OxfordAQA A-Level Business: Human resources (9725) – 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 the human resources topic (sections 3.2.2.1 to 3.2.2.5) of the OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Business (9725) specification, Version 1.1, for International AS exams from May/June 2027 and International A-level exams from May/June 2028. All of it is International AS content, assessed in Unit 2: Managing operations, human resources and finance. If you are finishing the older 9625 specification, use your own specification. All businesses are invented.

Before you start, skim the study guide or the revision notes. For other topics, see the course hub and the printable checklist; to find gaps quickly, use the free diagnostics.

Questions

1. State two human resource objectives a business might set. [2]

2. Orchid Lane Hotels employed 210 staff at the start of the year and 230 at the end. During the year 33 staff left. Calculate the labour turnover for the year. [2]

3. Brightloom Textiles produced 93,600 metres of cloth last year with an average of 120 employees. Total labour costs were £702,000.

(a) Calculate labour productivity. [2] (b) Calculate labour costs per unit (per metre of cloth). [2]

4. Saltmarsh Software had revenue of £7.2m with an average of 150 employees in year 1, and revenue of £8.1m with an average of 162 employees in year 2. Calculate the percentage change in sales per employee between the two years, to one decimal place. [4]

5. Halcyon Dental Group recruited 25 dental nurses last year, and 21 of them were still employed one year after joining. The year before, 16 of its 24 recruits were still employed one year after joining. Calculate the percentage of recruits still at the business one year after recruitment for last year, and briefly interpret the change. [3]

6. Pomegranate Events, a caterer, hires most of its serving staff on zero-hours contracts. Explain one advantage and one disadvantage to the business of using these contracts. [4]

7. Kinglet Contact Centre has high absence among its call handlers. The manager proposes a 5% pay rise for all staff. Using Herzberg’s two-factor theory, explain why the pay rise on its own may not solve the problem. [4]

8. Drivers at Bluestone Buses are in dispute with managers over new shift patterns.

(a) Explain what is meant by a work to rule. [2] (b) Explain how arbitration could help to resolve the dispute. [3]

9. Wheatsheaf Bakeries has two branches. North branch has 8 staff and an automated oven line and made 14,400 loaves last month. South branch has 6 staff and shapes loaves by hand; it made 7,200 loaves. Each employee costs £1,800 a month in both branches.

(a) Calculate labour productivity for each branch. [2] (b) Analyse why the head office should be careful when using these figures to judge the performance of the South branch’s staff. [4]

10. Ravensworth Logistics needs a new head of warehouse operations. Analyse the advantages and disadvantages of recruiting internally rather than externally for this role, and how technology could change the selection process. [6]

11. Corvid Opticians has 42 stores. Six area managers, each paid £52,000 a year, each supervise 7 store managers and report to a regional director. The board plans to delayer by removing the area manager level, so store managers would report directly to the regional director. Evaluate whether Corvid Opticians should go ahead with the plan. [9]

12. Ferncastle Electronics assembles circuit boards. Last year an average of 250 people were employed and 70 left. Each leaver costs about £2,400 to replace. The directors are choosing between introducing piece-rate pay or reorganising the line into teams with job enrichment.

(a) Calculate Ferncastle’s labour turnover. [2] (b) Evaluate which of the two options Ferncastle should choose to improve motivation and reduce labour turnover. [10]

Answers

1. Any two of: the right number and skill level of employees [1]; employee engagement [1]; employee retention. [2] Examiner insight: A “state” question rewards accurate recall only; explaining each objective uses time that the higher-tariff questions need.

2. Average employees = (210 + 230) ÷ 2 = 220 [1]. Labour turnover = 33 ÷ 220 × 100 = 15% [1]. [2] Examiner insight: Using 230 or 210 instead of the average gives a wrong answer; show the average as a separate line so the method is visible.

3. (a) 93,600 ÷ 120 [1] = 780 metres per employee [1]. (b) £702,000 ÷ 93,600 [1] = £7.50 per metre [1]. Examiner insight: Give units with both answers; “780” on its own does not say what was produced.

4. Year 1 sales per employee = £7,200,000 ÷ 150 = £48,000 [1]. Year 2 = £8,100,000 ÷ 162 = £50,000 [1]. Change = (50,000 − 48,000) ÷ 48,000 × 100 [1] = 4.2% increase [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Divide the change by the original (year 1) figure; dividing by the new figure gives 4.0%, which is wrong.

5. 21 ÷ 25 × 100 = 84% [1]. The year before: 16 ÷ 24 × 100 = 66.7% [1]. Retention of new recruits has improved, so recruitment and induction may be working better and replacement costs should fall [1]. [3] Examiner insight: An interpretation mark needs a comparison and a consequence, not just “it went up”.

6. Advantage: Pomegranate pays staff only when events are booked [1], so labour costs fall in quiet periods and it can staff large events flexibly [1]. Disadvantage: staff have no guaranteed income [1], so they may take other jobs or turn down shifts, making it harder to staff events with experienced servers [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Each point needs a developed consequence in the caterer’s context; a one-word advantage such as “flexible” earns little.

7. Herzberg classes pay as a hygiene factor [1]: improving it removes dissatisfaction but does not create lasting motivation [1]. Absence may come from repetitive, closely monitored work, which lacks motivators such as responsibility or recognition [1], so Kinglet may also need job enrichment or recognition schemes to reduce absence [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Name the theory’s terms (hygiene factor, motivators) and apply them to call handlers; a general description of Herzberg does not answer the question.

8. (a) Employees follow every rule and procedure exactly [1], which slows work down without breaking their contracts [1]. (b) An independent third party [1] hears the case from both the drivers and the managers [1] and recommends or decides a settlement, which can end the dispute without a strike [1]. Examiner insight: Stress independence in (b); confusing arbitration with bargaining between the two sides loses the key point.

9. (a) North: 14,400 ÷ 8 = 1,800 loaves per employee [1]. South: 7,200 ÷ 6 = 1,200 loaves per employee [1]. (b) North uses an automated line, so its higher output per worker comes partly from capital, not staff effort [1]. South’s hand-shaped loaves may be a premium product with a higher price, so output alone undervalues its staff [1]. Labour cost per loaf is £1.00 at North and £1.50 at South, so South costs more per loaf, but that may be justified if the price is higher [1]. Head office should compare South with its own past figures or other hand-made branches, since productivity varies in different contexts [1]. Examiner insight: Analysis should use the case details (automation, hand-shaping); generic comments about productivity score less.

10. Internal: the candidate already knows Ravensworth’s systems and staff, so can be effective quickly [1], and promotion can motivate other employees [1]. But it brings no new ideas and leaves another vacancy to fill [1]. External: a wider pool may bring experience from other logistics firms [1], but the process costs more and the business knows less about the candidate [1]. Technology lets Ravensworth advertise online and hold video interviews, widening the pool and cutting cost, though online tests may not show how a candidate leads a team on the warehouse floor [1]. [6] Examiner insight: Balance both sides for a “both advantages and disadvantages” command; a one-sided answer limits credit however detailed it is.

11. Removing six area managers saves 6 × £52,000 = £312,000 a year [1]. Communication between store managers and the regional director becomes faster, so decisions can be made more quickly [1]. Store managers gain responsibility, which may motivate them (Herzberg’s motivators) [1]. However, the regional director’s span of control rises from 6 to 42 [1], which may be too wide to support stores effectively [1]. Store managers lose a promotion step, which may increase labour turnover among ambitious staff [1], and the experience of the area managers is lost [1]. Corvid could reduce the risk by delegating more to experienced store managers or redeploying some area managers [1]. Judgement: go ahead only if store managers are experienced enough to work with little supervision; otherwise a partial delayering is safer [1]. [9] Examiner insight: Use the figures in the case (the saving and the new span of 42) in your evaluation; a judgement with a clear condition carries more weight than “it depends”.

12. (a) 70 ÷ 250 × 100 [1] = 28% [1]. (b) Turnover costs about 70 × £2,400 = £168,000 a year [1]. Piece-rate pay (Taylor) links pay to output, so it may raise productivity on a repetitive assembly line [1] and is easy to measure because boards are countable [1]. But it can lower quality as staff rush [1], and income becomes unpredictable, which may raise turnover further [1]. Teams with job enrichment meet social and esteem needs (Maslow) and give Herzberg’s motivators such as responsibility [1], so staff are more likely to stay [1]. However, it needs training and time to set up, and results are slower [1]. Since the problem is turnover rather than output, enrichment addresses the cause more directly [1]. Judgement: choose teams with job enrichment, track labour turnover and productivity over the next year, and consider a team bonus to keep a financial link [1]. Examiner insight: Tie the recommendation to the stated aim (reducing turnover) and to the 28% figure; an answer that only describes both options does not evaluate.

Where marks are usually lost

• Using the opening or closing headcount instead of the average number of employees.
• Dividing a percentage change by the new figure rather than the original.
• Missing units on productivity and per-unit answers.
• Describing a motivation theory without applying it to the business in the question.
• Treating pay as a Herzberg motivator.
• Confusing arbitration (independent third party) with bargaining (the two sides negotiate).
• Ignoring the case figures (spans, savings, turnover) when evaluating.
• Giving a judgement that is not linked back to the business’s stated objective.

Next steps

• Recap with the revision notes.
• Re-read the study guide for any section you found hard.
• Try the marketing practice questions and the exam preparation page.
• Return to the course hub and tick off topics on the printable checklist.
• Take one of the free 10-minute diagnostics.
• Book a free trial class.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International AS and A-level Business (9725) specification, Version 1.1, for International AS exams May/June 2027 onwards and International A-level exams May/June 2028 onwards, published by OxfordAQA. Section 3.2.2 Human resources.