OCR Level 2 Business (Cambridge Nationals) Past Papers

Principles of Working in Business Administration rewards students who know the specific legal requirements affecting employees and employers. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places duties on both employers (provide safe equipment, safe systems of work, adequate training) and employees (take reasonable care of their own safety, not endanger colleagues). Know the difference between employer and employee duties clearly — exam scenarios often ask you to identify which party is responsible for a specific health and safety issue. Communication questions require understanding of when each type is appropriate. Formal written communication (letters, reports) is used for external correspondence, contracts, or records that require an audit trail. Email is appropriate for routine internal communication; instant messaging for quick queries. The choice of communication medium should match the audience, purpose, urgency, and sensitivity of the information — a question about a redundancy letter expects a formal written approach, not a text message. For document management questions, know the principles of effective filing: documents should be stored consistently (alphabetical, numerical, or chronological), accessible to authorised staff, secure from unauthorised access, and retained for legally required periods (payroll records: 3 years; VAT records: 6 years). GDPR applies to personal data in administrative systems — know the principle of data minimisation (only collect what is necessary) and storage limitation (do not keep personal data longer than needed).