EDEXCEL GCSE BUSINESS · PAPER 2
Exam Practice: Motivation
Motivation · Making human resource decisions · Lesson 4 of 4 · 17 marks · 25 minutes
Name Date
Answer all questions. Use the context of the business in the question where one is given.
Question 1 DEFINE [1 mark]
Define the term 'commission'.
Question 2 STATE [1 mark]
State one non-financial method of motivation.
Question 3 EXPLAIN [3 marks]
Explain one benefit to a business of using non-financial methods to motivate its staff.
Question 4 EVALUATE [12 marks]
|
SOURCE CallDirect Ltd runs a customer contact centre with 150 staff who answer phone calls all day. Staff turnover is 45% a year, and a staff survey says the work is "boring and repetitive" and staff feel "nobody notices" good work. The average pay is similar to other contact centres nearby. |
Evaluate whether CallDirect Ltd should use financial or non-financial methods to motivate its staff.
Answers
Check your answer only once you have written one.
Question 1 [1 mark]
A payment to sales staff calculated as a percentage of the value of the sales they make.
▸ Percentage of sales paid to the salesperson 1 mark
Question 2 [1 mark]
Job enrichment.
▸ Any one of: job rotation; job enrichment; autonomy; praise / recognition 1 mark
Question 3 [3 marks]
They are cheap (1). Methods such as praise and job rotation cost little or nothing, unlike pay rises or bonuses (1). This means the business can improve staff motivation and productivity without significantly increasing its costs (1).
▸ A benefit identified, e.g. cheap / more interesting work / staff feel trusted / builds skills 1 mark
▸ First linked point of explanation 1 mark
▸ Second linked point of explanation 1 mark
Question 4 [12 marks]
Financial methods, such as a bonus for customer satisfaction targets, would give staff a clear reward for good work, and could reduce the 45% turnover if CallDirect paid more than nearby contact centres. However, CallDirect's pay is already similar to its rivals', and the survey does not complain about pay. A bonus would also add significantly to costs across 150 staff. Non-financial methods tackle the problems staff actually describe. Job rotation - moving staff between calls, emails and live chat - could reduce the boredom of repetitive work, and regular praise and recognition would answer the complaint that "nobody notices" good work. These methods are cheap. On balance CallDirect should focus on non-financial methods, because the survey shows the causes of high turnover are boredom and lack of recognition, not pay. However, it depends on whether rotation is practical in a contact centre; a small bonus alongside recognition might work best of all.
▸ AO2 (Application, 4 marks): uses the context - 150 staff, 45% turnover, survey comments, pay similar to rivals Level 1-4
▸ AO3a (Analysis, 4 marks): chains of reasoning about financial and non-financial methods Level 1-4
▸ AO3b (Evaluation, 4 marks): a supported judgement, with "it depends on" Level 1-4