HSC Business Studies case studies
HSC Business Studies · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The HSC Business Studies course is a two-year NSW senior secondary subject that culminates in a public external examination marked against statewide standards. It suits students who want to understand how organisations decide what to produce, how to sell it, how to fund it, and how to staff it, and it also serves as a foundation for university study in commerce, management or economics. The syllabus is organised into four equally weighted areas: operations, marketing, finance and human resources, each examined through a business case-study lens rather than pure theory recall. Assessment rewards students who can apply concepts to real or hypothetical firms, interpret financial and non-financial data, and evaluate trade-offs. The HSC Business Studies case studies are 5 cases and about 2,379 words.
1The Doughnut Line That Cannot Keep Up
A regional bakery produces 4,000 doughnuts per 8-hour shift on a single line. Demand has risen to 5,200 per day, and the owner is weighing two options.
478 words, about 2 min2Repositioning a Brand That Built Its Name on Cheap
A footwear brand has sold through discount retailers for 12 years at an average price of 45, with a gross margin of 22%. Management wants to move upmarket: raise the price to 89, sell through 40 selected boutique stockists, and run a $600,000 national campaign featuring a sponsored athlete.
464 words, about 2 min3Growth Without the Cash to Fund It
A wholesale supplier has 8.4m in annual sales and a net profit margin of 4%. It is growing at 30% per year because two new retail customers have doubled their orders.
463 words, about 2 min4The Supervisor Everyone Leaves
A logistics depot employs 140 staff across three shifts. Voluntary turnover among warehouse staff is 34% per year, against an industry benchmark of 18%.
508 words, about 3 min5Automating a Line With People on It
A manufacturer of garden furniture employs 60 production staff assembling chairs by hand. Each worker produces 12 chairs per day at a labour cost of 210 per day.
466 words, about 2 min