NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 6: Staffing (NCERT 2026–27)
These Class 12 Business Studies Chapter 6 solutions cover Staffing, the managerial function of filling and keeping filled the positions in the organisation structure. The chapter explains the meaning, need and importance of staffing, its link with Human Resource Management, the steps in the staffing process, the meaning of recruitment and its internal and external sources, the steps in the selection process, and the meaning, importance and methods of training and development (on-the-job and off-the-job). Below you will find step-by-step answers to every Very Short, Short and Long Answer question from the NCERT exercise, plus extra practice, MCQs, Assertion–Reason questions and FAQs — all updated for the 2026–27 session.
Class: 12Subject: Business StudiesBook: Business Studies (Part I)Chapter: 6 – StaffingPart: Principles and Functions of ManagementSession: 2026–27
Chapter 6, Staffing, deals with the human element of management. Staffing is the managerial function of filling and keeping filled the positions in the organisation structure. It begins with workforce planning and includes recruitment, selection, placement, training, development, promotion, compensation and performance appraisal. After planning and organising, staffing puts the right people into the various posts so that the structure created earlier actually works. The chapter establishes staffing as a part of Human Resource Management (HRM) — both a function every manager performs and a specialised, advisory area handled by the HR department, making it both a line and a staff activity. It then describes the eight steps of the staffing process, the meaning of recruitment with its internal sources (transfers, promotions) and external sources (direct recruitment, casual callers, advertisement, employment exchange, placement agencies, campus recruitment, recommendations, labour contractors, advertising on television and web publishing), the steps in the selection process, and the meaning, importance and methods of training and development.
Key Terms & Concepts
Staffing: the managerial function of filling, and keeping filled, the positions in the organisation structure — in simple terms, ‘putting people to jobs’. It includes obtaining, utilising and maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied workforce.
Human Resource Management (HRM): the specialised area of management concerned with the human element — recruiting, analysing jobs, designing compensation, training, maintaining labour relations and handling grievances. Staffing is an inherent part of HRM.
Staffing process (8 steps): (i) estimating manpower requirements, (ii) recruitment, (iii) selection, (iv) placement and orientation, (v) training and development, (vi) performance appraisal, (vii) promotion and career planning, and (viii) compensation.
Recruitment: the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation. It is a positive process that creates a pool of applicants.
Selection: the process of identifying and choosing the best person out of the pool of prospective candidates. It is a negative process because applicants are rejected at each stage.
Internal sources of recruitment: transfers and promotions — filling vacancies from within the organisation.
External sources of recruitment: direct recruitment, casual callers, advertisement, employment exchange, placement agencies and management consultants, campus recruitment, recommendations of employees, labour contractors, advertising on television, and web publishing.
Training: any process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs are increased. It is short-term and job-oriented.
Development: the learning opportunities designed to help employees grow in all respects. It is an ongoing, career-oriented process that includes training.
On-the-job methods: learning while doing, at the workplace — apprenticeship programmes, coaching, internship training and job rotation.
Off-the-job methods: learning before doing, away from the workplace — classroom lectures/conferences, films, case study, computer modelling, vestibule training and programmed instruction.
NCERT Exercise — Full Solutions
All questions below are reproduced verbatim from the NCERT textbook’s end-of-chapter Exercises. Answers are original, written in CBSE exam-ready style.
Very Short Answer Type
1. What is meant by staffing?
ANSWERStaffing is the managerial function of filling, and keeping filled, the positions in the organisation structure. In the simplest terms, it means ‘putting people to jobs’.It begins with workforce planning and includes recruitment, selection, training, development, promotion, compensation and performance appraisal of the workforce. Thus, staffing is concerned with obtaining, utilising and maintaining a satisfactory and satisfied workforce so that the right persons occupy the right positions.
2. State the two important sources of recruitment.
ANSWERThe two important sources of recruitment are:(i) Internal sources — filling vacancies from within the organisation through transfers and promotions.(ii) External sources — attracting candidates from outside the organisation through direct recruitment, advertisement, employment exchanges, campus recruitment, placement agencies, web publishing and so on.
3. The workers of a factory are unable to work on new machines and always demand for help of supervisor. The Supervisor is overburdened with their frequent calls. Suggest the remedy. ( Hint: training)
ANSWERThe remedy is to provide proper training to the workers. Training is the process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs are increased.By training the workers to operate the new machines, they will acquire the required skills and knowledge, be able to work independently and will no longer need to call the supervisor repeatedly. This will reduce the supervisor’s burden, improve productivity and reduce the chances of accidents.
4. The quality of production is not as per standards. On investigation it was observed that most of the workers were not fully aware of the proper operation of the machinery. What could be the way to improve the quality of production to meet the standards? (training).
ANSWERThe way to improve the quality of production is to impart training to the workers.Since the workers are not fully aware of the proper operation of the machinery, training will make them aware of the correct methods of operating the machines. This will enhance their skills and efficiency, reduce wastage, lower the chances of accidents and improve the quality of production so that it meets the required standards.
5. The workers of a factory remain idle because of lack of knowledge of hi-tech machines. Frequent visit of engineer is made which causes high overhead charges. How can this problem be removed. (vestibule training)
ANSWERThe problem can be removed by providing vestibule training to the workers.Under vestibule training, employees learn their jobs on the equipment they will be using, but the training is conducted away from the actual work floor. Actual work environments are created in a classroom and employees use the same materials, files and equipment. This method is suitable when employees are required to handle sophisticated and hi-tech machinery. Once trained, the workers will operate the machines themselves, will not remain idle, and the frequent and costly visits of the engineer (high overhead charges) will be avoided.
Short Answer Type
1. What is meant by recruitment? How is it different from selection?
ANSWERRecruitment may be defined as the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation. Its objective is to create a pool of eligible candidates from which the best can be chosen.Recruitment differs from selection in the following ways:
Basis
Recruitment
Selection
Meaning
Searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply.
Choosing the best candidates out of the pool created by recruitment.
Objective
To create a large pool of applicants.
To pick the most suitable persons and reject the rest.
Nature
A positive process — it attracts more and more applicants.
A negative process — it rejects unsuitable candidates.
Sequence
Precedes selection; comes first.
Follows recruitment; comes later.
Contract
No contractual relation is established.
Leads to a contract of employment with the selected candidate.
2. An organisation provides security services. It requires such candidates who are reliable and don’t leak out the secrets of their clients. What steps should be incorporated in selection process?
ANSWERSince the firm needs reliable and trustworthy candidates who will not leak clients’ secrets, the selection process should specially emphasise the steps that test character, honesty and reliability:(i) Preliminary screening of application forms to weed out obvious misfits.(ii) Personality and interest tests to judge the candidate’s emotions, maturity, value system and overall personality — essential for assessing trustworthiness.(iii) Employment interview to evaluate the candidate’s suitability, confidence and integrity face to face.(iv) Reference and background checks — the most important step here — to verify the candidate’s past record, conduct and reliability from previous employers, teachers and known persons.(v) Medical examination to ensure the candidate is physically fit for the demanding nature of security work.Among these, intelligence, personality and interest tests along with thorough reference and background checks are most critical to ensure the candidates are reliable.
3. A company is manufacturing paper plates and bowls. It produces 1,00,000 plates and bowls each day. Due to local festival, it got an urgent order of extra 50,000 plates and bowls. Explain the method of recruitment that the company should adopt in the given circumstances to meet the order.
ANSWERSince the company has received an urgent order that must be met quickly and at low cost, it should adopt direct recruitment, an external source of recruitment.Under direct recruitment, a notice is placed on the notice-board of the enterprise specifying the details of the jobs available. Job-seekers assemble outside the premises on the specified date and selection is done on the spot.This method is suitable here because: (i) it is followed for casual vacancies of unskilled or semi-skilled jobs, which is exactly what producing extra paper plates and bowls requires; (ii) such workers (known as casual or ‘badli’ workers) are paid on a daily-wage basis; and (iii) it is very inexpensive and fast, as it involves no advertising cost and no lengthy procedure — ideal for meeting a sudden rush of work due to the festival.
4. Distinguish between training and development.
ANSWER
Basis
Training
Development
Meaning
A process of increasing the knowledge and skills of an employee.
A process of learning and overall growth of an employee.
Aim
To enable the employee to do the present job better.
To enable the overall growth of the employee.
Orientation
It is a job-oriented process.
It is a career-oriented process.
Term
It is a short-term process.
It is an ongoing (long-term) process.
Scope
Narrow — limited to specific job skills.
Broad — includes training as well as growth of personality.
5. Why are internal sources of recruitment considered to be more economical?
ANSWERInternal sources of recruitment (transfers and promotions) are considered more economical for the following reasons:(i) No advertising cost: vacancies are filled from within, so the organisation need not spend money on advertising the vacancies or on processing a large number of applications from outside.(ii) Simplified selection: existing candidates are already known to the organisation and can be evaluated more accurately and economically, reducing the cost and time of selection and placement.(iii) No induction training: people recruited from within are already familiar with the organisation, so they do not need costly induction training.Because of these savings on advertising, selection and training, filling jobs internally is cheaper than getting candidates from external sources.
6. ‘ No organisation can be successful unless it fills and keeps the various positions filled with the right kind of people for the right job.’ Elucidate
ANSWERThis statement highlights the importance of staffing. Human resources are the foundation of any business — the right people can take a business to the top, while the wrong people can break it. Hence staffing is the most fundamental and critical driver of organisational performance. Proper staffing ensures the following benefits, which explain why no organisation can succeed without it:(i) It helps in discovering and obtaining competent personnel for various jobs.(ii) It makes for higher performance by putting the right person on the right job.(iii) It ensures the continuous survival and growth of the enterprise through succession planning for managers.(iv) It helps to ensure optimum utilisation of human resources — by avoiding overmanning it prevents under-utilisation and high labour costs, and by indicating shortages in advance it avoids disruption of work.(v) It improves job satisfaction and morale of employees through objective assessment and fair reward.If the right kind of employees are not available, it leads to wastage of materials, time, effort and energy, lower productivity and poor quality. Therefore, an organisation can achieve its goals only when it fills and keeps filled the various positions with the right kind of people for the right job.
Long Answer Type
1. ‘Human resource management includes many specialized activities and duties.’ Explain.
ANSWERHuman Resource Management includes many specialised activities and duties that the human resource personnel must perform. As the organisation grows, a separate HR department with specialists is formed to handle these duties:(i) Recruitment: searching for qualified people and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation.(ii) Analysing jobs: collecting information about jobs to prepare accurate job descriptions.(iii) Developing compensation and incentive plans: designing fair wage, salary and incentive schemes for employees.(iv) Training and development: training and developing employees for efficient performance and career growth.(v) Maintaining labour relations: maintaining good labour relations and union–management relations.(vi) Handling grievances and complaints: attending to and resolving the grievances and complaints of employees.(vii) Providing social security and welfare: arranging for the social security and welfare of employees.(viii) Defending the company in lawsuits: defending the company in lawsuits and avoiding legal complications.Thus, HRM is a separate and specialised function involving many aspects of human relations, which is why a dedicated department with experts in managing people is created in large organisations.
2. Explain the procedure for selection of employees.
ANSWERSelection is the process of identifying and choosing the best person out of a number of prospective candidates for a job. The important steps in the selection process are as follows:(i) Preliminary Screening: it helps the manager eliminate unqualified or unfit job-seekers based on the information supplied in the application forms. Preliminary interviews help reject misfits for reasons that did not appear in the application forms.(ii) Selection Tests: an employment test attempts to measure certain characteristics of individuals. The important tests are — Intelligence tests (measure intelligence quotient and learning ability), Aptitude tests (measure potential for learning new skills), Personality tests (probe emotions, reactions, maturity and value system), Trade tests (measure existing/actual skills) and Interest tests (reveal the pattern of a person’s interests).(iii) Employment Interview: a formal, in-depth conversation conducted to evaluate the applicant’s suitability for the job. The interviewer seeks information and the interviewee provides it (and may also seek information in return).(iv) Reference and Background Checks: employers request names, addresses and telephone numbers of references to verify information and gain additional information about the applicant. Previous employers, known persons, teachers and university professors can act as references.(v) Selection Decision: the final decision is made from among the candidates who pass the tests, interviews and reference checks. The views of the concerned manager are generally given importance, as he is responsible for the new employee’s performance.(vi) Medical Examination: after the selection decision and before the job offer, the candidate undergoes a medical fitness test; the job offer is given to the candidate declared fit.(vii) Job Offer: a job offer is made to applicants who have crossed all previous hurdles, through a letter of appointment containing the date by which the appointee must report on duty.(viii) Contract of Employment: after the offer is accepted, certain documents (such as the attestation form) are executed. A written contract of employment is prepared containing details like job title, duties, responsibilities, date of joining, pay, allowances, hours of work, leave rules, grievance and disciplinary procedure and terms of termination.
3. What are the advantages of training to the individual and to the organisation?
ANSWERTraining and development help both the organisation and the individual employee.Benefits to the organisation:(i) Training is a systematic learning, always better than hit-and-trial methods which lead to wastage of efforts and money.(ii) It enhances employee productivity both in terms of quantity and quality, leading to higher profits.(iii) Training equips the future manager who can take over in case of an emergency.(iv) Training increases employee morale and reduces absenteeism and employee turnover.(v) It helps in obtaining an effective response to a fast-changing environment — technological and economic.Benefits to the individual (employee):(i) Improved skills and knowledge due to training lead to a better career for the individual.(ii) Increased performance by the individual helps him to earn more.(iii) Training makes the employee more efficient to handle machines, and thus less prone to accidents.(iv) Training increases the satisfaction and morale of employees.
4. Kaul Consultants have launched www.naukaripao.com exclusively for senior management professionals. The portal lists out senior level jobs and ensures that the job is genuine through rigorous screening process.
a. State the source of recruitment highlighted in the case above. b. State four benefits of the above identified source of recruitment.
ANSWERa. Source of recruitment highlighted: The source highlighted is Web Publishing (recruitment through the internet) — an external source of recruitment. Here a website (www.naukaripao.com) dedicated to providing information about job seekers and job openings is used to recruit senior management professionals.b. Four benefits of web publishing as a source of recruitment:(i) It provides a wider choice of candidates, as websites are visited by a large number of prospective employees across the country and abroad.(ii) It is convenient and fast — candidates can view requirements and submit profiles online at any time, speeding up the recruitment process.(iii) It is economical, as it reduces the cost of advertising and processing applications compared with traditional methods.(iv) It ensures genuine and suitable candidates, since portals can carry out rigorous screening so that only relevant, verified profiles reach the organisation.
5. A company, Xylo limited, is setting up a new plant in India for manufacturing auto components. India is a highly competitive and cost effective production base in this sector. Many reputed car manufacturers source their auto components from here. Xylo limited is planning to capture about 40% of the market share in India and also export to the tune of at least ₹ 50 crores in about 2 years of its planned operations. To achieve these targets it requires a highly trained and motivated work force. You have been retained by the company to advise it in this matter. While giving answers keep in mind the sector the company is operating.
a. Outline the process of staffing the company should follow. b. Which sources of recruitment the company should rely upon. Give reasons for your recommendation. c. Outline the process of selection the company should follow with reasons.
ANSWERa. Process of staffing Xylo Limited should follow: Since it is a new enterprise requiring a highly trained and motivated workforce, it should follow the complete staffing process: (i) Estimating manpower requirements — carry out workload and workforce analysis to find the number and type of personnel needed; (ii) Recruitment — create a pool of qualified applicants; (iii) Selection — choose the best candidates through tests and interviews; (iv) Placement and orientation — place each person on the right job and familiarise them with the organisation; (v) Training and development — train workers for the technical, precision work of auto-component manufacturing; (vi) Performance appraisal; (vii) Promotion and career planning; and (viii) Compensation — offer attractive pay and incentives to keep the workforce motivated.b. Sources of recruitment recommended: The company should rely mainly on external sources, with reasons: (i) being a new enterprise, it cannot use internal sources as it has no existing employees to transfer or promote; (ii) external sources provide qualified and trained personnel and fresh talent needed for technical auto-component work; and (iii) they give a wider choice of candidates. Suitable external sources are campus recruitment (from management and technical institutes for skilled, professional and managerial jobs), advertisement (for senior positions, giving wider choice), placement agencies and management consultants (for technical and executive placements) and web publishing.c. Process of selection to follow: Because the work is technical and precision-based, the company should follow a rigorous selection process: (i) Preliminary screening of application forms; (ii) Selection tests — especially aptitude and trade tests to measure technical potential and actual skills, along with intelligence, personality and interest tests; (iii) Employment interview to judge suitability; (iv) Reference and background checks to verify the candidate’s record; (v) Selection decision with the concerned manager’s views; (vi) Medical examination to confirm fitness; (vii) Job offer; and (viii) Contract of employment. This rigour ensures the company gets the best, technically competent and reliable people needed to achieve its ambitious targets.
6. A major insurance company handled all recruiting, screening and training processes for data entry/customer service representatives. Their competitor was attracting most of the qualified, potential employees in their market. Recruiting was made even more difficult by the strong economy and the ‘jobseeker’s market.’ This resulted in the client having to choose from candidates who had the ‘soft’ skills needed for the job, but lacked the proper ‘hard’ skills and training.
a. As an HR manager what problems do you see in the company? b. How do you think it can be resolved and what would be its impact on the company?
ANSWERa. Problems seen in the company:(i) Weak recruitment / poor sourcing: the company is unable to attract qualified, potential employees because its competitor is drawing most of them away — its sources of recruitment are not effective in a tight, jobseeker’s market.(ii) Shortage of hard skills: the candidates available have the required ‘soft’ skills (communication, attitude) but lack the proper ‘hard’ skills and technical training needed for data-entry and customer-service work.(iii) Inadequate training: the company has not arranged training to convert candidates with soft skills into fully skilled employees.b. How it can be resolved and its impact:The company should widen and strengthen its recruitment sources — use campus recruitment, web publishing, advertisement and placement agencies to attract more applicants — and, most importantly, set up a strong training and development programme to build the missing hard skills. It can recruit candidates with good soft skills and then train them in the required technical skills through suitable on-the-job and off-the-job methods.Impact: the company will build a steady talent pipeline, fill positions with competent and skilled employees, improve productivity and service quality, reduce dependence on a scarce external supply of ready-made talent, and gain a competitive edge over its rival.
7. Ms. Jayshree recently completed her Post Graduate Diploma in Human Resource Management. A few months from now a large steel manufacturing company appointed her as its human resource manager. As of now, the company employs 800 persons and has an expansion plan in hand which may require another 200 persons for various types of additional requirements. Ms. Jayshree has been given complete charge of the company’s Human Resource Department.
a. Point out, what functions is she supposed to perform? b. What problems do you foresee in her job? c. What steps is she going to take to perform her job efficiently? d. How significant is her role in the organisation?
ANSWERa. Functions she is supposed to perform: As HR manager she must perform the specialised HRM duties — recruitment of qualified people; analysing jobs and preparing job descriptions; developing compensation and incentive plans; training and development of employees; maintaining labour and union–management relations; handling grievances and complaints; providing for social security and welfare of employees; and defending the company in lawsuits and avoiding legal complications. She must also carry out the staffing process for the 200 additional persons required by the expansion plan.b. Problems foreseen in her job: (i) recruiting and selecting 200 additional persons of various types within a limited time; (ii) finding qualified and trained personnel for technical steel-manufacturing jobs; (iii) arranging proper training for new and existing employees; (iv) maintaining good labour and union relations and keeping the existing 800 employees motivated; and (v) handling grievances and ensuring industrial peace during expansion.c. Steps to perform her job efficiently: She should (i) estimate manpower requirements through workload and workforce analysis; (ii) tap suitable internal and external sources of recruitment (promotions/transfers for existing staff, campus recruitment, advertisement and placement agencies for new technical staff); (iii) follow a rigorous selection process; (iv) provide placement, orientation and training/development; (v) design fair compensation and incentive plans; and (vi) build sound systems for performance appraisal, promotion, grievance handling and welfare.d. Significance of her role: Her role is highly significant because she deals with the human element — the most important asset of the organisation. The performance and success of the steel company in achieving its goals and its expansion targets depend greatly on the competence, motivation and performance of its human resources, which she is responsible for obtaining, utilising and maintaining. Thus, effective staffing by her is fundamental and critical to organisational performance.
Extra Practice Questions
Short Answer Type Questions
Q1. State the need and importance of staffing.
ANSWERIn any organisation people are needed to perform work, and the staffing function finds the right people for the right job. Staffing is important because it helps discover competent personnel, ensures higher performance by putting the right person on the right job, ensures continuous survival and growth through succession planning, helps in optimum utilisation of human resources by avoiding overmanning and understaffing, and improves the job satisfaction and morale of employees.
Q2. Why is staffing called both a line and a staff activity?
ANSWERStaffing is a line activity because filling and keeping filled the positions in an organisation is an essential function that every manager must perform for his own department. It is a staff activity because, in large organisations, a specialised Human Resource Department performs an advisory role, assisting line managers in recruiting, selecting, training and managing people. Hence staffing is referred to as both a line and a staff activity.
Q3. What is meant by ‘placement’ and ‘orientation’?
ANSWERPlacement refers to the employee occupying the position or post for which the person has been selected. Orientation is introducing the selected employee to other employees and familiarising him with the rules and policies of the organisation. The new employee is given a brief presentation about the company, introduced to superiors, subordinates and colleagues, and shown around the workplace before being given charge of the job.
Q4. Differentiate between training and education.
ANSWERTraining is the process by which the aptitudes, skills and abilities of employees to perform specific jobs are increased; it is job-oriented and tied to the goals of the organisation. Education is the process of increasing the knowledge and understanding of employees; it develops a logical and rational mind, imparts qualities of mind and character, and is broader in scope than training, being tied more to the goals of the individual.
Q5. Explain ‘casual callers’ as a source of recruitment.
ANSWERMany reputed business organisations keep a database of unsolicited applicants (casual callers) in their offices. Such job-seekers can be a valuable source of manpower. A list of these applicants is prepared and screened to fill vacancies as they arise. The major merit of this source is that it reduces the cost of recruiting the workforce in comparison to other external sources.
Long Answer Type Questions
Q1. Explain the steps involved in the staffing process.
ANSWERThe staffing process involves the following steps: (i) Estimating manpower requirements — analysing the number and type of personnel needed through workload and workforce analysis. (ii) Recruitment — searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply, creating a pool of candidates. (iii) Selection — choosing the best from the pool through tests and interviews. (iv) Placement and orientation — placing the selected person on the right job and familiarising him with the organisation. (v) Training and development — facilitating employee learning for present and future jobs. (vi) Performance appraisal — evaluating an employee’s current and past performance against predetermined standards and giving feedback. (vii) Promotion and career planning — addressing career issues and offering promotional avenues. (viii) Compensation — establishing wage and salary plans and rewards for employees.
Q2. Discuss the merits and limitations of external sources of recruitment.
ANSWERMerits of external sources: (i) Qualified personnel — the management can attract qualified and trained people to apply for vacant jobs; (ii) Wider choice — when vacancies are advertised widely, a large number of applicants apply, giving the management a wider choice; (iii) Fresh talent — external recruitment brings new blood and provides a wider choice when existing employees are insufficient; (iv) Competitive spirit — existing staff have to compete with outsiders and work harder to show better performance. Limitations: (i) Dissatisfaction among existing staff — they may feel their chances of promotion are reduced; (ii) Lengthy process — recruitment from external sources takes a long time as the firm must notify vacancies and wait for applications; (iii) Costly process — a lot of money is spent on advertisement and processing of applications.
Q3. Explain the on-the-job and off-the-job methods of training.
ANSWEROn-the-job methods (learning while doing, at the workplace): (i) Apprenticeship programmes — the trainee works under the guidance of a master worker for a prescribed period to acquire a higher level of skill (e.g., plumbers, electricians); (ii) Coaching — a superior guides and instructs the trainee as a coach, often to groom him to replace the senior; (iii) Internship training — a joint programme of educational institutions and business firms where students study and also work to gain practical skills; (iv) Job rotation — shifting the trainee from one department or job to another for a broader understanding of the business. Off-the-job methods (learning before doing, away from the workplace): (i) Classroom lectures/conferences — for conveying specific information, rules and procedures; (ii) Films — to demonstrate skills not easily shown otherwise; (iii) Case study — analysing real organisational problems to develop solutions; (iv) Computer modelling — simulating the work environment without real-life risk or cost; (v) Vestibule training — learning on actual equipment in a classroom setting away from the work floor; (vi) Programmed instruction — information broken into sequential units that the trainee works through by answering questions.
MCQs & Assertion–Reason
1. Staffing has been described as the managerial function of:
(a) creating the organisation structure (b) filling and keeping filled the positions in the organisation structure (c) setting objectives (d) controlling performance
2. Which of the following is an internal source of recruitment?
For each Assertion–Reason question, choose: (A) Both true and the Reason correctly explains the Assertion; (B) Both true but the Reason is not the correct explanation; (C) Assertion true, Reason false; (D) Assertion false, Reason true.
A-R 1. Assertion: Recruitment is called a positive process.
Reason: Recruitment aims to attract more and more applicants to create a large pool of candidates.
A-R 2. Assertion: Internal sources of recruitment are more economical than external sources.
Reason: Internal recruitment avoids advertising costs, simplifies selection and needs no induction training.
A-R 3. Assertion: A new enterprise can fully rely on internal sources of recruitment.
Reason: Internal sources include transfers and promotions of existing employees.
A-R 4. Assertion: Staffing is an inherent part of Human Resource Management.
Reason: Staffing is the practice of finding, evaluating and establishing a working relationship with people, for a purpose.
A-R 5. Assertion: Vestibule training is conducted on the actual work floor.
Reason: In vestibule training, employees learn their jobs on the equipment they will use, but training is conducted away from the actual work floor.
Answer key: 1-(A), 2-(A), 3-(D), 4-(A), 5-(D).
Exam Tips & Common Mistakes
How to score full marks in this chapter
Learn the definition of staffing (filling and keeping filled the positions) and the eight steps of the staffing process in order. For recruitment, memorise the two internal sources and the ten external sources, and be ready to identify the source from a case (a very common board question). For selection, learn the seven/eight steps in sequence and the five types of selection tests with their meanings. Always distinguish recruitment (positive) from selection (negative), and training (short-term, job-oriented) from development (ongoing, career-oriented). In case-study questions, name the concept, link it to the hint in the case, and justify with reasons.
Common mistakes to avoid
Confusing recruitment (creating a pool) with selection (choosing from the pool).
Mixing up internal sources (transfers, promotions) with external sources (advertisement, campus, web publishing, etc.).
Confusing training with development and education — remember training is short-term and job-oriented.
Wrongly classifying training methods — vestibule training and case study are off-the-job, while job rotation and coaching are on-the-job.
Writing the steps of the selection process in the wrong order — medical examination comes after the selection decision, then the job offer, then the contract of employment.
In case-study questions, naming the concept without giving reasons linked to the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Chapter 6 of Class 12 Business Studies about?
Chapter 6, Staffing, explains the managerial function of filling and keeping filled the positions in the organisation structure. It covers the meaning, need and importance of staffing, its link with Human Resource Management, the staffing process, recruitment and its sources, the steps of selection, and the methods of training and development.
What is the difference between recruitment and selection?
Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply, creating a pool of candidates — it is a positive process. Selection is the process of choosing the best persons from that pool and rejecting the rest — it is a negative process that follows recruitment.
What are the on-the-job and off-the-job methods of training?
On-the-job methods (learning while doing) include apprenticeship programmes, coaching, internship training and job rotation. Off-the-job methods (learning before doing) include classroom lectures/conferences, films, case study, computer modelling, vestibule training and programmed instruction.
