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Managing People Flashcards

1
Q

What does it mean if staff are an asset?

A

The staff are developed and seen as a benefit to the business
-Staff will receive training
-Staff are more involved in decision making

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2
Q

What does it mean if staff are a cost?

A

The staff are seen as a cost rather than adding value to the business

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3
Q

What is multiskilling?

A

Having a workforce who can be moved around from one job to another

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4
Q

What is part time work?

A

Working less than 35 hours per week

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5
Q

What is temporary work?

A

Employees are employed for a fixed amount of time e.g six months

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6
Q

What is flexible work?

A

Employers allow flexibility in the hours that workers must be at the business or allowing work to be done at home

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7
Q

What is home working?

A

When people work from home or from other premises that is not their workplace

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8
Q

What is a zero hour contract?

A

Employees are given no set guaranteed hours

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9
Q

What is outsourcing?

A

Paying a specialist business to carry out a specific task for the business

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10
Q

What is redundancy?

A

A reduction in the size of the workforce due to mergers or closures of a business due to new technology or relocation
-Voluntary = staff close to retirement take voluntary redundancy to get a pay out
-Compulsory = where a member of staff must leave their job

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11
Q

What is dismissal?

A

An employee being fired
e.g for gross misconduct, long term illness

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12
Q

What is the difference between dismissal and redundancy?

A

People who are dismissed will receive no compensation, no reference, no help with finding a new job

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13
Q

What is individual bargaining?

A

The worker and manager sit face to face and discuss the terms and conditions of the workers contract

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14
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of individual bargaining?

A

-There is no compromise because only the views of one worker are being discussed
However:
-The manager might not take any action following the discussion because it is only one worker

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15
Q

What is collective bargaining?

A

Involves a representative of all the workers meeting with the manger to discuss the terms and conditions of their employees

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16
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of collective bargaining?

A

-The representatives who speak for the workforce have greater power to get action
However:
-It can lead to strikes or industrial action

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17
Q

What are the stages of recruitment?

A

Job analysis, job description, person specification, advertise the job, shortlist applications, interviews, ask for references, make the job offer and send letters of regret

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18
Q

What are costs of recruitment?

A

-Advertisement costs
-Recruitment agent costs
-Reduces productivity when the new employee is introduced
-Loss of management time during the recruitment process

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19
Q

What is internal recruitment?

A

Workers already in the business can apply for a new position
-advertisements include: newsletters, noticeboards

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20
Q

What is external recruitment?

A

Workers outside of the business can apply for the position
-advertisements include: job centres, recruitment agencies

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21
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of internal recruitment?

A

-Candidates are loyal to the business
-Candidates already know the company culture
-Less expensive without advertising
However:
-Tension with those who aren’t selected
-Limits the number of applicants
-Brings no new ideas to the business

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22
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of external recruitment?

A

-Fresh ideas and enthusiasm are brought into the business
-Brings experience to the business
-Larger skills pool
However:
-More costly to recruit
-Longer process
-Training time will reduce productivity within the business

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23
Q

What is on the job training?

A

Coaching or mentoring while doing the job, assistance and advice is provided by those more experienced

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24
Q

What is off the job training?

A

Involves work at home or at courses allowing employees to learn through demonstrations, talks and lectures

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25
What is induction training?
A form of introduction for new starters in order to enable them to do work in a new profession or job role within the business
26
What are the advantages and disadvantages of induction training?
-Provides employees with all the information they need -Helps employees understand company culture However: -Must be planned effectively to ensure the business makes a good first impression -Takes time to plan
27
What are the advantages and disadvantages of off the job training?
-Wider range of skills are gained -Learn from specialists and experts However: -More expensive -Makes employees more likely to be poached
28
What are advantages and disadvantages of on the job training?
-More cost effective -Employees are contributing to the business However: -Bad habits may be passed on -May disrupt production with mistakes
29
What does chain of command mean?
The order in which authority and power in an organisation is wielded and delegated from the top management level to every employee within the business
30
What does hierarchy mean?
The 'formal structure' diagram showing the relationships between the people working in the business and the lines of communication
31
What does span of control mean?
The number of employees a manager has working for them
32
What does delegation mean?
Giving authority for certain decisions to those below the mangers
33
What does delayering mean?
When a whole layer of the organisation structure is removed
34
What are the positives of a good organisation structure?
-Improve communication -Increase productivity -Inspire innovation
35
What are the negatives of a poor organisation structure?
-Confusion -Lack of coordination -Failure to share ideas
36
What is an organisation structure?
Shows the levels of management and which employees report to whom
37
What is a flat structure of organisation?
An organisational structure in which most middle management levels and their functions have been eliminated
38
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a flat structure?
-Greater communication -Less bureaucracy and easier, quicker decision making -Lower costs due to less management However: -May limit the growth of the organisation -Structure is limited to small organisations
39
What is a tall organisation structure?
A pyramid type of organisation that has relatively large numbers of levels in its hierarchy of authority
40
What are the advantages and disadvantages of a tall structure?
-Narrow span of control allows close supervision However: -Higher management costs -Slower decision making -Poor communication
41
What are the three factors to think about when deciding on an organisation structure?
-Business size -Industry -Capability of employees
42
What are the benefits and drawbacks of hierarchy?
-Clearly defines authority and responsibility -Shows promotion paths -Employees are loyal to their department However: -Departments can make decisions which only suit them rather than the whole business -Can cause poor communication
43
Why do some businesses need more complex structures?
-Growth -Changes in technology -Dynamic market -Growing into multinational companies
44
What does matrix mean?
A company structure in which the reporting relationships are set up as a grid rather than in the traditional hierarchy
45
What does centralised mean?
An organisation structure where decision making power is held firmly at the top of the hierarchy amongst senior management
46
What does decentralised mean?
An organisation structure where decision making power is spread out to include managers lower down in the hierarchy and in different locations
47
What does organisation by function meaning?
The organisation is divided into smaller groups based on specialised functional areas e.g finance or marketing
48
What is organisation by project?
The organisation is divided into teams or workers with different skills who focus on one product or project
49
What does a matrix structure involve?
Combining the traditional departments seen in functional structures with project teams, the individuals work across teams and projects as well as in their own departments
50
What are the advantages of a matrix structure?
-Can break down traditional department barriers to improve communication -Allows individuals to use skills in many different contexts -Reduces costs and improves coordination as departments do not need to meet regularly
51
What are the disadvantages of a matrix structure?
-May not be clear lines of accountability -Hard to coordinate -Takes time to adapt to the structure
52
What are the advantages of a centralised structure?
-Ensures consistency of customer experience -Easier to coordinate activities -Easier to make changes across the whole business
53
What are the disadvantages of a centralised structure?
-Less flexibility -Reduces manager motivation -Doesn't take different locations and cultures into account
54
What are the advantages of a decentralised structure?
-Decisions are made closer to customers -Improved customer care -Local managers have more authority which is good for motivation
55
What are the disadvantages of a decentralised structure?
-Harder to keep financial control -Less consistent levels of service across different locations
56
What is motivation?
The 'willingness to work' it is the enjoyment of the work itself and the desire to achieve goals
57
What is the purpose of financial motivators?
They are designed to motivate employees extrinsically where employees gain a monetary reward for good performance
58
What is the purpose of non financial methods?
Intrinsic rewards aiming to inspire and engage employees in a way that money cannot
59
What is a bonus and what the advantages and disadvantages?
A sum paid on top of a salary or wage -Improves productivity -Increases motivation However: -Costly -May lead to jealously
60
What is piecework and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Employees are paid per finished item -Workers will work longer hours to get the work done -An incentive to do the work However: -May reduce quality if employees rush -Slow workers may fall under minimum wage
61
What is commission and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Employees own a percentage of the sales they make -Skilled sales people can make a lot of money -Motivates employees to earn more However: -Pressuring -Employees are selling rather than meeting customer needs
62
What is profit share and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
The businesses profits are divided up into a percentage and given to employees -Encourages teamwork -Employees will try to reduce costs to earn more However: -Higher employees are receiving more -People are paid regardless of their contribution
63
What is performance related pay?
A financial reward to employees whose work is considered to have reached a required standard
64
What is a consultation and what the advantages and disadvantages?
Giving employees a chance to be a part of the decision making process -Allows workers to make suggestions about ways to solve problems -Empowers workers However: -Time consuming process and cannot consult on all decisions
65
What is empowerment and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Giving people greater control over their work -Gives control and trust However: -Can be seen as a cost cutting measure as delayering or making redundancies
66
What is job enrichment and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Attempts to give employers more responsibility by increasing the complexity of their tasks -Learn new skills -Reduces boredom However: -Increases workload leading to poor performance
67
What is job rotation and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
The movement of employees through a range of jobs to increase interest and motivation -Easier to cover for absent colleagues However: -Reduces productivity -Requires extra training
68
What is job enlargement and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Involves adding extra similar tasks -Less repetition However: -Basic nature of jobs is the same which reduces motivation -Doing more for the same pay
69
What is delegation and what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Allocating tasks to employees and giving them responsibility -Gives managers self confidence -Empowers managers to make decisions However: -May increase the workload and stress of subordinates
70
What was Taylor's theory?
-'Fair days pay for a fair day's work' -Believed that employees would do the bare minimum if not supervised -Argued that the main form of motivation is higher wages -Said workers should be paid accordingly (piece rate)
71
What was Mayo's theory?
-Teamwork is more important than money -Non financial motivators are most important -Boring and repetitive work can be a demotivator
72
What was Maslow's theory?
-Hierarchy of needs (physiological, safety, belonging, esteem, self-actualisation) -Once these needs are met we work at our best potential
73
What was Herzberg's theory?
-There are motivating factors including: interesting work, responsibility, development and achievement -There are hygiene factors including: good pay, relationships and working conditions -If they both are not met employees will not develop or be satisfied
74
What is leadership?
-Skill to motivate and inspire people -They are innovators who encourage others to accept change -Changes the direction and business strategy
75
What is management?
-An official position or responsibility -They direct and manage others -They plan and organise
76
What is autocratic leadership?
They are leaders with full control of decision making and the employees have little to no input
77
What are the advantages and disadvantages of autocratic leadership?
-Gets things done quickly -Good in crisis or emergency situations -Employees feel secure as they are told what to do so require no thinking However: -Requires fast decision making -Staff may feel unimportant -Demotivating as staff cannot express their ideas
78
What is democratic leadership?
Leadership which encourages employees participation in decision making and thinks that teamwork and communication are important
79
What are the advantages and disadvantages of democratic leadership?
-Workers are motivated as their ideas are used -Greater freedom and input into decisions -Employees trust their leaders more However: -Can be demotivating if leaders take credit for workers ideas -Staff aren't paid as much as managers but do the same tasks -Slow decision making
80
What is paternalistic leadership?
When decisions are made in a 'father' like style with the best interest of workers in mind, the leader makes the decisions and they shouldn't be questioned
81
What are the advantages and disadvantages of paternalistic leadership?
-Focus is on employee welfare which improves morale -Employee feels that the business cares for them However: -Creates dependency on the leader -Subordinates have no power over decision making
82
What is laissez faire leadership?
Gives employees as much freedom as possible, the leaders communicate the goals to employees but allows them to choose how to complete their objectives
83
What are the advantages and disadvantages of laissez faire leadership?
-Freedom for employees to make decisions -Effective in group situations as the groups knowledge may be more useful that the leaders However: -Poorly defined roles in the group -Leaders are seen as uninvolved and withdrawn -Workers are demotivated to set their own deadlines

Business (15 decks)

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