OxfordAQA IGCSE Business: Human resources (9225) – 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.

This practice set is aligned to the OxfordAQA International GCSE Business (9225) specification, version 3.1, for exams from May/June 2022 onwards. It covers section 3.4 Human resources: organisational structures, recruitment and selection, motivating employees and training. All businesses and figures are invented. Learn the content first from the study guide and the revision notes. The course hub, printable checklist and free diagnostics cover the rest of the course.

Questions

1. Define the term delegation. [2]

2. State two reasons why a business has an internal organisational structure. [2]

3. Wydale Hotel has 1 owner, 2 directors, 6 managers, 30 supervisors and 150 other staff. Each director has 3 managers. Each manager has 5 supervisors. Each supervisor has 5 other staff.

(a) Calculate the total number of people employed. [2] (b) The owner removes the supervisors, so the 150 other staff report directly to the managers. Calculate each manager’s new span of control. [2] (c) Analyse one effect of this change on communication in the hotel. [3]

4. A design studio employs 12 people. Explain one benefit and one drawback to the studio of a flat structure. [4]

5. Quillhurst Stores has 14 branches. At present the head office decides prices, opening hours and staffing at every branch. Recommend whether Quillhurst should become more decentralised. Justify your answer. [6]

6. Dornley Dental Practice must replace its receptionist, who is retiring. Analyse one benefit and one drawback of recruiting externally. [4]

7. A business has received 40 applications for a vacancy. State three further stages in the recruitment and selection process before the new employee starts. [3]

8. Craybourne Care employs care workers. Each time a care worker leaves, the business spends 900 on advertising, 350 on induction and loses 600 of output while the new worker settles in. Six care workers left last year. A better recruitment and selection process is expected to cut leavers to two a year.

(a) Calculate the cost to the business of one care worker leaving. [1] (b) Calculate the yearly saving if leavers fall from six to two. [2] (c) Analyse one other benefit to Craybourne Care of an effective recruitment and selection process. [3]

9. Marrowvale Estates pays an agent a basic salary of 1,350 a month plus 2.5% commission on sales above 30,000. In October the agent’s sales were 64,000.

(a) Calculate the agent’s total pay for October. [3] (b) Explain one drawback to the business of paying commission. [2] (c) Another employee is paid a wage of 10.25 an hour and works 36 hours. Calculate the pay. [1]

10. Merriwick Bakery made a profit of 96,000 and shares 5% of it equally among its 24 employees.

(a) Calculate the amount each employee receives. [2] (b) Explain one reason why the bakery might also offer fringe benefits such as free lunches. [2]

11. Vexmoor Garage must train 8 mechanics to repair electric vehicles. Off the job training costs 520 a person in fees plus 40 a person in travel. On the job training would mean each mechanic works for 12 days at 30% less output than normal, where a day of normal output is worth 90. Senior mechanics would also give 6 days of coaching, with their time valued at 110 a day.

(a) Calculate the total cost of off the job training. [2] (b) Calculate the total cost of on the job training. [3] (c) Evaluate which method Vexmoor Garage should use. [6]

12. Explain two benefits to a business of a motivated workforce, and define induction training. [5]

Answers

1. Giving authority [1] to carry out a task, and the right to decide how it is done, to someone lower in the structure [1]. [2] Examiner insight: A definition needs the idea of passing authority downwards. Repeating the word “delegate” without saying what is passed on gives little to credit.

2. Any two: so everyone knows their job and responsibilities [1]; so staff know who they report to or who has authority over them [1]; so work is shared out and decisions have an owner. [2] Examiner insight: A one-line answer is enough for each reason on a “state” question. Two versions of the same point count as one reason.

3. (a) 1 + 2 + 6 + 30 + 150 [1] = 189 people. [1] [2] (b) 150 ÷ 6 [1] = 25 staff for each manager. [1] [2] (c) Fewer levels means a shorter chain of command [1], so messages pass through fewer people and reach staff faster and with less chance of being changed [1]. However, each manager now has 25 people to talk to, so each member of staff may get less individual communication [1]. [3] Examiner insight: Show the working in a calculation, so that your method is visible even if you slip on the arithmetic. For the analysis, a chain of reasoning from fewer levels to the effect on communication is what moves the answer beyond a statement.

4. Benefit: communication between the owner or manager and staff is faster and more direct [1], so decisions and feedback reach people quickly in a small team [1]. Drawback: a wide span means the manager has less time for each person [1], so staff may get less support or supervision [1]. [4] Examiner insight: The question asks for one benefit and one drawback, so give both and develop each. Tie them to a team of 12, not to flat structures in general.

5. For decentralising: branch managers know their local customers and can decide quickly [1]; trust in managers may motivate them [1]; head office staff are freed for wider planning [1]. Against: prices and standards may become inconsistent [1]; head office loses control, and poor local decisions could harm the reputation of the chain [1]. Judgement: with 14 branches, central control of every decision is likely to be slow, so Quillhurst should decentralise day-to-day matters such as staffing and opening hours, while head office keeps prices and standards for consistency [1]. [6] Examiner insight: A “recommend” and “justify” answer weighs both sides and then commits to a reasoned choice. A partial decentralisation can be a valid judgement if it is explained using the stem.

6. Benefit: a wider choice of applicants [1], so the practice may find someone with stronger skills or fresh ideas [1]. Drawback: advertising and interviewing cost more and take longer than promoting someone [1], and the new person is unknown, so there is more risk that they do not fit the job [1]. [4] Examiner insight: Give the benefit and the drawback as separate developed points. Writing only “it is expensive” without saying why earns little.

7. Any three from: shortlisting applicants [1]; interviewing, with tests if used [1]; checking references [1]; making and accepting the offer. [3] Examiner insight: The stem says what has already happened, so do not list advertising or the job description. Listing earlier stages shows the stem was not read.

8. (a) 900 + 350 + 600 = 1,850. [1] [1] (b) Leavers avoided = 6 - 2 = 4 [1]. Saving = 4 × 1,850 = 7,400 a year. [1] [2] (c) Better matching of staff to the job leads to higher productivity [1], because capable staff work faster and make fewer errors [1], which can improve the quality of care and the reputation of the business [1]. (Other valid benefits: better customer service.) [3] Examiner insight: Use part (a) in part (b). Using a different benefit from the one shown in the calculation is what the “other benefit” wording asks for, and repeating staff retention would not add anything new.

9. (a) Sales above the threshold: 64,000 - 30,000 = 34,000 [1]. Commission: 2.5% × 34,000 = 850 [1]. Total: 1,350 + 850 = 2,200. [1] [3] (b) Commission may push the agent to focus on making a sale rather than on the customer’s needs [1], which could lead to complaints or damage the reputation of the business [1]. [2] (c) 10.25 × 36 = 369. [1] [1] Examiner insight: A common slip is to apply the percentage to all sales instead of only those above the threshold, so read the stem for what qualifies. State the answer with the basic pay added in.

10. (a) 5% of 96,000 = 4,800 [1]. 4,800 ÷ 24 = 200 each. [1] [2] (b) The profit share is paid once a year and is fairly small [1], so extras such as free lunches give staff a regular reminder that they are valued, which can help to keep them [1]. [2] Examiner insight: Do the percentage first and then divide by the number of employees. Give a reason connected to the business, not simply “it motivates staff”.

11. (a) 8 × (520 + 40) [1] = 4,480. [1] [2] (b) Lost output: 8 × 12 × (0.3 × 90) = 2,592 [1]. Coaching: 6 × 110 = 660 [1]. Total = 2,592 + 660 = 3,252. [1] [3] (c) On the job is 4,480 - 3,252 = 1,228 cheaper [1]. It teaches on real vehicles and keeps the mechanics working [1]. Against it: the coaching takes senior mechanics from their own work, and the lost output is only an estimate [1]. Off the job gives specialist teaching on a new technology and wider skills [1], but costs more and takes the mechanics away from the garage [1]. Judgement: on the job is the better choice because it is cheaper and practical, as long as the senior mechanics have the skills to coach, otherwise a short external course is safer [1]. [6] Examiner insight: An evaluation should use the figures from parts (a) and (b), weigh costs and benefits of both methods, and finish with a decision linked to the business. Costs alone do not answer “which is most appropriate”.

12. Benefit one: staff retention [1], because motivated staff are less likely to leave, so the business spends less on recruiting and training replacements [1]. Benefit two: high productivity [1], because motivated workers put in more effort and produce more per hour, lowering unit costs [1]. Induction training: the introduction given to a new employee covering the business, its rules and the job [1]. [5] Examiner insight: Each benefit needs a consequence for the business. Naming both benefits without explaining them would not reach full marks.

Where marks are usually lost

• Writing a definition of delegation or span of control that does not name what is passed on or counted.
• Dividing by the wrong number in a span of control question, or forgetting that the owner is part of the total.
• Stating the benefits of a flat structure with no mention of the strain on managers.
• Writing about internal or external recruitment in general instead of the vacancy in the stem.
• Listing stages that the stem says have already happened.
• Applying a commission rate to all sales when only sales above a threshold qualify.
• Giving motivation points with no link to retention, productivity or costs.
• Comparing training methods using only fees, ignoring lost output and coaching time.
• Ending an evaluate, justify or recommend answer without a decision and a reason.

Frequently asked questions

How do you answer a recruitment question for the highest marks? Write about the specific vacancy in the stem rather than internal or external recruitment in general. Also check the stem carefully, because listing stages that have already happened earns no credit.

Are motivation theories such as Maslow examined in OxfordAQA IGCSE Business? No. The OxfordAQA International GCSE Business (9225) specification states that specific motivational theories, such as Maslow, will not be examined.

Which part of the 9225 specification do these questions cover? They cover section 3.4 Human resources of OxfordAQA International GCSE Business (9225): organisational structures, recruitment and selection, motivating employees and training.

Next steps

• Revise with the revision notes and re-read the study guide.
• Browse the OxfordAQA IGCSE Business hub and tick off topics on the printable checklist.
• Try all the free 10-minute diagnostics at /diagnostics/.
• Book a free trial class at /trial/.

Official syllabus

OxfordAQA International GCSE Business (9225) specification, version 3.1, OxfordAQA, for International GCSE exams May/June 2022 onwards. Section 3.4 Human resources (3.4.1 to 3.4.4).