A LevelBusinessAQAExam Questions6. Human Resource Management6.6 Improving Employer-Employee Relations

Improving Employer-Employee Relations (AQA A Level Business): Exam Questions

Exam code: 7132

Syllabus Edition

First teaching 2023

Last exams 2027

1 hour14 questions
Easy
Medium
Hard
1
1 mark

A large manufacturer sets up a formal group of elected employee representatives and senior managers. The group meets quarterly to discuss health and safety, training needs and planned technological changes, but does not negotiate pay.

Which form of employee representation is this?

  • A trade union, because employees are formally represented in discussions with management

  • A works council, because it is a consultative body covering workplace issues rather than pay

  • Collective bargaining, because managers and employee representatives negotiate together

  • Industrial action, because employees are acting collectively to influence management

Choose your answer

2
1 mark

Unemployment in an industry rises sharply.

What is the most likely effect on the bargaining power of trade unions in that industry?

  • It will weaken, because employers can more easily replace existing workers

  • It will strengthen, because more workers will choose to join a trade union

  • It will strengthen, because employers will come under pressure to protect jobs

  • It will be unchanged, because bargaining power depends only on the size of the union

Choose your answer

3
2 marks

What is meant by the term 'industrial action'?

How did you do?

4
2 marks

What is meant by the term 'works council'?

How did you do?

5
3 marks

Meredith Hotels has a labour turnover rate of 41% and spends heavily on recruiting replacement staff.

Explain one benefit to Meredith Hotels of improving its employer-employee relations.

How did you do?

6
3 marks

Calder Interiors is a small design studio with 11 employees and a democratic owner-manager.

Explain one reason why employees at Calder Interiors are likely to have a high level of involvement in decision-making.

How did you do?

1
4 marks

Ravensworth Foods employs 300 staff across four sites. Senior managers rarely visit the sites, and employees say they hear about changes only after decisions have been made.

Explain one method Ravensworth Foods could use to improve communication with its employees.

How did you do?

2
4 marks

Ashcombe Engineering is about to introduce new automated machinery that will change how most production roles are carried out.

Explain how good employer-employee relations could help Ashcombe Engineering to introduce this change.

How did you do?

3
5 marks

Bewick Rail employs train drivers, station staff and maintenance engineers. Each of the three groups belongs to a different trade union.

Explain how having several trade unions might affect Bewick Rail.

How did you do?

4
5 marks

Wages account for only 8% of total costs at Halstow Chemicals. The business has recently reported record profits.

Explain how these two factors are likely to affect the bargaining power of the trade union at Halstow Chemicals.

How did you do?

5
6 marks

Grantley Group has grown from 40 employees to 900 in five years. The chief executive still makes most decisions personally and communicates them by email.

Analyse how the growth of Grantley Group is likely to affect employee involvement in decision-making.

How did you do?

1
12 marks

Read the case study in the Insert.

Analyse how setting up the works council may have led to the changes in Human Resource performance data shown in Appendix A.

How did you do?

2
9 marks

Analyse the possible effects on Colvend Distribution of introducing a works council.

How did you do?

3
16 marks

Evaluate whether Marchbank Foods should introduce a works council to improve its employer-employee relations.

How did you do?