Definitions

Question 1

demography

Answer 1

statistical study of population characteristics such as birth rates, death rates, aging populations and net migration rates

Question 2

flexitime

Answer 2

system that allows workers to have a degree of autonomy to determine when they work (so long as they complete their work by set deadlines)

Question 3

gig economy

Answer 3

refers to labour markets where workers
are typically on temporary contracts or carry out
freelance work as independent contractors

Question 4

homeworking

Answer 4

an aspect of flexitime whereby people work
from their own home

Question 5

human resource management

Answer 5

the role
of managers in planning and developing the organization’s
people

Question 6

human resource planning/workforce planning

Answer 6

the management process of forecasting an organisation’s current and future staffing needs

Question 7

migrant workers

Answer 7

people who move to other countries in search of better job prospects and opportunities

Question 7

mobility of labour

Answer 7

the extent to which workers are
flexible enough to move to different locations and in changing to different jobs

Question 7

net migration

Answer 7

measures the difference between the number of
workers entering a country (immigration) and the number of
people leaving (emigration)

Question 8

portfolio workers

Answer 8

those who simultaneously carry out a
number of different jobs, often for various contractors, usually
on a temporary basis

Question 8

teleworking

Answer 8

working away from the office by using
electronic forms of communication

Question 8

6 change approaches

Answer 8

education & communication, participation & involvement, facilitation & support, negotiation & agreement, manipulation & co-option, explicit & implicit coercion

Question 8

accountability

Answer 8

describes the extent to which a person is held responsible for the success or failure of a task or job

Question 8

workforce

Answer 8

refers to the number of employees at any one point in a particular organization

Question 9

bureaucracy

Answer 9

the official administrative and formal rules
of an organization that govern business activity

Question 10

centralisation

Answer 10

when the majority of decision making
is done by a very small number of people (usually the senior team)

Question 11

chain of command

Answer 11

the formal line of authority,
shown in an organization chart, through which formal
communications and orders are passed down

Question 12

decentralisation

Answer 12

when decision making authority and
responsibility are shared with others in the organization

Question 13

delayering

Answer 13

the process of removing levels in the hierarchy to
flatten the organizational structure

Question 14

delegation

Answer 14

the empowerment of a person lower down in the
organizational structure by passing on control and decision making authority to complete a certain task or role

Question 15

flat/horizontal organisational structure

Answer 15

there are only a few layers in the formal hierarchy and hence managers have a relatively wide span of control

Question 16

hierarchy

Answer 16

refers to the organizational
structure based on a ranking system

Question 17

levels of the hierarchy

Answer 17

number of layers of formal
authority in an organization.

Question 18

line manager

Answer 18

the person directly above an employee
in the organizational structure

Question 19

managers

Answer 19

the people responsible for the day-to-day running of the business or a department within the organization

Question 20

matrix structure

Answer 20

a flexible type of organizational structure of representatives from different departments, temporarily working together on a particular project or job

Question 21

organisation by function

Answer 21

structuring a workforce organizations according to business functions

Question 22

organisation by product

Answer 22

structuring a workforce according to the goods or services produced or sold

Question 23

organisation by region

Answer 23

refers to structuring a workforce according to different geographical areas

Question 24

organisation chart

Answer 24

diagrammatic representation of a firm's formal structure of human resources

Question 25

organisational structure

Answer 25

the formal interrelationships and hierarchical arrangements of human resources within a business

Question 26

outsourced workers

Answer 26

the individuals or organizations hired on a contract basis to carry out specific but non-core roles

Question 27

peripheral workers

Answer 27

the contingent workers consisting of part-time and temporary staff hired by the organization to provide greater flexibility

Question 28

professional core

Answer 28

the core workers consisting of full-time specialists (professionals)

Question 29

project-based organisation

Answer 29

arranges human resources around particular projects, each led by a project manager

Question 30

responsibility

Answer 30

person in charge of whom and in what role or capacity

Question 31

shamrock organisation

Answer 31

Charles Handy's model that organizations are increasingly made up of core staff who are supported by peripheral workers and outsourced workers

Question 32

span of control

Answer 32

refers to the number of subordinates overseen by a manager

Question 33

tall/vertical organisational structure

Answer 33

there are many layers in the hierarchy and hence managers have a narrow span of control

Question 34

manager

Answer 34

someone with decision-making authority within an organization and has responsibility for problem solving in order to achieve specific organizational goals

Question 35

leadership

Answer 35

skill of getting things done through other people by inspiring, influencing and invigorating them to achieve organizational goals

Question 35

management

Answer 35

the practice of achieving an organization's objectives by using and controlling the available human and non-human resources of the business in an effective way

Question 36

appraisal

Answer 36

formal assessment of an employee's performance in fulfilling his or her job based on the tasks and responsibilities set out in their job description

Question 37

division of labour

Answer 37

the process of breaking down different aspects of a job or task and assigning different people to each particular part of the work in order to improve efficiency and increase output

Question 38

empowerment

Answer 38

non-financial motivator that involves developing the potential of workers or teams by granting them for the business to fill a vacant post. the authority to make decisions

Question 39

remuneration

Answer 39

the overall compensation package, such as salaries, commission, profit-related pay, performance-related pay, share ownership schemes and fringe benefits

Question 40

training

Answer 40

the process of providing opportunities for workers to learn and acquire employment-related skills and knowledge

Question 41

teamwork

Answer 41

form of non-financial motivation, which water, shelter and warmth. involves the combined efforts of a group of workers to achieve organizational goals