Key term
CCEA AS-Level Business 3210
Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
The Central Purpose of Business Activity
Forms of Business Ownership
Stakeholder Groups
Markets and Market Forces
Quality Management
Topic overviewWhat is quality?Total quality management, quality assurance and quality control definedThe advantages and disadvantages of TQMThe advantages and disadvantages of quality assurance and quality controlISO 9000 certification and the quality policyQuality control and quality assurance reviewedTQM, control and assurance comparedThe approaches to quality, and the case for and against TQMQuality control and quality assurance weighedISO 9000 certification, and how quality is measuredQuality as a dimension of competitiveness
Productivity and Investment
Organisational Design
Topic overviewHierarchy, span of control, chain of command and delegationCentralised, decentralised, tall, flat and matrix structuresCentralisation versus decentralisation, delayering, and the effects of designCentralisation and decentralisation weighedTall and flat structures weighedOutsourcingCentralisation, structure and outsourcing
Investing in People
Topic overviewSuccession planning, skills audits and the factors behind people investmentThe benefits and drawbacks of investing in peopleMethods of recruitment and selectionTraining and appraisal methodsOnline recruitment and selectionOnline training and appraisalInduction training: content, benefits and drawbacksOn-the-job training: methods, advantages and drawbacksOff-the-job training: methods, advantages and drawbacksContinuing professional developmentChoosing a training methodInternal and external methods of recruitmentInternal versus external recruitment weighedThe stages of selection, and the methods usedPsychometric testing: what it measures and what it missesPsychometric testingThe purpose of appraisal, and its benefits and drawbacksTechnology in the appraisal processOnline recruitment and selection technologyOnline training and appraisal technologyThe benefits and drawbacks of online HR processes
Motivation
Topic overviewTaylor's scientific management and Maslow's hierarchyHerzberg's two-factor theory, and the limits of each theoryTaylor and Maslow reviewedHerzberg's hygiene factors and motivators in detailMonetary and non-monetary methods of motivationLeadership styles, and choosing a method of motivationThe monetary methods of paymentThe monetary methods weighed, and calculating commissionJob design, empowerment, team working and flexible workingRecognition and development, and how non-monetary methods link to theory
Principles of Management and Leadership
Market Size, Share and Growth
The Degree of Competition in a Market
Market Research
The Marketing Mix
Elasticity of Demand
The Product Life Cycle
Market Planning and Strategy
E-Business and E-Commerce
Sources of Finance
Break-Even Analysis
Cash Flow
Cash Flow Forecasts
Budgeting
Organisational Design
- 7 subtopics
- 21 things to know
- Unit AS 1
What Organisational Design covers
Organisational design is examined in Unit AS 1, Introduction to Business. It covers hierarchy, span of control, chain of command and delegation, centralised, decentralised, tall, flat and matrix structures, centralisation versus decentralisation, delayering, and the effects of design, centralisation and decentralisation weighed, tall and flat structures weighed and outsourcing.
Where it is assessed
Unit AS 1
Introduction to Business, written examination, 20% of A level.
Check the CCEA specification ↗The 7 subtopics
Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Business students sit this topic in the first year.
- Hierarchy, span of control, chain of command and delegationHierarchy in the context of organisational structure, why a narrow span of control creates a taller structure and chain of command.Open →
- Centralised, decentralised, tall, flat and matrix structuresThree features of a tall organisational structure, span of control is associated with tall structures and key characteristics of a flat organisational structure.Open →
- Centralisation versus decentralisation, delayering, and the effects of designHow decentralisation can improve staff motivation, how centralisation can lead to economies of scale in purchasing and how organisational design affects coordination of activities.Open →
- Centralisation and decentralisation weighedCentralised organisational structure and tall organisational structure.Open →
- Tall and flat structures weighedHierarchy is typically associated with centralised structures, hierarchy is typically associated with decentralised structures and chain of command.Open →
- OutsourcingService companies in the context of outsourcing and dependency on third parties as a disadvantage of outsourcing.Open →
- Centralisation, structure and outsourcingCentralised organisational structure, tall organisational structure and one advantage and one disadvantage of centralisation.Open →
What you need to know
Answer each one before you reveal it.
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Key term
Define a centralised organisational structure.
Key term
What is a decentralised organisational structure?
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What does a flat structure do for communication, costs and employees, and what does it deny them?
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What does decentralisation do for speed, motivation and local knowledge, and what does it risk?
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What is the chain of command, what does delegation involve, and who stays responsible for a delegated decision?
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What does organisational design involve in relation to hierarchy structure?
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What characterises a centralised organisational structure?
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State three features of a tall organisational structure.
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How does decentralisation enable faster local decisions?
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Explain how decentralisation can improve staff motivation.
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Define a tall organisational structure.
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How do tall structures facilitate supervision of employees?
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What is outsourcing?
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What are service companies in the context of outsourcing?
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Define hierarchy in the context of organisational structure.
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What type of span of control is associated with tall structures?
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Why does decentralisation improve responsiveness to local market conditions?
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How does centralisation help ensure consistency across an organisation?
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Why can communication be slower in tall organisational structures?
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How can outsourcing to specialist providers lead to cost reduction?
Take Organisational Design further
The same content, four other ways.
Questions from this topic
Each one with the model answer underneath.
- 1
What does organisational design involve in relation to hierarchy structure?
Model answer
Decisions about the levels of authority and responsibility within the business, typically arranged as a pyramid with senior management at the top.
- 2
Define hierarchy in the context of organisational structure.
Model answer
The levels of authority and responsibility within an organisation, typically represented as a pyramid with senior management at the top.
- 3
What aspect of organisational design concerns span of control?
Model answer
Decisions about how many subordinates each manager directly supervises.
- 4
What happens to organisational structure when a manager has a wide span of control?
Model answer
There are fewer hierarchical levels, resulting in a flatter structure.
- 5
Why does a wide span of control lead to fewer layers in an organisation?
Model answer
Because each manager supervises many subordinates, fewer management levels are needed to oversee the entire workforce.
- 6
How does a narrow span of control affect the number of hierarchical levels?
Model answer
It results in more hierarchical levels and a taller organisational structure.
What is inside Levo
Six ways to work the same material.
Organisational Design revision questions
- Is Organisational Design examined at AS in CCEA Business?
- Yes. It sits in Unit AS 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
- What does Organisational Design cover in CCEA AS-Level Business?
- 7 subtopics: hierarchy, span of control, chain of command and delegation, centralised, decentralised, tall, flat and matrix structures, centralisation versus decentralisation, delayering, and the effects of design, centralisation and decentralisation weighed, tall and flat structures weighed, outsourcing and centralisation, structure and outsourcing. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
- How is Organisational Design organised?
- By the CCEA 3210 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.
Every question in Organisational Design, on a schedule.
Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.
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