AS Business₇₁₃₁

AS and A-level Business Specifications for first teaching in 2023

13 Jun 2023

PDF | 782.2 KB

3.6 Human resource management

Students should consider the following throughout this section of the specification:

how developments in technology are affecting decision making and activities in relation to human resources (eg changing the nature of work, the skills that are required and ways of working such as remote working)
ethical and environmental influences on human resources decisions
market conditions (including the labour market) and competition
how human resource decisions help improve the competitiveness of a business
the interrelationship between human resource decisions and other functions.

3.6.1 Setting human resource objectives

3.6.2 Analysing human resource performance

3.6.3 Making human resource decisions: improving organisational design and managing the human resource flow

3.6.4 Making human resource decisions: improving motivation and engagement

3.6.5 Making human resource decisions: improving employer-employee relations

3.5 Financial management

4.0 Scheme of assessment

3.6 Human resource management

Students should consider the following throughout this section of the specification:

how developments in technology are affecting decision making and activities in relation to human resources (eg changing the nature of work, the skills that are required and ways of working such as remote working)
ethical and environmental influences on human resources decisions
market conditions (including the labour market) and competition
how human resource decisions help improve the competitiveness of a business
the interrelationship between human resource decisions and other functions.

3.6.1 Setting human resource objectives

Content	Additional information
The value of setting human resource objectives	Human resource objectives include: employee engagement talent development training diversity alignment of employee and employer values number, skills and location of employees.
Methods of achieving human resource objectives	Methods should include soft and hard human resource management (HRM) approaches.

Content

Additional information

The value of setting human resource objectives

Human resource objectives include:

employee engagement
talent development
training
diversity
alignment of employee and employer values
number, skills and location of employees.

Methods of achieving human resource objectives

Methods should include soft and hard human resource management (HRM) approaches.

3.6.2 Analysing human resource performance

Content	Additional information
Calculating and interpreting human resource data	Students should be able to calculate and interpret: labour turnover labour productivity employee costs as percentage of turnover labour cost per unit.
The use of data for human resource decision making and planning

Content

Additional information

Calculating and interpreting human resource data

Students should be able to calculate and interpret:

labour turnover
labour productivity
employee costs as percentage of turnover
labour cost per unit.

The use of data for human resource decision making and planning

3.6.3 Making human resource decisions: improving organisational design and managing the human resource flow

Content	Additional information
Models of organisational structure	Organisational structures to include: functional product-based regional matrix structure.
Influences on organisational design	Decisions relating to organisational design include: authority span hierarchy delegation centralisation and decentralisation.
The value of changing organisational design
How managing the human resource flow helps meet human resource objectives	Human resource flow to include: human resource plan recruitment training redeployment redundancy.

3.6.4 Making human resource decisions: improving motivation and engagement

Content	Additional information
The benefits of motivated and engaged employees	Theories of motivation should include Taylor, Maslow and Herzberg.
How to improve employee engagement and motivation	Financial methods of motivation should include: piece rate commission salary schemes performance-related pay. Non-financial methods of motivation should include: empowerment team working flexible working job enrichment job rotation.
Influences on the choice and assessment of the effectiveness of financial and non-financial methods of motivating employees

Content

Additional information

The benefits of motivated and engaged employees

Theories of motivation should include Taylor, Maslow and Herzberg.

How to improve employee engagement and motivation

Financial methods of motivation should include:

piece rate
commission
salary schemes
performance-related pay.

Non-financial methods of motivation should include:

empowerment
team working
flexible working
job enrichment
job rotation.

Influences on the choice and assessment of the effectiveness of financial and non-financial methods of motivating employees

3.6.5 Making human resource decisions: improving employer-employee relations

Content	Additional information
Influences on the extent and methods of employee involvement in decision making	Employee representation methods to include trade unions and works councils.
How to manage and improve employer-employee communications and relations
Value of good employer-employee relations