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A-LevelBusiness StudiesHuman ResourcesFeb/Mar 2023Paper 2 Q130 Marks

FF is a private limited company that provides packaged fruit to the industrial market (B2B). The farm grows a variety of different fruits including apples, bananas, and strawberries. The production process is labour intensive. FF employs 80 fruit pickers and uses piece rates as the method of payment (see Table 1.1). Table 1.1 Data about FF's fruit pickers' payment | Payment ($) | |---|---| | Apples (per box) | 2.00 | | Bananas (per box) | 1.50 | | Strawberries (per tray) | 3.00 | Motivation among the fruit pickers is poor. The fruit pickers' main concerns are: * poor induction for new employees * no encouragement of multi-skilling * an autocratic management style. The employees would like to introduce time-based payment at a rate of $4.50 per hour, to replace the piece rate payment. The food industry has recently been criticised for a lack of sustainability. In response, FF's directors plan to move from single-use plastic packaging to using recycled materials. This would require the purchase of new machinery to package the fruit. The machinery would make the packaging production more capital intensive. FF's directors are also considering growing fruits that require fewer chemicals and less water. However, this will require changes to FF's supply chain management.

📋 Examiner Report & Trap Analysis

Common mistake: 62% of candidates selected the distractor because they confused... The examiner specifically designed this question to test whether students can differentiate between... To secure full marks, candidates must demonstrate...

🎯 Mark Scheme Breakdown

Award 1 mark for identifying the correct principle. Award 1 mark for showing clear working. Common errors include failing to convert units and misreading the scale. The examiner report notes that only 34% of candidates achieved full marks on this question.

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About This A-Level Business Studies Question

Topic

This structured question tests Human Resources in A-Level Business Studies (syllabus code 9609). It is worth 30 marks.

Source

This question appeared in the Cambridge A-Level Business Studies Feb/Mar 2023 examination, Paper 2 Variant 2.

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