To explain how a technology changes a process, describe the task before, the task after, and the effect on time, cost or quality. Then add one cost or limit. This skill appears in case questions where a firm buys a machine, adopts software or moves a task online.
It opens the module on technology, quality and sustainability and is the base for the trade-off lesson later in the set.
What does a good answer contain?
A weak answer names the technology and says it helps. A strong answer tells the story of one task.
Think of it as four parts: the task that changes, the before, the after, and the consequence. The consequence can be a saving in time or money, a change in quality, or a new cost. Strong answers include one of each kind when the case allows.
How do you build the answer, step by step?
- Pick the task. Choose the exact step that the technology touches, such as taking orders, cutting cloth or counting stock.
- State the before. Use the case figures: how long it took, how many people, what went wrong.
- State the after. Use the same units, so the comparison is fair.
- Calculate the change if numbers are given: time saved, cost saved or payback.
- Add a cost or limit: purchase price, running cost, training, or dependence on power and internet.
- Finish with a judgement that refers back to the firm.
Worked example
Roti Segar Sdn Bhd, a bakery in Seremban, takes about 40 orders a day by phone. Staff write each order in a book and then copy it onto a production sheet. This takes 6 minutes per order.
The owner considers an online ordering system. Customers type their own orders and the system prints the production sheet. Staff only check each order, which takes 2 minutes.
The software costs RM300 a month, and staff are paid RM12 an hour. The bakery operates 26 days a month.
Step 1, before: 40 orders × 6 minutes = 240 minutes, which is 4 hours a day.
Step 2, after: 40 orders × 2 minutes = 80 minutes a day.
Step 3, time saved: 240 − 80 = 160 minutes, which is 160 ÷ 60 = 2⅔ hours a day.
Step 4, money saved: 2⅔ hours × RM12 = RM32 a day. Over 26 days: 32 × 26 = RM832 a month.
Step 5, net of cost: RM832 − RM300 = RM532 a month, before any set-up or training cost.
Step 6, judgement: the system saves staff time and removes copying, which also removes copying errors. However, the case does not say whether customers will use it, so the saving depends on how many orders really move online.
Notice that every figure in the answer came from the case or from a calculation on it.
The mistake to watch for
A common slip is to praise the technology without describing any process.
Mistaken answer: “Online ordering is modern and efficient, so it will improve the bakery.”
Nothing here says which task changes, by how much, or what it costs.
The correction is to use the structure: Orders are copied by hand, taking 6 minutes each. With the system, staff only check, taking 2 minutes, so 160 minutes a day are freed. The software costs RM300 a month, which is lower than the RM832 saved.
Check yourself
Try these on paper, then open each answer.
1. A printing shop in Johor Bahru cuts paper by hand: 60 sheets take 15 minutes. A cutting machine does 60 sheets in 3 minutes. How many minutes are saved when 300 sheets are cut?
Show answer
300 ÷ 60 = 5 lots of 60 sheets. By hand: 5 × 15 = 75 minutes. By machine: 5 × 3 = 15 minutes. Saving: 75 − 15 = 60 minutes.
2. A machine costs RM9,000. It saves RM750 a month in labour and costs RM150 a month to run. How many months to recover the purchase price?
Show answer
Net saving: 750 − 150 = RM600 a month. Payback: 9,000 ÷ 600 = 15 months.
3. A tailor in Kuching starts using design software on a computer. Give one benefit and one drawback, each linked to the process.
Show answer
Many answers are possible. For example: benefit, a pattern can be saved and reused, so repeat orders need less drawing time. Drawback, the tailor must spend time learning the software and pay for the computer, and work stops if the computer breaks down.
Where this leads next
Once you can describe a process change, move on to distinguishing quality assurance from inspection, then try the mixed practice set. The cash versus profit bridge shows why buying a machine takes cash out at once, even though the benefit arrives over months. The ratios tool can help when a case gives profit and revenue.
Some students can describe technology in general but lose marks when the case wants a specific before-and-after. That is the kind of habit our teachers look for in online one-to-one Business tuition.