AQA A-Level Business: Understanding management, leadership and decision making (7132) – Practice Questions

These are original questions written for Marlbridge, for revision and practice on this content. They are not reproduced past-paper questions, and they do not replicate the exam’s exact structure, question count or mark tariffs – examination boards hold copyright in their own papers. Use these alongside the official past papers from your board or school.

These questions cover section 3.2.1, Understanding management, leadership and decision making, in the AQA AS and A-level Business specification (7131/7132), for A-level Business (7132). They mix short answer, calculation and short case-study questions. The teaching is in the study guide and the revision notes. The wider-topic practice paper is separate. Course links: the AQA A-level Business hub, the checklist and the free diagnostics.

Questions

Questions 1, 2, 4, 6 and 10 use the role of managers or the Blake Mouton grid. The current specification (version 2.0, June 2023) no longer lists either, and names only the Tannenbaum Schmidt continuum, so treat those questions as background practice.

1. State two of the five activities that make up the role of managers. [2]

2. Explain what is meant by “reviewing” as part of a manager’s role. [3]

3. At Lumen Quay Studios, an animation business, the studio head tells the animators: “The client’s trailer date is fixed. I have already decided the order of the scenes. I know some of you will want it differently, so here is why I chose it.” Identify the closest position on the Tannenbaum Schmidt continuum, using the standard seven-position form, and justify your answer. [3]

4. A depot manager at Westerlea Parcels sets hourly sorting targets, checks the figures every hour and rates her own concern for production at 8. She rarely asks staff about their problems and rates her concern for people at 2.

(a) State her position on the Blake Mouton grid and give the name of the nearest standard position. [2] (b) Describe how a manager at (1,9) would behave. [2]

5. Westerlea Parcels compares two depots. Replacing a leaver costs £3,200 at each.

Measure for the year	Depot A	Depot B
Average staff	40	45
Leavers	14	5
Parcels sorted	96,000	117,000
Parcels misdelivered	2,880	1,755

(a) Calculate labour turnover for each depot. [2] (b) Calculate parcels sorted per employee for each depot. [2] (c) Calculate how much more Depot A spent on replacing leavers than Depot B. [2]

6. Distinguish between the Tannenbaum Schmidt continuum and the Blake Mouton grid. [4]

7. Lumen Quay Studios has 18 staff, most of them experienced animators, and works to fixed client deadlines. Analyse two influences on the leadership style its studio head is likely to use. [6]

8. Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of a laissez-faire style for a team of experienced animators. [4]

9. Using the data in question 5 and the style of Depot A’s manager, analyse why her style may be less effective than the style used at Depot B. [6]

10. Lumen Quay Studios loses its largest client and must cut costs within a month. Evaluate whether a Blake Mouton (9,9) team management style is the most effective way to lead the studio through this period. [9]

11. The studio head at Lumen Quay Studios is leaving. The new head will manage 15 experienced animators and 3 juniors. Client deadlines are fixed, but the creative direction of each project is open. Justify a leadership style for the new head, using the Tannenbaum Schmidt continuum. [8]

Answers

1. Any two from: setting objectives, analysing, leading, making decisions, reviewing. One mark for each activity stated [1] [1]. [2] Examiner insight: A bare list of two named activities is all a “state” question needs; extra explanation earns nothing extra.

2. Reviewing means comparing results with the objectives that were set [1]. The manager asks why any gap arose, for example whether targets were unrealistic or the plan was poorly carried out [1]. The findings feed into the next round of objectives and decisions [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Answers that show reviewing as part of a cycle, linked to setting new objectives, tend to be more complete than one-line definitions.

3. The closest position is 2: the manager decides and then “sells” the decision [1]. The studio head has already chosen the scene order, so authority is held by the manager, and the animators did not decide [1]. The explanation of why shows an attempt to persuade rather than only to announce, which separates this from position 1 [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Naming a position without quoting the evidence that places it is usually thin; use a phrase from the stem.

4. (a) The position is (8,2) [1], nearest to the standard (9,1) “produce or perish” position [1]. (b) A (1,9) manager has high concern for people and little for output [1], so is friendly and supportive but sets few targets and applies little pressure for results [1]. [4] Examiner insight: State the pair in the order (production, people); a reversed pair describes a different manager.

5. (a) Depot A: 14 ÷ 40 × 100 = 35% [1]. Depot B: 5 ÷ 45 × 100 = 11.1% (to one decimal place) [1]. (b) Depot A: 96,000 ÷ 40 = 2,400 parcels [1]. Depot B: 117,000 ÷ 45 = 2,600 parcels [1]. (c) Depot A: 14 × £3,200 = £44,800. Depot B: 5 × £3,200 = £16,000 [1]. Difference = £28,800 [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Show the formula or the substitution as well as the answer, and label units (percent, parcels, pounds).

6. The continuum is a single line [1] showing how much authority the manager uses and how much freedom the team has when decisions are made [1]. The grid has two scales, each from 1 to 9 [1], measuring concern for production and concern for people to describe the manager’s orientation [1]. [4] Examiner insight: A distinction needs both sides compared; two definitions with no contrast are less convincing.

7. First influence: the nature of the task and its deadlines [1]. Client deadlines are fixed [1], so the head may need to give clear instructions at key points, pushing towards a more directive style [1]. Second influence: the skills and experience of the workforce [1]. Most of the 18 staff are experienced animators [1], so they can be trusted with decisions about their own work, which makes consultation or delegation more workable [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Analysis gains credit when each influence is traced through to its effect on style, not just named.

8. Advantage: experienced animators can use their own judgement without waiting for instructions [1], which can encourage creativity and speed up routine decisions [1]. Disadvantage: without direction, work can drift away from the client’s brief or from the deadline [1], and standards may become inconsistent between animators [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Tie the advantage and the disadvantage to the team in the stem; generic points about “freedom” are less secure.

9. Depot A’s manager is close to (9,1), focused on output with little concern for people [1]. Her depot has labour turnover of 35% against 11.1% at Depot B [1], so it spent £28,800 more replacing leavers and loses experience [1]. Depot A sorted 2,400 parcels per employee against 2,600, so higher pressure has not produced higher productivity [1]. Its misdelivery rate is 3% (2,880 ÷ 96,000) against 1.5% at B (1,755 ÷ 117,000) [1]. Together the evidence suggests the style may be costly in quality and staff retention, although other differences between depots could also explain the results [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Using several figures and then saying what they suggest tends to be stronger than quoting one number; a note on other causes shows judgement.

10. (9,9) combines high concern for production and for people to build commitment through shared goals [1]. For: the animators’ knowledge could produce cost savings and ideas, and shared goals may protect morale during job worries [2]. Against: team management takes time and skill to build, and a month is short [1]. A crisis may need fast, clear decisions on costs, which suggests a more directive position on the continuum for a time [1]. Staff worried about their jobs may withdraw if they are only told, so some involvement helps [1]. Context: experienced staff would expect to be told the facts and asked for ideas, so openness may be accepted [1]. Judgement: (9,9) is a sound aim, but not the most effective in the first weeks, when decisive leadership with open explanation is likely to work best, moving towards (9,9) once the plan is clear [2]. [9] Examiner insight: A judgement that names the time period and the deciding factor is more convincing than “it depends”.

11. Recommendation: a flexible style, directive on deadlines (positions 1 to 2) and consultative or delegating on creative direction (positions 5 to 6) [1]. Reason 1: deadlines are fixed [1], so the head cannot hand the date to a vote and must decide and explain [1]. Reason 2: the creative direction is open and the staff are experienced [1], so asking for suggestions or setting limits for the animators to decide inside draws on their knowledge [1]. Reason 3: three juniors need guidance and support, so may need closer direction (a position nearer 3 or 4) than the senior team [1], while seniors may leave if they feel overruled [1]. A risk is that mixing positions can confuse staff, so the head should say which decisions are open and which are not [1]. [8] Examiner insight: A recommendation tied to named positions and to separate parts of the case tends to be clearer than a single style label.

Where marks are usually lost

• Naming a style or a position without quoting the evidence for it.
• Reversing the grid pair, or giving one number only.
• Treating the continuum as four boxes instead of a line.
• Giving a calculation answer without the working or the unit.
• Listing the manager’s five activities with no link to the case.
• Judging the style on a single measure, such as output, and ignoring turnover or quality.
• Saying a style “demotivates” staff without any evidence.
• Finishing an evaluation with a summary and no reasoned choice.

Next steps

• Re-read the revision notes and the study guide.
• Visit the AQA A-level Business hub and the checklist.
• Try the free diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write a Blake Mouton grid score? Write both numbers in the order (concern for production, concern for people). Reversing the pair, or giving only one number, is one of the most common errors.

Is the Tannenbaum Schmidt continuum a set of boxes? No. It is a line: at one end the manager uses authority and decides alone, and at the other the team has freedom to decide within limits. Treating it as four separate boxes loses marks.

How should you support a judgement about a manager’s style? Quote evidence from the case for the style or position you name, and judge effectiveness on more than one measure, such as turnover and quality as well as output.

Can you say a style demotivates staff without evidence? No. Claims that a style motivates or demotivates staff need evidence from the case, such as labour turnover or output figures.

Official syllabus

AQA AS and A-level Business specification (7131/7132), section 3.2.1 Understanding management, leadership and decision making. For first teaching from September 2023 (A-level 7132).