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Business Theme 1 > 1.4 Managing people > Flashcards

1.4 Managing people Flashcards

1
Q

What does it mean to treat staff as an asset?

A

Permanent contracts

Develop staff skills with training

Pay staff a salary

Builds loyalty from staff

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2
Q

What does it mean to treat staff as a cost?

A

Flexible contracts e.g zero hours

Minimal training offered

Low pay often at an hourly rate

Often leads to a high staff turnover rate

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3
Q

What is a zero hours contract?

A

An employment contract that has a minimum of zero hours a week

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4
Q

What is staff turnover?

A

The proportion of staff who leave a business during a year

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5
Q

What is a flexible workforce?

A

The ability of a business to adapt it’s operations to changes in patterns of demand

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6
Q

What is multi skilling?

A

Using training to ensure that staff can perform a range of different roles within the business brings greater workforce flexibility

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7
Q

Advantages of a multi-skilled staff:

A

Productivity rises as staff are used more fully

Reduced disruption from staff absence

More motivated staff

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8
Q

Drawbacks of multi-skilled staff:

A

Loss of production as employees switch between jobs

Increased training budget required

Staff may feel more is being asked of them

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9
Q

What is a part time worker?

A

A worker who works less than full time hours which is 35 hours or more in a week

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10
Q

What is a temporary worker?

A

Staff employed on short-term contracts meaning that if the employer no longer needs them the contract is not renewed

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11
Q

What are the strengths of home working?

A

Staff can work from the comfort of their own home

No time wasted travelling/no travel costs

Office running costs/overheads can be reduced

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12
Q

What are the weaknesses of home working?

A

Less opportunity to meet people/share ideas

May be more temptation to spend time on non work related ideas

Employees have less control over staff

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13
Q

What is outsourcing?

A

Contracting another business to perform certain business functions, allowing significant increases in capacity when needed

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14
Q

Benefits of outsourcing:

A

Ongoing fixed costs can be kept at a low level within the business

Sudden surges in demand can be met quickly

Companies to whom work is outsourced can offer high quality services

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15
Q

Weaknesses of outsourcing:

A

The company to whom work is outsourced needs to make it’s own profit, adding to costs

Outsourcing arrangements may take time to work out

The company to whom work is outsourced may not reach the required quality standards

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16
Q

What is dismissal?

A

When a worker is dismissed or fired from a job

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17
Q

What is redundancy?

A

A worker’s job no longer exists possibly due to lack of business or restructuring

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18
Q

What is individual approach?

A

When the worker and manager sit face to face to discuss terms and conditions of the workers contract which includes pay, hours or responsibilities

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19
Q

Strengths of individual approach:

A

Allows employees to be treated on an individual basis

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20
Q

Weaknesses of individual approach:

A

Time consuming for the employer

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21
Q

What is collective bargaining?

A

Involves a representative who carries out bargaining with the employer on behalf of all the members

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22
Q

Benefits of collective bargaining:

A

Greater power to get action since representative is speaking on behalf of all workers

Saves time

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23
Q

Weaknesses collective bargaining:

A

Not an individual view being expressed so not all workers will agree.

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24
Q

Why may a business need to recruit?

A

Existing staff leaving

Growth of the business

New activities needing new skills

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25
Q

What is internal recruitment?

A

Means filling a job vacancy with someone who already works for the business

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26
Q

Advantages of internal recruitment:

A

Quicker/cheaper than external recruitment

Chance of promotion may boost morale within a business that frequently recruits internally

The skills and attitudes of internal candidates will already be known by the business

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27
Q

Disadvantages of internal recruitment:

A

Limits the number of potential applicants

Fails to bring in new ideas from outside the business

Creates a vacancy elsewhere in the business that will still need to be filled externally

28
Q

What is external recruitment?

A

Means filling a job vacancy with somebody who does not currently work for the business

29
Q

Advantages of external recruitment:

A

Fresh candidates bring new ideas/enthusiasm to the business

External candidates have not become tired or bored with the business and are enthusiastic meaning they are more likely to work harder

30
Q

Disadvantages of external recruitment:

A

More costly/ time consuming

31
Q

What are the costs of recruitment?

A

Cost of advert

Cost of wage for the new employee

Loss of productivity while new employee is inducted

Loss of management time taken up within the recruitment process

32
Q

What is induction training?

A

The term that specifically describes initial training when an employee begins a job that is designed to familiarise them with the workplace and the business

33
Q

Strengths of induction training:

A

Higher skill levels can boost productivity and innovation

A wider range of skills can enhance the business’ flexibility

Motivates staff who feel they have been invested in by the business

34
Q

Weaknesses of induction training:

A

Providing training can carry a large financial cost

While training is being provided the normal operations of the business can be disrupted

Better trained staff are more attractive to other businesses who may try to poach them

35
Q

What is on the job training?

A

Coaching or mentoring while doing the job

36
Q

Advantages of on the job training?

A

Less expensive/time consuming

Tailored to the company’s own ways of working

After a mistake, can get instant advice from fellow workers

37
Q

Disadvantages of on the job training?

A

Less knowledge acquired on methods used elsewhere

May take a lower priority, as staff focus on production targets

38
Q

What is off the job training?

A

Involves work at home or courses a company training centres/colleges

39
Q

Advantages of off the job training:

A

More focused environment with less distractions

More chance to gather specialist skills

Less stressful compared to on the job

40
Q

Disadvantages of off the job training:

A

More expensive

Company lose money as employees are taken away from production

Employees may fail to see the link between training and workplace

41
Q

What is hierarchy?

A

A system in a business where employees are ranked due to their status and authority

42
Q

What is chain of command?

A

The flow of information, power and authority through the organisation

Those at the top have the power/authority and can delegate tasks to those subordinate to them in the hierarchy

43
Q

What is span of control?

A

The term used to describe the number of subordinates directly answerable to one manager

44
Q

What is a centralised structure?

A

An organisational structure where most major decisions are taken at tho very top of the organisation by the most senior managers

45
Q

What is a decentralised structure?

A

An organisation where decision making is passed lower down the organisation structure through the process of delegation

46
Q

What is delegation?

A

Passing decision making power down the organisational structure to a lower level

47
Q

What is a tall structure?

A

One with many layers/ narrow spans of control

48
Q

Advantages of a tall structure:

A

Allows close supervision of staff

Communication within the immediate team is likely to be excellent

Many layers of hierarchy means plenty of opportunities for promotion to the next level

49
Q

Disadvantages of a tall structure:

A

Staff may feel over-supervised and not trusted by their management

Communication as a whole may be poor as there are so many layers for messages to pass through

With narrow spans, there may be little scope for staff to use their own initiative

50
Q

What is a flat structure?

A

An organisation that has few levels within the hierarchy, but wider spans of control

51
Q

Advantages of a flat structure:

A

Communication as a whole may be better since there are fewer layers

Senior managers may be able to understand the day-to-day challenges faced by staff e.g dealing with customers

Can lead to far greater motivation from staff who are expected to use their own initiative

52
Q

Disadvantages of a flat structure:

A

Managers are unable to closely supervise their subordinates which may result in more mistakes

53
Q

What is a matrix structure?

A

Staff may have two or more line managers

54
Q

Advantages of a matrix structure:

A

Working together allows expertise from each department to be immediately available, preventing possible delays in projects

The focus of the project should be on success of the project, rather than making their functional department more important than others

Learning from the views of colleagues in other departments helps to develop each team member

55
Q

Disadvantages of a matrix structure:

A

Each project team member will have a least two bosses

Two bosses means it can be unclear whose orders should take priority

Getting staff from different functional areas to agree can be difficult

56
Q

How can structure effect efficiency:

A

Poor communication leading to mistakes

Duplication of tasks

Tasks being overlooked and not done

Departments failing to work together effectively

57
Q

How can structure affect motivation:

A

Scope to show initiative

Delegation

Responsibility

Opportunities for promotion

Gathering of all information required to perform a job

58
Q

What financial rewards can improve employee performance?

A

Piecework

Commission

Bonus

Profit share

Performance related pay

59
Q

What non-financial techniques can help improve employee performance?

A

Delegation

Consultation

Empowerment

Team working

Flexible working

Job enrichment

Job rotation

Job enlargement

60
Q

What is leadership?

A

The action of leading a group of people or an organisation, or the ability to do this

61
Q

What is management?

A

The process of dealing with or controlling things/people

The responsibility for control of a company or organisation

62
Q

What is an autocratic leadership?

A

When leaders tell their employees what they want to happen and how without getting advice from their followers

Most common in factories/fast food

63
Q

What is a democratic leadership?

A

Leaders offer guidance to group members but also participants in the group/allow input from other group members

Employees have greater involvement in decision making

64
Q

What is a paternalistic leadership?

A

Leader decides what is best for employees

A softer from of authoritarian leadership

Employees are consulted but leader makes the final decision

65
Q

What is Laissez-faire leadership?

A

Managers leave staff alone to get on with things, generally without even providing a clear sense of direction

Business Theme 1 (5 decks)

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