AQA GCSE Business Studies
Unit 2 – Growing as a Business
Topic 2.4 – People in Business
End of Topic Test Test
Time Allowed: 1 Hour
Total Marks:
Question 1 = 22
Question 2 = 9
Question 3 = 23
TOTAL = 54
Question 1
Hepworths is a small chain of butchers shops in Yorkshire, North England. They have just bought
premises in Lancashire, about 30 miles away and are opening two new branches. The new staff will need
to be trained by an external agency before they can work with meat products and the specialist equipment
that is involved. The company firmly believes that for the staff to improve that an appraisal system should
be introduced alongside training methods.
1a) Define what induction is, use the case for examples. (2 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1b) What type of training Hepworths are using and explain ONE advantage with this type of
training to the business. (3 marks)
Type of Training used by Hepworth: ______________________________________________________
One advantage: _______________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1c) Explain whether the business would benefit more if they used another form of training such as
On the Job. (5 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1d) Define what is involved in the process of APPRAISAL (3 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
1e) Discuss the benefits and drawbacks to Hepworths of introducing an Appraisal system to their
expanding business. (9 marks).
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Question 2
Marks & Spencer plc have over 700 shops in the UK and another 300 spread across another 40 countries.
The business has always been centrally run from it’s Headquarters in Westminister, London, but due to the
rising popularity of their Simply Food outlets the business are not sure whether to restructure the business
to help improve communication and efficiency across all it’s shops.
2a) The Board of Directors has asked you to decide which strategy M & S plc should adopt. Can
you analyse the strengths and weaknesses and then decide which of the following options
they should introduce:
i)
ii)
Keeping the business centralised, or
Decentralising
(9 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Question 3
Marks and Spencer plc (M & S plc) are well known by fellow high street retailers as one of the best
employers. They ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of their role and their responsibilities.
They use a number of different motivational tools to ensure that the staff enjoy their work and stay with the
company for a long period of employment. M & S plc have very clear stages of recruitment for potential
employees to ensure they recruit the ‘best candidates’ for their business.
3a) What is the difference between a job description and a person specification? (3 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3b) Explain the benefits to M & S plc of using internal OR external recruit a new shop manager for a
new Simply Foods shop in Mare Street, Hackney, opening in May 2011 (6 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3c) M & S plc regularly carry out Job analysis before they go through their recruitment process.
What does Job Analysis involve and why would M & S plc carry out such a strategy? (4 marks)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
3d) M & S plc have noticed that a number of key staff have left the business over the past 6
months. The business wants to introduce a strategy to ensure staff retention stays high and
maintains M & S plc’s reputation as the best employer on the high street. Discuss which of the
following methods they should employ and why: (10 marks)
i)
ii)
Financial methods of motivation
Effective styles of management that best
suit the business
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
EXTRA NOTES PAGE
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________