Remember this is worth 10 marks. Getting a good number of marks here could be the difference between bands.
Read the question.
Read the Case Study. Use your highlighter if you see things that relate to the topics asked.
eg if it asks you for:
marketing
finance
operations
external factors (PESTEC)
look through the case study for such things.
Make sure you put them down as headings or else you will only get a maximum of 3 marks.
Identify PROBLEMS - not solutions.
Use bullet points. Don't waste time writing tons here.
Remember as well that some problems may be inferred and not hit you in the face. So think! Naturally 5 out of the 10 marks will be easy to come by, but the other 5 may be a bit harder.
The normal headings you may be asked are:
Marketing (customers, products, market research, pricing, advertising etc)
Finance (budgets and money)
Human Resources (employee problems, unions, job satisfaction, strikes, pay disputes etc)
Operations (buying in materials from suppliers, stock, quality control, making/producing the product)
Internal Organisation/Corporate Culture (what ethos has the firm got? What structure has it? Management style? What type of grouping?)
External Factors (PESTEC - Political Economic Social Technological Environmental and Competitive)
Other ( in here put anything else you can think of)
There may be a new one to do with using Technology, but use your common sense!
Make sure you write at least 10 points and spread them out.
eg. Don't have 6 in Marketing and none in Finance.
Friday, 15 May 2009
Monday, 11 May 2009
Describe the stages in the recruitment and selection process
The first stage in the recruitment process is to identify a job vacancy. People may retire, leave for another company or gain promotion within the organisation.
Once we have identified a need for a vacancy the Human Resources Department would create an application pack for candidates. Included in this would be two documents: Job Description and Person Specification.
The Job Description document details job title, salary, duties and responsibilities of the position, whereas Person Spec displays the skills and qualifications required by the ideal candidate. The qualities can be divided into ESSENTIAL and DESIRABLE. Essential are the basic requirements of the position eg Teachers need to have a degree in their subject, whereas Desirable would be qualities that would be an advantage, such as a Teacher being qualified in more than one subject.
Following on from the application pack, the job has to be advertised. The organisation must decide whether to advertise internally (within the organisation) or externally (outwith the organisation).
Internal recruitment is financially cheaper than external recruitment and you know the candidates as they already work for you. On the other hand, external recruitment offers a wider pool of skills/candidates which may bring new ideas into the company. External recruitment is time consuming since time has to be taken to agree the advert, publish it and then set a deadline for application returns.
Candidates are asked to fill out application forms which are the first opportunity for candidates to answer questions set by the company. CVs may be used at this stage which are returned to the company.
The firm then filter out poor candidates based on their responses in the application form. They compare their skills and experiences with what was laid out in the Job Description and the Person Specification.
Next the leet is arranged. This is when candidates who are being invited for interview are sent a letter informing them of the time, date and venue of the interview.
At interview, all candidates are asked the same questions which help identify who would best fit into the organisation.
Other selection methods that may be used include:
Tests
Assessment Centres
Tests may test a candidates intellectual ability (IQ test) or their physical fitness.
Assessment centres are normally only used for high powered jobs. They are very expensive and are usually 2-day residential courses where every aspect of managerial skills are tested such as problem solving, prioritising, leadership, and communication skills.
Once the interviews are completed the panel meet together to decide who was the best candidate. Then once they have made their decision the candidate is informed by telephone or letter that they are successful. The candidate can still turn the job down at this point, and if they do so, the job then is offered to the next best candidate.
Once we have identified a need for a vacancy the Human Resources Department would create an application pack for candidates. Included in this would be two documents: Job Description and Person Specification.
The Job Description document details job title, salary, duties and responsibilities of the position, whereas Person Spec displays the skills and qualifications required by the ideal candidate. The qualities can be divided into ESSENTIAL and DESIRABLE. Essential are the basic requirements of the position eg Teachers need to have a degree in their subject, whereas Desirable would be qualities that would be an advantage, such as a Teacher being qualified in more than one subject.
Following on from the application pack, the job has to be advertised. The organisation must decide whether to advertise internally (within the organisation) or externally (outwith the organisation).
Internal recruitment is financially cheaper than external recruitment and you know the candidates as they already work for you. On the other hand, external recruitment offers a wider pool of skills/candidates which may bring new ideas into the company. External recruitment is time consuming since time has to be taken to agree the advert, publish it and then set a deadline for application returns.
Candidates are asked to fill out application forms which are the first opportunity for candidates to answer questions set by the company. CVs may be used at this stage which are returned to the company.
The firm then filter out poor candidates based on their responses in the application form. They compare their skills and experiences with what was laid out in the Job Description and the Person Specification.
Next the leet is arranged. This is when candidates who are being invited for interview are sent a letter informing them of the time, date and venue of the interview.
At interview, all candidates are asked the same questions which help identify who would best fit into the organisation.
Other selection methods that may be used include:
Tests
Assessment Centres
Tests may test a candidates intellectual ability (IQ test) or their physical fitness.
Assessment centres are normally only used for high powered jobs. They are very expensive and are usually 2-day residential courses where every aspect of managerial skills are tested such as problem solving, prioritising, leadership, and communication skills.
Once the interviews are completed the panel meet together to decide who was the best candidate. Then once they have made their decision the candidate is informed by telephone or letter that they are successful. The candidate can still turn the job down at this point, and if they do so, the job then is offered to the next best candidate.
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Hot Potatoes
Today for a break in past papers, I want you to create 20 questions on one unit of the course using Hot Potatoes.
The software can be found:
Start
All Programs
Accessories
Hot Potatoes
Once loaded up select JQuiz
You will need to have some false answers, but I would try and make it quite difficult.
We need a spread of topics to make the exercise worthwhile. I will demonstrate how to create a quiz using Hot Potatoes before we start.
The software can be found:
Start
All Programs
Accessories
Hot Potatoes
Once loaded up select JQuiz
You will need to have some false answers, but I would try and make it quite difficult.
We need a spread of topics to make the exercise worthwhile. I will demonstrate how to create a quiz using Hot Potatoes before we start.
Thursday, 19 March 2009
Today!
Today's plan of action:
NAB Resits for 3 students
Finish Class Presentations
Those who are finished Class Presentations can work on Higher Business Management Topic by Topic Revision Questions found in :
My Computer
RM Shared
Business Education
Higher BM (Revised)
09. REVISION
Higher Business Management Past Papers Booklet Topic by Topic Revision
What to do is copy it over to your My Documents and then answer the questions in a different colour font (best to use RED).
NAB Resits for 3 students
Finish Class Presentations
Those who are finished Class Presentations can work on Higher Business Management Topic by Topic Revision Questions found in :
My Computer
RM Shared
Business Education
Higher BM (Revised)
09. REVISION
Higher Business Management Past Papers Booklet Topic by Topic Revision
What to do is copy it over to your My Documents and then answer the questions in a different colour font (best to use RED).
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Staff Training
2005 Past Paper Question and Solution
Discuss the costs and benefits of training staff.
Costs
Financial costs of courses
Working time is lost
Quality of work may be slower/poorer quality when staff are training
Resistance to the benefits of training
Benefits
Increased competence
Improves flexibility of staff
Increased motivation of staff
Increased production levels
Easier to introduce change
Image of organisation improves
Discuss the costs and benefits of training staff.
Costs
Financial costs of courses
Working time is lost
Quality of work may be slower/poorer quality when staff are training
Resistance to the benefits of training
Benefits
Increased competence
Improves flexibility of staff
Increased motivation of staff
Increased production levels
Easier to introduce change
Image of organisation improves
Cash Flow Question
From 2005 Past Paper
Identify 4 sources of cash flow problems and suggest one solution for each source you have identified.
Sources of cash flow problems:
too much money tied up in stock
allowing customers too long to pay
debtors not paying on time
high levels of borrowing along with high interest rates
high drawings
low sales
high expenses
purchasing capital equipment
Solutions
introduce JIT
offer discounts to encourage prompt payment
offer discounts/promote cash sales
sell any unused assets
reduce loans by eg increasing number of investors
debt factoring
sale and leaseback
extended credit
arrange overdraft/loan
cut costs
promote product or serv
Identify 4 sources of cash flow problems and suggest one solution for each source you have identified.
Sources of cash flow problems:
too much money tied up in stock
allowing customers too long to pay
debtors not paying on time
high levels of borrowing along with high interest rates
high drawings
low sales
high expenses
purchasing capital equipment
Solutions
introduce JIT
offer discounts to encourage prompt payment
offer discounts/promote cash sales
sell any unused assets
reduce loans by eg increasing number of investors
debt factoring
sale and leaseback
extended credit
arrange overdraft/loan
cut costs
promote product or serv
Thursday, 5 February 2009
Prelim
I hope you all did well in the Prelim.
I think it was pretty fair and the only problem I would say is that sometimes it is a test of English that sometimes throw people off. And by that I mean students sometimes write the wrong answers when if it was explained in plain English they would be able to rattle off 2,000 words.
Unfortunately that is a problem that has to be met for the final exam.
I have told you that the cut off scores will be inflated by 5% to help for appeals.
Students who totally blow the exam will have to drop down to Int 2. For those students we will see on an individual basis whether it is better for them to sit the Int 2 NABs or to complete the remaining Higher NAB.
For borderline candidates we will talk and see what you feel about it.
And again, I am not being Mr Nasty here. It is just that our job is to make sure you guys all achieve and do not fail. It is better to pass at Int 2 than fail the Higher.
I will try my best to get it marked and returned for you by Monday, but I do have another Higher to mark also. So please don't go mad if it is not done. And again... some other subjects may have it marked quicker than me but that is because they either have only one Higher class or they have more members of staff and they can divide the workload!
I hope you all did well and we shall soon find out!
I think it was pretty fair and the only problem I would say is that sometimes it is a test of English that sometimes throw people off. And by that I mean students sometimes write the wrong answers when if it was explained in plain English they would be able to rattle off 2,000 words.
Unfortunately that is a problem that has to be met for the final exam.
I have told you that the cut off scores will be inflated by 5% to help for appeals.
Students who totally blow the exam will have to drop down to Int 2. For those students we will see on an individual basis whether it is better for them to sit the Int 2 NABs or to complete the remaining Higher NAB.
For borderline candidates we will talk and see what you feel about it.
And again, I am not being Mr Nasty here. It is just that our job is to make sure you guys all achieve and do not fail. It is better to pass at Int 2 than fail the Higher.
I will try my best to get it marked and returned for you by Monday, but I do have another Higher to mark also. So please don't go mad if it is not done. And again... some other subjects may have it marked quicker than me but that is because they either have only one Higher class or they have more members of staff and they can divide the workload!
I hope you all did well and we shall soon find out!
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