BusinessStudies.net - GCSE Revision for AQA Business Studies

2.5 Legislation

Businesses are subject to many laws. You are expected to assess the impact of legislation on business (e.g. cost, training needs, recruitment, and the consequences of failure to follow legislation.

Only a brief description of each law is needed – the effects of the legislation is more important.

We can broadly categorise business laws:

Employment Laws

Businesses breaking employment face very large fines and compensation payments to those affected. Bad publicity can also harm sales.

Businesses should train staff and produce policy documents to make everyone aware of their responsibilies to treat others fairly.

National Minimum Wage

National Living Wage

The Equality Act (2010)

Businesses must not discriminate against anyone. This includes because of a person’s:

All employees must be paid the same amount for doing the same work, or work of equal value, by the same employer.

Other Employment Laws

Other employee entitlements include:

Health and Safety Laws

The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974)

Reasonable steps must be taken to reduce risks, including:

Advantages
Disadvantages

Consumer Laws

There are lots of laws to protect consumers. You do not need to learn them all, but you should be aware of their effects on business.