3.2 Organisational Structures and Different Ways of Working

Question 1

What is an organisation chart?

Answer 1

A diagram that shows how the workers are organised in a business and who is in charge of whom.

Question 2

Define authority.

Answer 2

The power that one person has to make decisions and to control what other workers do.

Question 3

Define accountability.

Answer 3

The responsibility that a person has for a job, meaning that they will take the blame for what goes wrong as well as the credit for what goes well.

Question 4

What is the chain of command?

Answer 4

The links in the levels of authority from those at the top with the most authority to those at the bottom with the least.

Question 5

What is a subordinate?

Answer 5

A worker that a line manager is directly responsible for.

Question 6

Define span of control.

Answer 6

The number of subordinates who report directly to a line manager.

Question 7

What is delegation?

Answer 7

The process of giving a manager authority to a subordinate to make decisions for which the manager is responsible.

Question 8

Define job description.

Answer 8

A document outlining the main duties, tasks and responsibilities of a job.
It will also include details such as pay, hours, location.

Question 9

What is flexible working?

Answer 9

When people work partly at their workplace and partly elsewhere - perhaps from home or while they are mobile.
Staff may work different hours each day to suit their needs.

Question 10

What is full-time work?

Answer 10

When a person works 35 hours or more per week.

Question 11

True or false?

Employees at the top of the organisation chart have more power and authority than those further down.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

What is a hierarchy?

Answer 12

A structure of organisation where people at the top have more power, responsibility and authority than people at the bottom.

Question 13

What are the benefits of creating an organisation chart?

Answer 13

They help by showing:
Who is responsible for which functions and tasks.
What a person is accountable for.
Which work is delegated to others in the business.
Who a worker is managed by and from whom they must take orders.
Lines of communication.
How different departments are linked together.

Question 14

Tall structures have more layers.

State two advantages of a tall structure.

Answer 14

Narrower span of control (easier to communicate with and look after staff).
Lots of opportunities for promotion.

Question 15

Flat structures have less layers.

State two advantages of a flat structure.

Answer 15

Quicker communication from top to bottom.
Fewer mistakes in communication.
People at the bottom feel closer to those at the top - more willing to share ideas.
More delegation required - workers fell trusted and motivated.

Question 16

What is part-time work?

Answer 16

A job requiring fewer than 35 hours per week.

Question 17

State two advantages to the worker of part-time work.

Answer 17

Suits those looking after children.
Creates more jobs (2 part-time instead of one full-time).
Suits semi-retied people who no longer want to work full-time.
Suits students who want to earn money while studying.

Question 18

State two disadvantages to the worker of part-time work.

Answer 18

Lower income.
May not have fixed hours so no guarantee of income.
Pattern of hours may be inconvenient.

Question 19

State two advantages to the business of part-time work.

Answer 19

Experienced workers no longer wishing to work full-time can be kept in the business.
More choice when recruiting.
Respond to demand more easily.
Can reduce overtime costs.

Question 20

State two disadvantages to the business of part-time work.

Answer 20

Recruitment and training costs may be higher.

May be time-consuming for managers to look after larger numbers of people.

Question 21

What is temporary working/temporary contracts?

Answer 21

When workers only work for the business for a short/fixed period of time.

Question 22

Why is temporary work common in seasonal businesses?

Answer 22

Business such as farmers/retail have more output/demand at certain times of the year and need more labour to help.

Question 23

State two disadvantages of employing temporary workers.

Answer 23

When the workers are needed there may not be enough available.
Costs and time needed to train and recruit.

Question 24

State an advantage of employing temporary workers.

Answer 24

Only paying the extra staff when there is a demand - saves having to pay staff during less busy periods.

Question 25

State two advantages to the business of staff working from home.

Answer 25

Workers can work longer as they save on travel time.
Workers might be more motivated as they have more freedom about how much they work and when.
Workers may work better at home with less distractions.

Question 26

State two disadvantages to the business of staff working from home.

Answer 26

Less able to share ideas with other staff.
Workers may not be disciplined and complete less work.
Training may be needed in how to use the technology needed to work from home.
Lower efficiency due to more distractions.
Cost of technology needed.

Question 27

State two advantages to the worker of working from home.

Answer 27

Freedom of how much work to do and when.
Save money and time by not having to travel.
May be less stressed by not having to travel.

Question 28

State one disadvantages to the worker of working from home.

Answer 28

The worker may miss the social side of working with other people.

Question 29

How are staff now more able to work while mobile?

Answer 29

Due to improvements in technology and communications.

Question 30

Why do businesses like staff to work while mobile?

Answer 30

It makes them more productive as they are able to complete more work in the hours they are employed.
This reduces costs and competitiveness.

Question 31

What is self-employment?

Answer 31

Setting up your own business, being your own boss, selling your work/services to customers or businesses.

Question 32

How do businesses use self-employed people?

Answer 32

A small business may use a local plumber to carry out repairs. They do not need to employ a full-time employee in this role, as repairs will only be needed every now and again.

Question 33

What is a disadvantage of being self-employed rather than employed?

Answer 33

You do not have a guaranteed income as you do not know how many customers you will have each week.
You do not receive sick pay, holiday pay or have pension contributions from an employer.