business management HL
- Level
- HL
Exam points
- identify the relevant model, concept or evidence
- apply the correct subject framework to the question
- evaluate the result using clear evidence and subject terminology
6.1.10 (HL)—Gantt chart question 1
[Maximum number: 4]
Dean West Tutoring (DWT)
Dean West was an International Baccalaureate (IB) business management teacher in a developing country (country X). He also offered private tuition to students in need of additional support. Five years ago, he decided to leave teaching and set up Dean West Tutoring (DWT).
DWT has grown in the last five years and now employs ten tutors offering face-to-face tuition in a range of IB subjects. The tutors work part-time. DWT takes a percentage of the fees that students pay for the tutoring. To establish positive branding for DWT, Dean expects all tutors to follow a strict code of conduct. He also reviews each tutor's performance and student feedback every week. Some tutors are feeling demotivated.
With the worldwide growth of online learning in the last few years, Dean saw an opportunity to expand DWT. He discovered a large market in Asia, particularly in China. Online one-to
one tuition in Asia is charged at an hourly rate that is three times higher than that usually charged in country X. DWT would need to hire agents in Asia to find potential students who want to learn online.
As the new school year is starting soon in China, Dean will need to act quickly. He is considering drawing up a Gantt chart to assist his planning.
However, DWT's existing tutors are concerned about the expansion due to their lack of experience and equipment for online tutoring.
Dean is now considering two options to ensure that D W T has enough suitable tutors for expansion to online tuition:
- Option 1: Offer training and support to the existing tutors.
- Option 2: Recruit new tutors from anywhere in the world with online teaching experience.
Explain one advantage and one disadvantage for Dean of drawing a Gantt chart to assist his planning for the expansion to online tuition.
A Gantt chart is a diagram in which a series of horizontal lines shows the amount of work done or production completed in certain periods of time in relation to the amount planned for those periods. As a planning tool it helps to allocate individual activities in a project and to show how long each should take and the order with which they should be completed.
By drawing up the Gantt chart he could have a clear idea of what he needs to achieve in the time available.
Advantages:
- Gantt chart could help Dean to have a clear picture of the overall project and of the current progress of tasks. The chart will allow him to consider each task that needs to be completed. For example, he will need to contact the agents in Asia and either recruit new tutors, train the existing tutors (or both). He might need to source IT equipment etc.
- A Gantt chart could help Dean to work out the duration of each task and decide what is needed to be done and in what order. This should reduce the wasted time in both planning and execution of the plan. This is important as with the new school year starting in China, Dean will need to act quickly.
- Helps to assess any potential problems and even determine whether the plan of delivering online tuition is ultimately viable in the short timescale to meet the beginning of the new school year in China.
Disadvantages:
- The Gantt chart may become very complex. Dean is completely new to the venture of online tuition he is embarking on with DWT. The chart could be very difficult to draw up given Dean may not necessarily identify ALL the specific tasks required.
- Working effectively, a Gantt chart often needs to be updated. A key issue for Dean may well be the costs involved in online tuition delivery. Gantt charts rarely include costs as a variable (based on mainly qualitative data).
- Dean is probably not experienced in drawing up Gantt charts. He may spend too much time on the chart rather than getting on with the actual tasks. Dean must act fast due to the imminent start of the new school year in China. He needs to have DWT ready to access the markets in Asia and there is much to plan.
Accept any other relevant advantage / disadvantage. The key here is application for full marks.
Accept application of advantages/disadvantages in relation to the actual processes carried out by Dean. e.g. identifying the sequence in the recruitment steps, which can or cannot be carried out simultaneously.
Mark as [2] + [2].
Award [1] for each correct advantage / disadvantage identified and [1] for a relevant explanation with application to DWT. Award up to a maximum of [2].
[2] cannot be awarded per advantage / disadvantage if the response lacks either explanation and / or application.
For example:
For an identification or a description of an advantage/disadvantage with or without application [1].
For explanation of an advantage/disadvantage with no application [1].
For explanation of an advantage/disadvantage and application [2].
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