Edexcel A-Level Business Theme 1 Practice Test

Maslow's hierarchy of needs. This idea suggests people have a ladder of needs, starting with basic physical requirements like food and shelter, then safety, followed by social belonging, then esteem, and finally self-actualization. The point is that lower-level needs tend to be satisfied first, and only after that do higher-level motivators come into play. In a workplace, this means ensuring fundamentals like fair pay and safe conditions can unlock motivation for growth, responsibility, and achievement as those basics are met. The other options don’t describe this ordered progression: Herzberg’s theory distinguishes hygiene factors and motivators rather than a stepped ladder; payment by results concerns pay schemes; and job rotation is about varying tasks to develop skills, not the sequence of needs.