MATH 1053 — Quantitative Methods for Business
Case Study Part A (SP2 2025)
DUE by 11:00pm, Friday 4 April
Submission instructions:
· This case study relates to the material in Weeks 0 to 3 and is worth 15% of your final grade. It is due no later than 11pm on Friday the 4th of April in Week 5.
· You will need to submit your assignment via learnonline. Feedback on your submission, will be provided to you via learnonline as well.
· This assignment must be completed using this template. You may change the visual style. including fonts and colours, add a company logo, add extra figures, tables, etc. as you see fit, however basic structure must remain unchanged. Working out must be shown in the Appendix and interpretation must be provided in the Report Body; refer to the instructions contained in this template.
· Analysis methods and interpretation of results must be consistent with course materials, which are more than sufficient to successfully complete this assessment task. Should you use any other sources (not required or expected), a reference must be provided.
· The file you submit needs to be in a pdf format, prepared using this template.
· Assignments submitted late, without an extension being granted, will attract a penalty of 10% of the maximum marks (that is, 10 marks) for each working day or any part thereof beyond the due date and time. Please refer to the Course Outline for the course policy regarding extensions.
· Failure to follow the template, not deleting text/pages as requested, photos of hand-written answers, poor communication or a messy layout will attract a penalty of up to 10 marks (10% of maximum marks available).
· Major components of the assignment are as follows:
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Assignment component
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Mark
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Business report
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30
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Appendices
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60
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Presentation
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10
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TOTAL
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100
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The J Spot
Baked with Love, Brewed to Perfection
For over 40 years, Dave’s Bakery has been a beloved family business, known for its wide selection of pies, pasties, pastries, cakes, and buns. Now, as owner Dave Gilmour steps into retirement at 66, he is passing the reins to his daughter, Jessie Gilmour, who has ambitious plans for the future.
Jessie aims to modernise and expand the business, starting with a rebrand—transforming Dave’s Bakery into a café called The J Spot. Her first step is to introduce freshly brewed espresso coffee, catering to the evolving tastes of the community. She also plans to extend operating hours to align with peak demand across six days a week.
With the neighbourhood changing and an influx of young professionals and families, Jessie sees an opportunity to blend heritage baking with modern café culture, ensuring The J Spot becomes a favourite destination for both longtime patrons and new visitors.
Anticipating this transition, Jessie encouraged her father to commission a market research study to assess local demand for coffee, including cappuccinos, lattes, and short blacks. Now, with valuable insights in hand, she is ready to make key financial decisions to drive the café’s success. While Dave is enthusiastic about Jessie’s vision, he also wants to be assured that she is making sound, strategic decisions to secure the future of the family business.
Perform. the necessary quantitative analyses and prepare a business report for Dave, where you describe your findings and make appropriate recommendations. Specifically, perform. the tasks outlined in this document and include FULL details of your working out in the Appendices. You will need to do the analysis and calculations that go in the appendices BEFORE you write your report. Read and understand this whole template before you begin.
Suggested assignment work timeline:
If you are not sure how to start the assignment, a suggested work breakdown schedule is below. Feel free to use it (or ignore it) as you like J
Some people like to complete each appendix and then write it up in the report, others prefer to complete all appendices first and then write up the report in one go. Do whichever suits you!
A suggested schedule to work through this assignment is as follows:
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Week
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Suggested tasks to be completed
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2
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· Download and read through the assignment instructions.
· Take the time to understand the structure of the submission template.
· Complete Appendix 1a and b.
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3
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· Continue working on Appendix 1.
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4
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· Finish Appendix 1 and complete Appendix 2.
· Start working on Appendix 3.
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5
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· Finish Appendix 3.
· Write the report and double-check that you have addressed all the requested points.
· Check the entire submission for completeness and adherence to the template, and submit J
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