Business Operations | AQA GCSE Business (8132)
Business Operations
- 79 questions
- 5 subtopics
- Paper 1
- Paper 1
Business Operations is examined in Paper 1, Influences of operations and HRM on business activity.
It covers job, flow and lean production, managing stock: just in time and just in case, suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chains, quality control, quality assurance and TQM and customer service and the sales process.
Sample questions from Business Operations
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Job, flow and lean production
What are the disadvantages of flow production?
Show the answer
A production line needs a large investment in machinery at the start. Repetitive work can bore staff, and one breakdown can halt the whole line. -
Job, flow and lean production
What is lean production?
Show the answer
Lean production is a set of methods that aim to cut waste of every kind in production. Waste includes materials, time, space and effort. -
Managing stock: just in time and just in case
How does just in time stock management work?
Show the answer
A business holds almost no stock and orders supplies to arrive exactly when needed. Deliveries are small and frequent. -
Managing stock: just in time and just in case
Why does JIT depend on reliable suppliers?
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A late or faulty delivery can halt production because no buffer stock is held. Suppliers must deliver the right quantity and quality on time, every time. -
Suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chains
Why is reliability a factor in choosing a supplier?
Show the answer
A reliable supplier delivers the right goods on time, every time. Unreliable deliveries can halt production and lose sales. -
Suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chains
What is a supply chain?
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A supply chain is every business involved in getting a product from raw materials to the final customer. Growers, manufacturers, wholesalers, transport firms and retailers can all be links. -
Quality control, quality assurance and TQM
What is quality control?
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Quality control is checking products for faults, usually by inspection at the end of production. Faulty items are rejected or reworked. -
Quality control, quality assurance and TQM
What is a product recall, and why is it costly?
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A product recall is when a business asks customers to return a faulty or unsafe product. The business must pay for refunds or repairs, and its reputation suffers.
The 5 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Job, flow and lean production | Job and flow production with their advantages and drawbacks, when each suits a business, labour productivity worked through a bakery example, lean production, just in time and kaizen. | 16 |
| Managing stock: just in time and just in case | Just in case stock and buffer stock, the costs of holding stock, how just in time works and depends on suppliers, lost bulk-buying discounts, and cases from sandwich shops to hospitals. | 15 |
| Suppliers, procurement, logistics and supply chains | Procurement and logistics, choosing suppliers on price, quality and reliability, lowering unit costs, balancing cost against service, supply chains, and what happens when one link fails. | 16 |
| Quality control, quality assurance and TQM | What customers expect of goods and services, identifying and measuring quality, quality control against quality assurance, total quality management, product recalls, and quality problems as a business grows. | 16 |
| Customer service and the sales process | The stages of the sales process, product knowledge, customer engagement, post-sales services, loyalty, the damage done by poor service and word of mouth, and service through websites and social media. | 16 |
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.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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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.
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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
AQA GCSE Business Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 659 questions with their answers.