The 'People' topic explores the purpose and role of human resources within a business, covering organisational structures, communication, recruitment, selection, motivation, retention, training, development, and employment law.
The 'People' topic in OCR GCSE Business explores how businesses manage their workforce to achieve objectives. It covers recruitment, training, motivation, and employment law, showing how effective human resource management drives productivity and success. Understanding this topic is crucial because people are a business's most valuable asset, and getting HR wrong can lead to high staff turnover, low morale, and legal issues.
This topic fits into the wider subject by linking to operations (how staff produce goods/services), finance (labour costs), and marketing (customer service quality). You'll learn about different organisational structures, leadership styles, and motivation theories like Maslow and Taylor. The content is assessed in both Paper 1 and Paper 2, often through case studies where you apply concepts to real business scenarios.
Mastering 'People' helps you see business as a human system, not just numbers. You'll understand why employees need clear contracts, fair pay, and development opportunities. This knowledge is also useful for your own career planning and for evaluating business decisions critically.
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
Key skills and knowledge for this topic
Key points examiners look for in your answers
Expert advice for maximising your marks
Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers
Common questions students ask about this topic
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
Comprehensive revision notes & examples
How questions on this topic are typically asked
Practice questions tailored to this topic