Most chosen general qualifications exam board in England.

  • About AQA

  • Centre Services

  • Join Us

  • Contact Us

AQA
  • Subjects
  • Qualifications
  • Professional Development
  • Exams Admin
  • Services
  • Search
  • Subjects

  • Qualifications

  • Professional Development

  • Exams Admin

  • Services

  • About AQA

  • Centre Services

  • Join Us

  • Contact Us

  • Log in

Subjects

  • Accounting

  • Art and Design

  • Biology

  • Business

  • Chemistry

  • Computer Science

  • Dance

  • Design and Technology

  • Drama

  • Economics

  • English

  • Food preparation and Nutrition

  • French

  • Geography

  • German

  • History

  • Law

  • Mathematics

  • Media Studies

  • Music

  • Physical Education

  • Physics

  • Politics

  • Psychology

  • Religious Studies

  • Science

  • Sociology

  • Spanish

  • All subjects

GCSEs

  • Biology (8461)

  • Chemistry (8462)

  • Combined Science: Trilogy (8464)

  • English Language (8700)

  • English Literature (8702)

  • Geography (8035)

  • History (8145)

  • Mathematics (8300)

  • See all GCSEs

AS and A-levels

  • Biology (7401)

  • Business (7131)

  • Chemistry (7404)

  • Geography (7037)

  • History (7041)

  • Physics (7407)

  • Psychology (7181)

  • Sociology (7191)

  • See all AS and A-Levels

Other qualifications

  • Applied Generals

  • AQA Certificate Mathematics

  • Entry Level Certificates

  • Project Qualifications

  • Unit Award Scheme

  • All qualifications

Our training

  • Course finder

  • About our training

  • Online training

  • Face-to-face training

  • In-school training

  • Inside assessment

Courses by theme

  • Effective exam prep

  • Exams officers

  • Getting started

  • Unit Award Scheme

Courses by subject

  • English

  • Mathematics

  • Science

  • Languages

  • Design and Technology

  • Physical Education

  • Geography

  • History

  • All professional development

Dates

  • Dates and timetables

  • Key dates

Non-exam assessment (NEA)

  • NEA, coursework and controlled assessment

  • Deadlines for non-exam assessment

  • Record forms

  • Submit marks

Exams

  • Entries

  • Entry fees

  • Exams guidance

  • Question papers and stationery

  • Access arrangements

  • Special consideration

Results

  • Results days

  • Results slips

  • Grade boundaries

  • Results statistics

  • Post-results services

  • Exam certificates

  • All Exams Admin

Assessment Services

  • Centre Services

  • Associate Extranet

  • Become an associate

Products

  • All About Maths

  • Alpha Plus

  • Data Insights

  • Exampro

  • Project Q

  • Stride Maths

  • Testbase

  • Unit Award Scheme

News and Insights

  • AQI research and insight

  • News

  • Inside exams podcast

  1. Home
  2. Subjects
  3. Business
  4. AS Business

AS Business7131

SpecificationPlanning resourcesTeaching resourcesAssessment resourcesKey dates
1.0 Introduction
2.0 Specification at a glance
3.0 Subject content
3.1 What is business?
3.2 Managers, leadership and decision making
3.3 Marketing management
3.4 Operational management
3.5 Financial management
3.6 Human resource management
4.0 Scheme of assessment
5.0 General administration
Annex: quantitative skills in business
AS and A-level Business Specifications for first teaching in 2023

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

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

 

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

 

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

 
3.5 Financial management
4.0 Scheme of assessment
AQA
  • Become an examiner
  • Switch to AQA
  • Contact Us
  • Join us
  • Terms and conditions
  • Accessibility
  • Modern slavery statement
  • Privacy notice
  • Cookie notice
  • X
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube

©AQA 2025 | Company number: 03644723 | Registered office: Devas Street, Manchester, M15 6EX | AQA is not responsible for the content of external sites

AQA Education has obtained an injunction preventing interference with public examinations. This notice is to alert you to the injunction, so that you are aware of it and can make submissions about it if you wish to do so.