A-level Business Studies Lesson 37 (3.6.3)

Question 1

Job design

Answer 1

The process of determining what a job comprises, how it is carried out, and how it relates to other relevant jobs. This includes deciding on the duties and responsibilities of the job holder, the methods to be used in carrying out the job, and its fit within the organisational structure.

Question 2

Organisational design

Answer 2

The process of shaping an organisation’s structure so that it meets the organization’s purpose and helps to deliver its objectives.

Question 3

Span (or span of control)

Answer 3

The number of subordinates a manager is required to supervise directly.

Question 4

Organisational hierarchy

Answer 4

The vertical division of authority and accountability in an organisation.

Question 5

Levels of hierarchy

Answer 5

The number of different supervisory and management levels between the shop floor and the chief executive in an organisation.

Question 6

Delegation

Answer 6

The process of passing authority down the hierarchy from a manager to a subordinate.

Question 7

Authority

Answer 7

The right or power assigned to a particular role in an organisation in order to achieve organisational objectives; it is the right to give orders and the power to exact obedience.

Question 8

Accountability

Answer 8

The extent to which a named individual is held responsible for the success or failure of a particular policy, project or piece of work; the obligation of an individual to report formally about the work he or she has done to discharge their responsibility.

Question 9

Responsibility

Answer 9

The duty assigned to a particular position in an organisation; the obligation to perform the particular tasks assigned to individuals and identified in their job descriptions.

Question 10

Centralisation /
decentralisation

Answer 10

The degree to which authority is delegated within an organisation. A centralised structure has a greater degree of central control, while a decentralised structure involves a greater degree of delegated authority to the regions or to subordinates.

Question 11

Human resource flow

Answer 11

The flow of employees through an organisation, including the inflow - when they are recruited; the internal flow - what happens to them within the organisation: the outflow - when they eventually leave the organisation.

Question 12

Human resource plan

Answer 12

Often known as a workforce plan, this is the process that links the humour resource needs of an organisation to its strategic plan to ensure that staffing is sufficient, qualified and competent enough to achieve the organization’s objectives.

Question 13

Recruitment

Answer 13

Identifying the need for new employees, attracting the best candidates for the job and then selecting the most suitable candidate in order to meet the staffing requirements of an organisation.

Question 14

Training

Answer 14

The provision of work- related education, either on the job or off the job, involving employees being taught new skills or improving skills they already have.

Question 15

Redeployment

Answer 15

The process of moving existing employees to a different job, or different location within the same organisation.

Question 16

Redundancy

Answer 16

When an employer dismisses an employee because their job no longer exists. This might be because the business is changing what it does; doing things in a different way, e.g. becoming more automated; changing location or closing down. Redundancies can be compulsory or voluntary.