Technology and Work Flashcards
Is the UK labour market well regulated?
no
it is one of the most lightly regulated labour markets in the world
What is a consequence of low regulation in labour markets?
workers have less rights and are more open to exploitation
How is HRM involved with inequality and company responsibility?
HRM has inherent responsibilities to ensure the company complies with all laws, legislations, and regulations
What has diversity management led to?
increase in migrant workers
feminisation of the workforce
shift from full-time to part-time and temporary work
Define Fordism.
a single, low-skill task, repeated many times with no control over personal output
What is a consequence of Fordism?
abundance of low-skilled and semi-skilled workers
What has been caused by the move to the service industry?
lower trade unionisation
lower wages for female workers
lower employee control
more non-standard jobs
Define non-standard jobs.
zero-hours
temporary
part-time
seasonal
Name three issues with service production.
quantity is measure of performance
pressure to work quickly
targets for predictable outcome
What are the four aspects of Fordism and McDonaldisation?
efficiency
calculability
predictability
control
What are the factors HRM uses to sell service industry jobs?
flexible hours
team work
employee involvement
soft social skills
What can Fordist and MacDonaldised jobs lead to?
emotional exhaustion
high-staff turnover
What is emotional labour?
the regulation of employees emotions towards customers to enhance their experience
What can emotional labour lead to?
work intensification
role overload
stress
emotional exhaustion
What is the largest conflict for HRM?
they are supposed to protect the employees, but they work by the company’s rules
What is a service triangle?
where the employer and the customer are both in control of the employee
According to Babbage (1832), why is manufacturing divided into different parts?
if it wasn’t, the person conducting the work would need to be multiskilled
What are the two reasons technology is introduced?
increase efficiency of production
decrease reliance on high-skilled human labour
What is the main principle of Taylorism?
every skill can be reduced to a set of tasks independent of the skills of the person
How does Taylorism affect the worker?
removes discretion over their performance
What is the crucial aspect of Taylorism?
all planning is conducted by management and efficiency experts, framed as specialists in workplace planning
Define mechanisation.
process of introducing a tool to do what was done by hand
Define automation.
adding machines with the ability for perception, reasoning, and task-planning to a mechanised process
Define computerisation.
adding specific hardware and software to automated processes
