2. People in business
- Syllabus
- 0264–2027–2028
- Section
- 2
- Level
- —
Exam analysis
No tagged past-paper evidence yet
Published Concept pages under this syllabus area do not have tagged past-paper appearances in the selected level yet.
Recent 5 years
In this section
Topic 2.1
2.1. Human resource management (HRM)
Objectives in this topic
2.1.1—Recruiting and selecting employees
- stages in the recruitment process: job descriptions, person specifications, job advertisements (including employment agencies and online recruitment)
- selection methods, e.g. curriculum vitae (CV)/resumé, application forms, references, testing/assessment centres, interviews
- advantages and disadvantages of internal and external recruitment
- recommend and justify who to employ in a given situation
2.1.2—Employment contracts and legal controls over employment issues
- the main contents of an employment contract: duties and responsibilities, working hours, holiday entitlement, sick pay
- the benefits of employment contracts for employers and employees
- legal controls over employment issues: unfair dismissal, discrimination, health and safety, legal minimum wage
- effects of legal controls over employment issues on employers and employees
2.1.3—Training
- importance of training to a business and to employees
- types of training: induction training, on-the-job training and off-the-job training
- advantages and disadvantages of the three types of training
Topic 2.2
2.2. Organisation and management
Objectives in this topic
2.2.1—Simple organisational structures
- the main functional areas of a business, e.g. operations, marketing, finance, human resources
- simple hierarchical structures: tall and flat levels of hierarchy, long and short chains of command, wide and narrow spans of control
- interpret simple organisational charts
- different ways of flexible working, e.g. home working and flexible hours
- advantages and disadvantages of part-time employees and full-time employees
2.2.2—The functions of management
- planning, organising, coordinating, commanding and controlling
- advantages and disadvantages of delegation
2.2.3—Leadership styles
- the main leadership styles: autocratic, democratic and laissez-faire
- advantages and disadvantages of the main leadership styles
- recommend and justify an appropriate leadership style for a given situation
2.2.4—Why reducing the size of the workforce may be necessary
- concept of downsizing
- reasons for reducing the size of the workforce, e.g. automation, reduced demand for products, need to lower costs
- concept of redundancy
- recommend and justify which employee(s) to make redundant in a given situation
2.2.5—The role of trade unions
- what a trade union is
- benefits to employees of being a trade union member
Topic 2.3
2.3. Methods of communication
Objectives in this topic
2.3.1—Why communication is important
- why communication is important for a business
- methods of communication, e.g. meetings (face-to-face or virtual), email, text messages, social media, phone calls (including mobile calls), letters, posters and noticeboards
- advantages and disadvantages of different methods of communication
- internal and external communication
- recommend and justify which method of communication to use in a given situation
2.3.2—Communication barriers
- examples of communication barriers
- reasons for communication barriers
- problems caused by communication barriers
- how communication barriers can be reduced or removed
Topic 2.4
2.4. Motivating employees
Objectives in this topic
2.4.1—The importance of a well-motivated workforce
- why people work
- the benefits of a well-motivated workforce: improved labour productivity, reduced absenteeism, lower labour turnover and greater willingness to accept change / new methods of working
- main motivational theories: Maslow, Taylor, Herzberg
2.4.2—Methods of motivation
- financial methods of motivation, e.g. time-based, piece-rate, salary, bonus, commission, profit sharing, fringe benefits
- non-financial methods of motivation, e.g. job enrichment, job rotation, training, opportunities for promotion, praise, employee of the month
- recommend and justify an appropriate method of motivation for a given situation