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Business A Level > HR > Flashcards

HR Flashcards

1
Q

What is the role of HR managers?

A

to design, implement and maintain strategies to manage people for optimum business performance

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2
Q

What is an organisational chart?

A

diagrams to show hierarchy in the business

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3
Q

What is span of control?

A

number of employees for whom a manager is responsible for

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4
Q

What are 2 benefits of a narrow span of control?

A

quick communication

direct communication

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5
Q

What is 1 negatives of a narrow span of control?

A

less deligation

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6
Q

What are 2 benefits of a wide span of control?

A

deligation

increased motivation

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7
Q

What are 2 negatives of a wide span of control?

A

difficult communication

weaker relationships

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8
Q

What does effectiveness of control depend on?

A

personality of manager, skills of subordinates, size of business

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9
Q

What is chain of control?

A

way in which responsibility for employees is organised

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10
Q

What are levels of hierarchy?

A

no. of levels or layers in a business organisation

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11
Q

What is delayering?

A

reducing the number of levels in an organisation

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12
Q

What are 2 + of delayering?

A

better communications

employee responsibility

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13
Q

What are 2 - of delayering?

A

pressure increased for staff

feeling of threat to job

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14
Q

Give 2 strategies to overcome delayering?

A

delegation and empowerment

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15
Q

What is empowerment?

A

greater control over working lives is given

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16
Q

Describe a tall structure?

A
  • lots of layers

- small span of control

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17
Q

Describe a flat structure?

A
  • fewer layers

- more delegation

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18
Q

Give 1 advan and 1 disadvan of flat structure?

A

+ better communication

- less promo opportunities

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19
Q

Give 1 advan and 1 disadvan of tall struture?

A

+ more direct contact with manager

- slower decision making

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20
Q

What is the difference between organisation by system and product?

A

system: split into specialist areas
product: each product becomes a ‘mini business’

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21
Q

Give 1 + of organising by system

A

+ concentrate on what they do best

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22
Q

Give 1 - of organising by product

A
  • competition for resources
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23
Q

Give 1 + of organising by product

A

+ see success clearly

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24
Q

Give 1 - of organising by system

A
  • difficult to accredit success
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25
Q

What might we call a tall structure? Give a + of it?

A

mechanistic

+ more direct contact with manager

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26
Q

What might we call a flat structure? Give a + of it?

A

organistic

+ better communication

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27
Q

What is a centralised structure?

A

structure where all decisions are made at the top of the hierachy

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28
Q

What is a decentralised structure?

A

structure where the decision making process is delegated

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29
Q

What are matrix structures?

A

individuals work across teams and projects as well as within their own departments

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30
Q

2 + of matrix structures?

A

+ can help break down barriers improving communications

+ can use individuals skills

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31
Q

2 - of matrix structures?

A
  • no clear line for accountability

- takes time to get acquainted with structure

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32
Q

Give 2 + of centralised structures?

A

+ easier to gain economies of scale

+ quicker decision making

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33
Q

Give 2 - of centralised structures?

A
  • more bureaucratic

- local/junior managers are likely to be closer to customer needs

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34
Q

Give 2 + of decentralised structures?

A

+ decisions made closer to customer

+ improved level of customer service

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35
Q

Give 2 - of decentralised structures?

A
  • harder to ensure consistency

- diseconomies of scale

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36
Q

What is a job description?

A

document describing duties of the job

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37
Q

What is a job specification?

A

profile of type if person needed for a job, their skills and qualities

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38
Q

What is the 1st stage in recruitment?

A

identify vacancy

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39
Q

Why might a position become open?

A

death, pregnancy, promotion, dismissal

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40
Q

What is the difference between internal and external recruitment?

A

internal: vacancy is filled by someone already in the business
external: vacancy is filled by someone from outside of the business

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41
Q

What are the benefits of each external and internal recruitment?

A

+ int: saves advertising costs

+ ext: new skills brought into business

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42
Q

What are ways of advertising jobs?

A

television ads, newspapers, specialist magazines, job centers, word of mouth,

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43
Q

Give 2 + of any form of advertising?

A

job centers: free to use, saves time for employer

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44
Q

Give 2 - of any form of advertising?

A

job centers: often low skilled workers,

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45
Q

What is a CV? What is included on it?

A

brief account of a persons education, qualifications, includes: personal details, education history, previous employment, reasons for applying

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46
Q

What is a covering letter?

A

letter that personalises your application

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47
Q

What is an application form? Whats included on it?

A

document filled out to apply for a job

includes: personal details, availability, maths, business and personality questions

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48
Q

What are psycometric tests?

A

tests to identify a candidates skills, knowledge and personality,
2 parts: personality and aptitude

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49
Q

What are examples of group activities?

A

stranded on an island, leadership activites

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50
Q

What is scenario testing?

A

situation given to see applicants responses

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51
Q

What is an interview?

A

conversation between candidate and employee discussing skills, CV info, queries and questions

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52
Q

What is an advantage of a face-to-face interviews?

A

see personalities quicker and ask more personalised questions

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53
Q

Define training.

A

process of increasing the knowledge and skills of the workforce to enable them to perform jobs better

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54
Q

Give 2 benefits of training.

A

increased motivation, equips staff with skills, increases productivity

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55
Q

Give a downfall of training staff.

A

they may leave for better jobs with their training

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56
Q

What happens in induction training?

A

staff are orientated, and told their duties to perform, risk assessment etc

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57
Q

What should training aim to do?

A

reduce staff anxiety, shouldn’t overwhelm employees

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58
Q

What is on the job training?

A

training that takes place in the workplace

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59
Q

What is off the job training?

A

training that takes place outside of the workplace

60
Q

Give 2 examples of both on and off the job training?

A

on: demos, coaching, job rotation and projects
off: day release, evening, self study and sandwich course

61
Q

What is 1 + of on the job training?

A

+ cheaper for business

62
Q

What is 1 - of off the job training?

A
  • more expensive
63
Q

What is 1 + of off the job training?

A

+ wider range of skills obtained from outside experts

64
Q

What is 1 - of on the job training?

A
  • bad habits may be passed on
65
Q

What are 3 other types of training methods other than on and off the job?

A

shadowing, e-learning, apprenticeships

66
Q

What is an appraisal?

A

a formal assessment of an employees performance

67
Q

What does an appraisal identify?

A

strengths, weaknesses, development areas, pay/promo opportunities,

68
Q

What are 2 + of appraisal?

A

+ builds relationships,
+ boosts motivation
+ documentation is helpful

69
Q

What are 2 - of appraisal?

A
  • may be bias
  • managers may be too negative
  • needs commitment
70
Q

What is managerial appraisal?

A

uses a document to discuss details, suggestions and goals

71
Q

What is self-assessment appraisal?

A

employees assess themselves using tick sheet

72
Q

What is 360 degree appraisal?

A

employee gets feedback from several people

73
Q

What is peer assessment appraisal?

A

appraisal gets feedback from collegue

74
Q

What are SMART targets?

A

targets that are: Specific, measurable, agreed, realistic and time-limited

75
Q

Formula for labour turnover?

A

(no. employees leaving in year/no. employed in year) x 100

76
Q

Formula for labour productivity?

A

output per year / no. of employees at work

77
Q

Formula for absenteeism?

A

(no of absent shifts unauthorised over period / total days worked by force over period) x 100

78
Q

Formula for lateness?

A

(total no of late arrivals / no of scheduled attendances) x 100

79
Q

What are the costs made from absenteeism?

A

wages paid to those not working, high cost replacement workers

80
Q

How can businesses establish genuineness of absenteeism?

A

ask for doctors note, look at patterns

81
Q

How can a business tackle absenteeism ?

A

understanding causes, setting targets and monitor trends,

82
Q

What is a high lateness % an indicator of?

A

low motivation

83
Q

What is redundancy?

A

form of dismissal when employers need to reduce workforce

84
Q

What is dismissal?

A

termination of contract of employment often as result of a disciplinary procedure

85
Q

What is unfair dismissal?

A

employee is dismissed without valid resasoning

86
Q

What is gross misconduct?

A

swearing, alcohol, verbal and physical abuse

87
Q

What is gross negligence?

A

danger, safety

88
Q

What is wrongful dismissal?

A

employer breaches obligations

89
Q

What is whistle blowing?

A

dismissed for no offence (reporting suspected misconduct)

90
Q

What is capability?

A

employee isn’t capable to do the job and the employer proves this

91
Q

What is ACAS?

A

advisory, conciliation and arbitration service

92
Q

What do ACAS do?

A

suggests advice for employees and employers

more favorable in court for following ACAS’s advice

93
Q

What is an autocratic leader?

A
  • full control of decision making
  • uses power to get others to carry out work
  • employees have little or no control
94
Q

What is a paternalistic leader?

A
  • leader decides what is best for employees and addresses their needs
  • ‘father figure’
  • still little delegation
95
Q

Give 1 + and 1 - of autocratic leaders

A

+ high levels of control of all workers

- low motivation within staff

96
Q

Give 1 + and 1 - of paternalistic leaders

A

+ some motivation

- can be patronising

97
Q

What is a democratic leader?

A
  • focus of power with the group as a whole

- employees have a greater involvement in decision making

98
Q

Give 1 + and 1 - of democratic leaders

A

+ increased motivation

- some miscommunication

99
Q

What is a lassiez-faire leader?

A
  • gives employees little direction

- employees make and solve decisions themselves

100
Q

Give 1 + and 1 - of lassiez-faire leaders

A

+ higher motivation

- potentially reduced productivity

101
Q

How does a Theory Y leader see employees?

A
  • employees want to work
  • employees like goals
  • most seek responsibility
102
Q

How does a Theory X leader see employees?

A
  • employees don’t like to work and don’t want to work
  • managers need to control
  • employees don’t want responsibility
103
Q

What are the 2 axis on the Blake and Mouton Grid?

A

concern for task and concern for people

104
Q

What does concern for task mean?

A

degree to which a leader considers the needs of team members

105
Q

What does concern for people mean?

A

way in which leader emphasises objectives

106
Q

What is impoverished?

A
  • low concern for people and task
  • lassiez-faire style
  • minimal effort from management
107
Q

what is country club?

A
  • high concern for people, low concern for task
  • focus on comfortable, safe environment
  • well being and feelings of team of people
108
Q

what is produce or perish?

A
  • low concern for people, high concern for task
  • autocratic
  • workers have to complete tasks and nothing else
109
Q

What is team management?

A
  • high concern for both task and people
  • Theory Y
  • what a manager should aim to be
110
Q

What is middle of the road management?

A
  • middle concern for both task and people
  • compromises made to achieve acceptable performance
  • leaders could be indecisive
111
Q

what is formal communication?

A

those that take place using agreed rules and procedures

112
Q

what is informal communication?

A

those that are not based upon any set measure

113
Q

what is meant by group norms?

A

rules or guidelines that reflect expectations of how they should act and interact

114
Q

what are implicit norms?

A

rules/guidelines that aren’t always expressed or discussed

115
Q

what are explicit norms?

A

rules/guidelines that are stated outright either verbally or in writing

116
Q

what is verbal communication?

A

using speech

117
Q

non verbal communication?

A

using gestures, body language

118
Q

give examples of communication media.

A

tv, radio, face-to-face, written

119
Q

distinguish between one way and two way

A

one way - no right to reply

two-way - right to reply

120
Q

What are the 3 barriers to communcation as identified by Shannon and Weaver?

A

technical - ability to recieve (to do with noise)
semantic - understand the message
effectiveness - act upon the message

121
Q

What is meant by workforce planning?

A

deciding how many and what type of people to employ

122
Q

what factors might you consider for what type of people to employ?

A

age, skills, physical fitness, experience, qualification

123
Q

why is it important to get the right type and number of workers?

A

meet customer needs, financial efficiency, avoid high labour turnover

124
Q

what might we consider when making a workforce plan?

A 
do we have vacancies?
technology level?
changing needs of business?
unforeseen circumstances?
state of economy?
financial/budget constraints?
125
Q

briefly explain Caryle and Galtons Trait Theory.

A

some people are born with the traits of a good leader.
it is hereditary
leaders develop from a born leader to an excellent leader
leaders have the characterisitcs: motivation, integrity, self-confidence, creative, intelligent

126
Q

What are the 3 steps in the Caryle and Galton Trait Theory?

A
  1. emerge as a leader
  2. demonstrate excellence/effectivness
  3. promotion
127
Q

Explain Tannenbaum and Schmidt Contingency Approach

A 
managers approach lies on a continuum 
starts: rigid management, no control 
finishes: freedom for team
as teams freedom increases, control decreases
TELLS -> SELLS -> CONSULTS -> JOINS
128
Q

Explain what is meant by TELLS, SELLS, CONSULTS, JOINS.

A

TELLS informs employees of decision no questioning
SELLS attempts to ‘sell’ decision to employees
CONSULTS presents ideas for discussion
JOINS asks employees to make decision within limits

129
Q

Explain Adairs 3 Circles

A

three elements an ideal leader should be
team, task, individual
balance these three elements

130
Q

What is meant by motivation?

A

strong desire to act in a particular way and achieve a certain result

131
Q

what is meant by morale?

A

‘spirit’

132
Q

What are the methods of motivation?

A

monetary, non monetary

133
Q

give and outline 2 examples of non monetary motivation methods

A

job enrichment - more responsibility
job enlargement - more jobs to do
praise - encouraging good work
fear - threatening employees due to bad work

134
Q

give and outline 2 monetary methods of motivation

A

commission - % of sales paid out to them for their work
profit sharing - profit is shared amongst staff
bonus payments - extra money for targets
piece rates - set amount for each item manufactured

135
Q

List the 9 methods of motivation people

A 
taylor
mayo
mcclelland
Herzberg
maslow
vroom
drucker
locke
peters
136
Q

What was Taylor’s theory?

A

scientific
piece rate payments
simple mundane tasks

137
Q

What was Mayo’s theory?

A

physiological factors
recognition helps employees
communication impacts productivity

138
Q

What is McClellands theory?

A

three needs theory
achievement, affiliation, power
if needs identified they can be motivated properly

139
Q

What is Herzberg’s theory?

A

two factor theory
hygiene and motivation
hygiene stops demotivation

140
Q

What is Maslow’s theory?

A 
5 S's
survival/pyscological
saftey
social
self esteem
self actualisation
need to meet one below to get one above
141
Q

What is Vrooms theory?

A

expectancy

instrumentality - will i get a reward?

142
Q

what is the equation for motivation?

A

motivation = instrumentality x (valance x expectancy)

143
Q

What is Drucker’s Theory?

A 
'King of Management Theory'
Management by objectives
people are tat the 
centre
Knowledge worker
144
Q

What is Locke’s theory?

A

goal setting theory
employees like to have goals and targets
5 principles: clarity, challenge, feedback, commitment, task complexity

145
Q

What was Peters’ theory?

A

excellence theory

people, customers, and action not numbers and control

146
Q

What is meant by employee/employer relations?

A

the relationship between employers and employees

Business A Level (10 decks)

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