Human Resources Flashcards
What is an organisational structure
The way a business arranges itself to Carry out it’s activities
What is management
Planning, organising and controlling a business
What is the organisational chart
A plan showing the roles of, and relationships between all the employees in a business.
What is a director
People appointed by shareholders to lead the management of a company
What are the levels of hierarchy
The layers of authority within a business
What is a span of control
The number of employees managed directly by another employee
What is chain of command
The line of authority within a business along which communication passes
What is delayering
The removal of one or more levels of hierarchy from a business’s organisational structure
What is delegation
Passing down authority to more junior employees
What is a tall organisational structure
A structure with many levels of hierarchy, relatively narrow spams of control and a lengthy chain of command.
What is a flat organisational structure
A structure with few levels of hierarchy, comparatively wide spans of control and a short chain of command
What is centralisation
Occurs when a small number of senior managers in a business take all the important decisions
What is decentralisation
Allows employees working in all area of the business to take decisions
What are the advantages of decentralisation
Junior employees may feel valued and perform better if they have input into important business decisions.
The workload of senior managers may be reduced; they may also perform better as a result.
Decision making may be improved. It can become quicker and junior employers may average a better understanding of the issues to male good decisions.
What are the disadvantages of decentralisation
Junior employees may need training to be able to take an effective part in decisions making. This may be costly.
It can be more difficult to co-ordinate decisions if they are taken in different parts of the business.
Relatively junior employees may not understand the overall goals of the business and may not take decisions with the right goals in mind.
Advantages of delegation
Can make junior employees jobs more varied and interesting
What is recruitment
The process of finding and appointing new employees
Advantages of internal recruitment
Offering employees the chance of promotion can motivate and improve their performance.
Tuesday is a less risky and cheaper form of recruitment because the business will know the people appointed and it avoids expensive advertising costs or the use of employment agencies.
Those appointed will have so,e knowledge of the business and may need less(or no) training.
What are disadvantages of internal recruitment
The business will have a limited choice of people from whom to recruit. They may appoint a less talented person as a result.
The business may have to pay to train employees who do not have the skills required.
What are advantages of external recruitment
Business can benefit if external recruits bring new ideas and positively into the organisation.
The recruitment method provides businesses with wider choice of candidates and the chance to appoint the very best people.
It may not be necessary to train external recruits as they should have the skills required.
What are disadvantages of external recruitment
External recruitment is more expensive, esp I’ll if recruitment agencies are used.
The employees will be less familiar to the business, creating a greater chance of appointing the ‘wrong’ person
What is employee selection
Choosing the right employees from among those who have applied for a job.
What is job analysis
The collection and interpretation of information about a job.
What is job description
States information about the duties and tasks that make up a particular job
What is person/job specification
Sets out the qualifications and skills required by an employee to full a particular job
What are benefits of effective recruitment and selection process
High levels of productivity
High quality output or high standards of customer service
Staff retention
What is productivity
The quantity of goods and services produced by an employee over a period of time, such as one day or a week.
What is staff retention
The proportion of a business’s workforce who remain with the business over a period of time, usually one year
What if full time employment
Occurs when someone works a number of hours equal to the normal working week, usually between 35 and 40 hours.
What is part time employment
When an employee works for fewer hours per week than full time
what is job share
This exists when two or more employees agree to share the responsibilities of a single job
What is a zero hour contract
Workers do not have guaranteed hours of work each week. Instead they can choose whether to accept any hours that they may be offered
What are the benefits of a motivated workforce
High rates of staff retention
Increases level of productivity
Recognition as a good employer
What is salary
A payment to an employee usually made monthly, but stated as an annual figure
What are wages
A weekly payment made to employees in return for labor services
What is commission
A payment to an employee based on the number of sales made over a period of time
What is profit sharing
A scheme under which employees receive a portion of any profit earned by the business
What is training
A range of activites to give employees job relayed skills and knowledge
What are fringe benefits
Extras that employees may receive in addition to their pay, for example a company car
What are 5 examples of finical methods of motivation
Salary
Wages
Piecework
Commission
Profit sharing
What are 4 non finical methods of motivation
Changing management styles
Training
Job enrichment
Fringe benefits
What is induction training
Training given to an employee when they first start a job
What is the on the job training
Training given in the workplace, usually by another more expierenced employee
What is the off the job training
Training provided outside the employee’s place of work
Benefits of on the job training
It can provide the precise skills and knowledge required by the business’s employees.
It can be relatiovely cheap form of training and a cost effective way of improving productivity
Employees remain in the workplace throughout their training period, saving time and avoiding travel and hotel expenses
What are the drawbacks of on the job training
If the business provides the trainers, it can temporarily lose the services of those employees for the peril of the training.
It does not generate new ideas and may be less effective than of the job training
Benefits of off the job training
It can help to bring fresh ideas and approaches to the business, and provides the most up to date knowledge and skills.
This form of training is valued by employees, especially if it leads to formal qualifications. It can improve levels of motivation.
Drawbacks of off the job training
It is very costly and may not be cost-effective if employee performance does not improve significantly.
It can be risky choice as employees may leave the business soon after training as their new skills may need attractive to other employers
