These ten questions mix the five lessons in recruitment and training. They are original and use fictional Malaysian businesses.
They start with short classification and move to calculation and a longer judgement. They are not past paper questions and carry no marks.
Business Studies 0450 and Business 0264 are different specifications, so check the content list for your own code on the Cambridge syllabus page. The reasoning practised here applies to both.
How to use this set
Write each answer on paper before you open the worked answer. Use full sentences for the written questions.
Then compare your reasoning with the steps shown. The mistake log is a simple way to record which type of error you made.
Questions
Q1. Easy. Roti Canai Pak Hassan in Penang advertises for a kitchen helper. Sort each item into job description (JD) or person specification (PS): (a) wash dishes and clean tables; (b) can lift 15 kg of flour sacks; (c) work 6 am to 2 pm, six days a week; (d) some experience in a food stall.
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(a) JD, it is a task. (b) PS, it is a physical ability needed by the job. (c) JD, it is a working pattern. (d) PS, it is experience.
Q2. Easy. A delivery firm in Klang needs a rider. Which requirement is not relevant? (a) a valid motorcycle licence; (b) knowledge of local roads; (c) living in the owner’s housing estate. Explain.
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(c) is not relevant. Where someone lives does not decide whether they can deliver parcels safely. A licence and road knowledge link directly to the riding tasks in the job.
Q3. Easy. Is each point more linked to internal (I) or external (E) recruitment? (a) The person already knows the systems; (b) new ideas from another firm; (c) leaves another post empty; (d) wide choice of applicants.
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(a) I. (b) E. (c) I. (d) E.
Q4. Medium. Kedai Runcit Maju in Melaka needs a manager. External route: advert RM450 plus 3 interviews, each costing the owner RM120 of time. Internal route: training RM500, no advert. Compare the total costs.
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External: RM450 + (3 × RM120) = RM450 + RM360 = RM810. Internal: RM500. The internal route is RM810 − RM500 = RM310 cheaper. A full answer adds that internal promotion leaves another vacancy, so the gap may be smaller.
Q5. Medium. Sort into induction or ongoing training: (a) a new waiter is shown the fire exits on day one; (b) a senior waiter learns the new ordering app in month eight; (c) a new cashier is introduced to the team in week one; (d) a supervisor attends a leadership course.
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(a) Induction. (b) Ongoing training. (c) Induction. (d) Ongoing training. Induction is for new starters at the start, and ongoing training is for existing staff.
Q6. Medium. Name three topics an induction for a new shop assistant might cover, and say why each helps the business.
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Examples: the layout of the shop and where stock is kept (so the assistant helps customers faster); safety and security rules (to avoid accidents and losses); how to use the till (to reduce mistakes with money). Any three topics with a reason linked to the business earn full credit.
Q7. Medium. Kafe Teratak in Ipoh sends 3 staff on a food-hygiene course. Fee: RM180 each. Each is paid RM80 for the course day and does no other work. After the course, wasted food falls and the café saves RM60 a day. Find the total cost and the payback period.
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Direct cost: 3 × RM180 = RM540. Wages with no work: 3 × RM80 = RM240. Total: RM540 + RM240 = RM780. Payback: RM780 ÷ RM60 = 13 days.
Q8. Harder. Bengkel Aiman in Shah Alam spends RM2,400 training workers. It expects an extra RM400 profit each month. (a) Find the payback period. (b) A worker is expected to stay 9 months. What is the net gain? (c) What if the worker leaves after 4 months?
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(a) RM2,400 ÷ RM400 = 6 months. (b) 9 × RM400 = RM3,600. Net gain: RM3,600 − RM2,400 = RM1,200. (c) 4 × RM400 = RM1,600. Net result: RM1,600 − RM2,400 = a loss of RM800. Trained staff leaving early can turn a good plan into a loss.
Q9. Harder. A case says: “The owner must give each new employee a written contract. A manager takes 2 hours per contract, valued at RM50 an hour. Three people will be hired.” (a) Find the cost. (b) A student writes, “The law says the firm must also pay a yearly bonus.” Why is this unsupported?
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(a) 3 × 2 = 6 hours. 6 × RM50 = RM300. (b) The case never states a bonus rule. Adding it invents a legal fact, which could be wrong and earns no credit. A safe alternative is, “The owner should also check any other legal duties that apply.”
Q10. Harder, written. Hajah Salmah’s bakery in Ipoh needs a senior baker. Hafiz, an assistant baker of two years, wants the post. Promotion needs RM580 of training. An advert costs RM450. The owner wants someone who can introduce new recipes. Recommend a route and justify it.
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Model answer. Cost gap: RM580 − RM450 = RM130, a small difference, so cost is not the deciding factor. Hafiz already knows the ovens, the team and the customers, and a promotion may raise morale. Hiring externally could bring new recipes, which the owner wants. However, the case does not show that Hafiz cannot develop new recipes, and a new baker would need induction time. I recommend promoting Hafiz because he is known and the cost gap is small, provided the owner can fill the assistant baker post. If the owner decides new recipes are the main need, external hiring would be better.
A strong answer gives a choice, uses at least two case facts, and states the condition.
If you got these wrong
| Where the error was | What it means | Go back to |
|---|---|---|
| Q1 and Q2 | Mixing tasks with personal qualities, or including irrelevant requirements | Specify a role’s relevant requirements |
| Q3, Q4 and Q10 | Missing the vacancy left behind, or stopping at a list of advantages | Compare internal and external recruitment |
| Q5 and Q6 | Calling all training induction | Distinguish induction from ongoing training |
| Q7 and Q8 | Leaving out wages for the training day, or ignoring staff who leave | Explain a training cost-benefit relationship |
| Q9 | Adding legal facts the case never gave | Avoid unsupported employment-law claims |
The cash versus profit bridge is useful for Q7 and Q8, where money goes out before the benefit comes in.
If you want a teacher to look at your written answers and show where the case link is missing, our online one-to-one Business tuition is built around that kind of feedback.