Resource Management | Edexcel A-Level Business (9BS0)
Resource Management
- 98 questions
- 4 subtopics
- Theme 2: managing business activities
- Paper 2 and Paper 3
Resource management is the fourth section of Theme 2.
It covers how a business actually makes what it sells, how hard its capacity is working, how it holds stock without tying up cash or running out, and how it keeps quality high enough to protect the brand.
Sample questions from Resource Management
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
-
Production, productivity and efficiency
How does the quality of capital equipment affect productivity?
Show the answer
Higher quality, more advanced equipment enables workers to produce greater output per unit of input. -
Production, productivity and efficiency
In what way does technology employed affect efficiency?
Show the answer
Better technology can reduce production costs and time, enabling production at lower average cost. -
Capacity utilisation
What would happen to unit costs if a factory increased its capacity utilisation from 50% to 80%?
Show the answer
Unit costs would fall because fixed costs would be spread over a greater number of units. -
Capacity utilisation
Explain how marketing and promotion can improve capacity utilisation.
Show the answer
They can increase demand for products, meaning more of the available capacity is used to meet higher sales. -
Stock control
How does buffer stock protect against inaccurate demand forecasting?
Show the answer
It acts as a safety margin when actual demand exceeds predicted levels, preventing stockouts. -
Stock control
What would happen to a JIT manufacturer if their sole supplier experienced a factory fire?
Show the answer
Production would likely halt due to vulnerability to supply chain disruptions and lack of buffer stock. -
Quality management
How do quality circles empower employees?
Show the answer
By involving them in decision-making about quality improvements in their work area. -
Quality management
What is the difference between continuous improvement and radical change?
Show the answer
Continuous improvement focuses on many small improvements over time, whereas radical change involves occasional large transformations.
The 4 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Production, productivity and efficiency | Job, batch, flow and cell production, labour productivity, efficiency and capital intensity, and how each affects competitiveness. | 25 |
| Capacity utilisation | The capacity utilisation calculation, what under-utilisation does to unit costs and profit, the risks of over-utilisation, and the ways a business raises its utilisation, from marketing and subcontracting to rationalisation. | 20 |
| Stock control | Stock control diagrams, buffer stock, reorder levels and lead times, the costs of poor stock control, just in time management and its risks, and waste minimisation and lean production as sources of competitive advantage. | 27 |
| Quality management | Quality control against quality assurance, quality circles, Total Quality Management and Kaizen, and how quality builds competitive advantage. | 26 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
-
Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
-
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
-
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
Edexcel A-Level Business Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,305 questions with their answers.