Topic study hub

Organisational structures

Organisational structures in AQA GCSE Business 8132 focuses on how real firms make decisions in the human resources part of the course. Students should connect key terms to business context, use evidence from case studies, and explain the likely effect on costs, revenue, profit, cash flow, customers, employees, owners, and other stakeholders. Strong revision separates similar concepts, weighs advantages against disadvantages, and uses figures where calculations or financial evidence are relevant. Exam answers should move beyond definitions by applying the idea to a specific business objective and reaching a justified judgement.

4

Objectives

20

Flashcards

20

Questions

90 min

Study time

AQAGCSEBusinessHuman resources

Choose a revision tool

Start revising Organisational structures

Syllabus checklist

What you need to know

4 objective pages available

Structures and communication4 objectives
  • Explain internal organisational structures, span of control, chain of command, delayering and delegation.
  • Explain why businesses have internal organisational structures and different job roles and responsibilities.
  • Explain how tall and flat structures affect management.
  • Explain how organisational structure may affect communication.

Key terms

organisational structurespan of controlchain of commandExplainbusinessestallflatstructuresorganisational

Exam tips

  • Structures and communication exam tip 1: Use precise subject-specific vocabulary when you explain how to explain internal organisational structures, span of control, chain of command, delayering and delegation..
  • Compare evidence for Structures and communication: Compare the scenario evidence before evaluating chain of command, delegation, span of control, organisational structure: mention LocalLoop, refer to average transaction value or ?11,140, and explain the effect on the shareholders.

Common mistakes

  • Structures and communication common mistake 1: Answer by clearly explaining how to explain internal organisational structures, span of control, chain of command, delayering and delegation..
  • Do not turn chain of command, delegation, span of control, organisational structure into a generic Organisational structures point: Start with the business evidence, explain how Structures and communication changes the decision, then judge whether the benefit outweighs the cost or risk for SwiftServe. Separate margin versus markup before writing the final recommendation.

Practice preview

Continue by objective

Objectives are grouped by subtopic so students can jump straight to the exact skill they want to revise.

Organisational structures Revision - AQA Business 8132 | ExamCompanion