GCSE Topic – Making human resource decisions
When taught: October – December
Specification link: Edexcel GCSE Business (2017) | Pearson qualifications
What are we learning?
Organisational structures
Different organisational structures and when each are appropriate:
- hierarchical and flat
- centralised and decentralised.
The importance of effective communication:
- the impact of insufficient or excessive communication on efficiency and motivation
- barriers to effective communication.
Different ways of working:
- part-time, full-time and flexible hours
- permanent, temporary, and freelance contracts
- the impact of technology on ways of working: efficiency, remote working.
Effective recruitment
Different job roles and responsibilities:
- key job roles and their responsibilities: directors, senior managers, supervisors/team leaders, operational and support staff.
How businesses recruit people:
- documents: person specification and job description, application form, CV
- recruitment methods used to meet different business needs (internal and external recruitment).
Effective training and development
How businesses train and develop employees:
- different ways of training and developing employees: formal and informal training, self-learning, ongoing training for all employees, use of target setting and performance reviews.
Why businesses train and develop employees:
- the link between training, motivation and retention
- retraining to use new technology.
Motivation
The importance of motivation in the workplace:
- attracting employees, retaining employees, productivity.
How businesses motivate employees:
- financial methods: remuneration, bonus, commission, promotion, fringe benefits
- non-financial methods: job rotation, job enrichment, autonomy.
How will we be assessed?
The end of topic assessment will consist of questions from past exam papers. There will be a combination of multiple choice, short-answer and extended answer, context-based questions.
What makes a strong piece of work in this topic? What are teachers hoping to see?
- Good knowledge and understanding of key ideas and concepts
- Effective use of subject specific terminology
- Developed explanation (use of BLT framework)
- The ability to apply knowledge and understanding to given contexts
- The ability to construct a detailed chain of argument using multiple strands of development
- The ability to construct well-balanced arguments and counter-arguments in context
- The ability to make clear judgments based on analysis to construct clear and justified conclusions
What additional resources can I access outside of lessons?
Click the links for more information.
GCSE Business – Edexcel – BBC Bitesize
GCSE Learning and Revision | GCSEPod
