AQA GCSE Business: Human resources (8132) – 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 topic 3.4 Human resources from the AQA GCSE Business (8132) specification, for first teaching from September 2017: organisational structures, recruitment and selection, motivating employees and training. The topic belongs to Paper 1, “Influences of operations and HRM on business activity”. All businesses below are invented. Read the study guide first if a topic is new, and use the revision notes to recall the content. Course hub: /boards/aqa/gcse/business/. Checklist: /checklists/aqa/gcse/business/. Operations links: Business operations.

Questions

1. Define the term delegation. [2]

2. Durnford Bakery has 54 shop assistants and 6 shop managers. Each assistant reports to one manager, and the managers share the assistants equally.

(a) Calculate the span of control of each shop manager. [2] (b) The bakery appoints 3 more shop managers. Calculate the new span of control. [1]

3. Explain how a job description differs from a person specification. [3]

4. Pickerell Print pays a sales executive a salary of £1,400 a month plus 5% commission on sales. In one month the executive sells £26,000 of printing.

(a) Calculate the executive’s total pay for the month. [3] (b) The company has a profit of £150,000. It shares 8% of this equally between its 30 employees. Calculate the amount each employee receives. [2]

5. Wolverlow Care Homes offers some care assistants zero hours contracts. Explain one benefit and one drawback of this type of contract for the business. [4]

6. Analyse one benefit to a business of giving induction training to new employees. [3]

7. Pickerell Print has removed a level of management and now has a flat organisational structure. Analyse how this may affect the way the business is managed and how information passes around it. [6]

8. Wolverlow Care Homes needs a new home manager for a 40-bed home. The owner is deciding between recruiting internally from its other homes and recruiting externally. Evaluate which approach the owner should choose. [8]

9. Durnford Bakery has bought new computer-controlled ovens that its 12 bakers have never used. The owner is choosing between on the job training, run by the oven supplier’s technician in the bakery, and off the job training at the supplier’s training centre. Evaluate which method is more appropriate. [9]

10. Wolverlow Care Homes has high staff turnover among its care assistants, whose pay is fixed by the hour. Recommend one financial and one non-financial method of motivation the owner could use, and justify your choices. [8]

11. Durnford Bakery has set the objective of opening a second bakery within a year. Explain how the human resources plan would link to this objective. [4]

Answers

1. Delegation is handing a task, and the authority to decide how to do it, [1] to a person lower down the structure, such as a subordinate. [1] [2] Examiner insight: Answers tend to do better when the definition says both what is passed down (authority, not just work) and to whom; “giving someone a job” alone is thin.

2. (a) Span of control = number of subordinates / number of managers [1] = 54 / 6 = 9 [1] (b) 9 managers in total, so 54 / 9 = 6 [1] [3] Examiner insight: Show the division. In part (b), the common slip is dividing by 3 (the new managers) rather than by all 9 managers.

3. A job description sets out the job: its title, main duties and responsibilities. [1] A person specification describes the ideal candidate: qualifications, skills, experience and personal qualities. [1] The first is about the job, the second is about the person who would fill it, and the business uses the specification to shortlist applicants. [1] [3] Examiner insight: An explain question rewards a clear contrast. Writing two separate definitions without saying how they differ risks losing the final point.

4. (a) Commission = 5% of £26,000 [1] = £1,300 [1] Total pay = £1,400 + £1,300 = £2,700 [1] (b) Amount shared = 8% of £150,000 = £12,000 [1] Each employee: £12,000 / 30 = £400 [1] [5] Examiner insight: Calculation answers gain from showing each step and from including the unit. Forgetting to add the salary to the commission is a frequent way to lose the last point.

5. Benefit: the home only pays for hours actually needed, [1] so it can match staffing to the number of residents and keep costs down when demand is low. [1] Drawback: workers have uncertain income, [1] so they may leave or be less committed, raising recruitment costs and affecting standard of care. [1] [4] Examiner insight: Each side needs a developed reason, not just “flexible” or “unfair”. Link to the care setting to show application.

6. Induction training helps new employees learn the rules, layout and safety procedures quickly. [1] This means they can work safely and productively sooner, [1] which reduces mistakes and makes them more likely to stay, lowering recruitment costs. [1] [3] Examiner insight: Analysis questions reward a chain of reasoning: what induction does, what that causes, and why it matters to the business. A benefit stated with no consequence is only partly developed.

7. A flat structure has fewer levels, so managers have wider spans of control. [1] Each manager has more staff to oversee, so supervision is less close [1] and staff are likely to be given more responsibility and delegated tasks. [1] This can motivate staff, but may overload managers. [1] Information passes through fewer people, so communication is quicker and less likely to be distorted, [1] and decisions can be made faster, although a manager with a wide span has less time to talk to each person. [1] [6] Examiner insight: This question has two parts, management and communication. Answers that deal with only one of them are unlikely to reach the top of the range, so cover both.

8. Internal: cheaper and quicker because there is no advertising bill, [1] and the candidate already knows the homes, so little induction is needed. [1] Promotion also motivates other staff. [1] But the choice is smaller and no new ideas arrive, [1] and a vacancy is created in the person’s old role. [1] External: a wider pool, with a chance to find the right skills for a 40-bed home, [1] but dearer, slower and a riskier choice because the person is unknown. [1] Judgement: for a senior post where a mistake would harm residents and the owner wants proven loyalty, internal recruitment is likely to be better provided a suitable candidate exists; if none exists, external recruitment is better, because quality of care matters more than cost. [1] [8] Examiner insight: For evaluate, answers tend to gain credit when they weigh both approaches and then commit to a conclusion with a reason that is tied to the business, not a general statement.

9. On the job: the technician teaches on the real ovens, so learning is relevant and bakers can start producing sooner. [1] There is no travel cost, [1] but training time takes baking time and the technician may be available only at set times, [1] and mistakes could spoil products or damage ovens. [1] Off the job: expert teaching in a controlled setting where errors are safe, [1] and likely to cover wider skills; [1] but dearer and 12 bakers away from the bakery reduces output and may close production. [1] Judgement: a mixed approach is likely to suit best, with a few bakers sent off the job and then training the rest on the job, because it limits lost output and cost while still giving expert knowledge of an expensive machine. [1] The method should be matched to the size of the business: a small firm cannot spare all its bakers at once. [1] [9] Examiner insight: A one-sided answer rarely scores well on evaluate. Using details from the stem (new ovens, 12 bakers, the supplier) shows application and strengthens the judgement.

10. Financial: commission or a bonus linked to the quality score of the home, or profit sharing. For example, profit sharing across all staff. [1] It rewards staff for helping the homes do well and gives a reason to stay, [1] although the payment depends on profit and care homes may have small profits, so it could be a weak incentive. [1] Non-financial: greater responsibility and training, for example allowing senior care assistants to lead a shift and paying for a recognised care qualification. [1] This gives a sense of trust and a path to promotion without raising hourly pay, [1] and trained staff provide better care, though some may leave for better jobs once qualified. [1] Justification: pay fixed by the hour gives little reward for effort, so a financial incentive deals with pay, while training and responsibility address career progress; using both is likely to reduce turnover more than either alone. [1] Recommendation: the owner should start with training and responsibility, since it is cheaper and builds skills the homes need. [1] [8] Examiner insight: A recommend question asks for a choice and a reason. Naming a method without saying why it fits this business (high turnover, hourly pay) is usually too general.

11. The objective sets the aim, and the HR plan turns it into actions on people. [1] HR would plan how many extra staff the second bakery needs, and recruit them in time, using job descriptions and person specifications. [1] It would train the new staff, for example with induction, so the bakery opens with the quality of the first. [1] HR depends on finance, which budgets the wage bill, and on operations, which decides the output needed, so the plans must be linked. [1] [4] Examiner insight: Strong answers show a link both ways: the objective drives the HR plan, and HR must work with the other functional plans. Listing HR tasks with no link to the objective earns less.

Where marks are usually lost

• Giving a definition but not applying it to the named business.
• Dividing by the wrong number in span of control calculations.
• Forgetting to add the base salary to commission, or taking the percentage of the wrong figure.
• Writing “cheaper” or “quicker” with no comparison or reason.
• Mixing up the job description and the person specification.
• Giving only the benefits of a contract or training method when the question asks for drawbacks too.
• Stopping at a list on an evaluate or justify question, with no judgement.
• Describing motivation theory instead of practical methods.

Next steps

• Recap with the revision notes and the study guide.
• Course hub: /boards/aqa/gcse/business/; printable checklist.
• Take all free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class: /trial/.

Frequently asked questions

What does topic 3.4 Human resources cover in AQA GCSE Business (8132)? Organisational structures, recruitment and selection, motivating employees, and training. These practice questions are original and are not taken from AQA papers.

How do you calculate span of control? Divide the number of subordinates by the number of managers at that level. A common slip is dividing by the number of new managers only rather than the new total.

What is the difference between a job description and a person specification? A job description sets out the job: its title, duties and responsibilities. A person specification sets out the person needed: qualifications, skills, experience and qualities.

How do I score well on a recommend question in human resources? Make a clear choice and give a reason that fits the business in the case. Naming a method without explaining why it suits that business earns little.

Official syllabus

AQA GCSE Business (8132), specification for first teaching from September 2017, published by AQA. These questions follow section 3.4 Human resources, including 3.4.1 to 3.4.4.