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Business Studies A-level > Unit 3.6 > Flashcards

Unit 3.6 Flashcards

1
Q

Kaizen

A

everyone is involved in quality and improvement

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2
Q

Talent development

A

development of star employees

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3
Q

training

A

process by which an employee can gain skills and knowledge

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4
Q

Autonomy

A

how involved you are in decision making

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5
Q

Diversity

A

creating an inclusive environment

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6
Q

External influence

A

Example = availability of labour - in a fast-food setting there is high availability whereas there is low availability for doctors etc

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7
Q

Internal influence - Organic growth

A

opening a new chain - grown from within the business (no other businesses are involved)

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8
Q

Internal influence - Inorganic growth

A

other businesses are involved - takeovers etc in an attempt to reduce competition

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9
Q

The use of data for human resource panning and decision making

A

helps with problem solving and gives management an insight into the workforce which could be valuable when negotiating with trade unions etc.

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10
Q

HRM Planning cycle

A

set HRM objectives - Conduct inventory of current workforce - Gather data and forecast demand - Estimate staff gaps - Write HRM plans - put plan into action - Monitor and evaluate plan - repeat

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11
Q

Human resource objectives - INTRO

A

main objective is to help the business achieve it’s corporation objectives and mission by providing well trained and well motivated employees

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12
Q

Employee engagement and involvement

A

the extent to which employees are able to have a say in decisions which will impact their working life - motivated employees are more punctual and less likely to leave the company

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13
Q

Talent development

A

development of star employees who have the potential to make a major contribution to the success of the business - makes the business more competitive and profitable

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14
Q

Training

A

process by which an employee can gain skills and knowledge relating too their job role or working environment - increases productivity of the workers

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15
Q

Diversity

A

recognising that employees are unique individuals and creating an inclusive environment which values diversity

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16
Q

Number of skills an location of employees

A

Development of staff is one of the top priorities for businesses like a care home. - need temporary staff to replace ill workers etc

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17
Q

External influences on HRM objectives

A

include ethics, Labour market, Technology

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18
Q

Ethics

A

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) position of the business impacts HRM decisions in terms of wages and working conditions - ethical businesses can receive ban competitive advantage etc.

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19
Q

Labour market

A

availability of Labour matching with the number of jobs available.- business needs to be flexible in it’s ability to recruit and let go off staff

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20
Q

Technology

A

technological advancements now mean that more employees are able to work from home. - reduces amount of office space needed and improves employees work-life balance.

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21
Q

Internal influences on HRM decisions

A

impact on the choice of HRM objectives set within a business

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22
Q

Link to other functions

A

HRM cannot be taken in isolation - e.g. new advertising campaign HRM may need to recruit promotional staff

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23
Q

Business growth

A

organic growth = more branches = more staff needed
Inorganic growth may lead to some necessary staff redundancies

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24
Q

Trading internationally

A

to trade internationally a business may need staff who speak different languages or understand different cultures etc.

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25
Q

New product development

A

may require new staff with different skills to help the business to be successful for the new venture

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26
Q

Management approaches

A

dictates the level of the staff to be recruited - e.g. in hard HRM business is only looking for staff that can follow orders.

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27
Q

Soft HRM approach

A

employees seen to add value to the business. - the company wants to develop their skills etc. High employee engagement and motivation, higher staff retention etc

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28
Q

Hard HRM approach

A

employees seen as an unwanted cost - managers do the thinking and employees only carry out tasks - minimises costs and gives managers more control over operations

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29
Q

Job design

A

process of establishing employees roles and responsibilities and the systems and procedures that they should use to follow. - purpose is to coordinate and optimise work processes to improve productivity

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30
Q

Organisational design

A

diagram which shows the lines of authority and layers in the hierarchy of the business
Example - UVHS
Mr Hardwick
Deputy Deputy
Pastoral Pastoral Pastoral
Teachers Teachers Teachers

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31
Q

Tall structure - Pros

A

-lots of promotions
-work shared = less stress
-organised - everyone knows their place
-Narrow span of control ( no one is responsible for a lot of people.)

32
Q

Tall structure - Cons

A

-Long chain of command (takes messages a long time to reach people - Chinese whisper)
expensive as more managers and supervisors

33
Q

Flat structure - pros

A
  • info flows quickly through organisation - short chain of command
  • lots of delegation - staff are given greater responsibility
34
Q

Flat structure - Cons

A
  • staff overworked
  • create power struggle - little chance of promotion
  • wide span of control -managers have lots of staff too look after
35
Q

Functional organisational structure

A

business divided into smaller teams based on specialised functional areas.

36
Q

Matrix - organisational structure

A

employees part of a functional group - those from different groups work together to develop a new product line

37
Q

Matrix - Pros

A
  • good for businesses that work on a project-by-project basis.
  • flexible structure = staff from different departments can jump in and out of roles.
38
Q

Matrix - Cons

A
  • coordination problems between departments.
  • conflict of interest across projects
39
Q

Centralised

A

majority of decisions are taken by senior managers at the top of the business - examples = McDonalds and Burger King

40
Q

Centralised - Pros

A
  • provides rapid decision-making as few people are consulted.
  • ensures business pursues objectives set by managers
41
Q

Centralised - Cons

A
  • High staff turnover
  • lack of employee engagement
42
Q

Decentralised

A

gives greater authority to employees lower down the organisational structure - provides junior employees with more opportunities = increases motivation and reduce business costs. - also reduces workload on senior managers

43
Q

Holocracy

A

No traditional structures and no job titles - staff have more control - however can lead to confusion on who is in charge.

44
Q

Example of holocracy

A

Zappos got rid of job titles in 2013

45
Q

Product based organisational structure

A

business assigns employees into self-contained divisions based on…
- product or service they produce
- Customers they deal with
- geographical area they serve
The structure may have several layers with each layer having it’s own marketing and sales team etc

46
Q

Regional organisational structure

A

for companies that cover a span of geographical areas - this is a structure that is organised by geographical areas and report up to a central manager.

47
Q

Authoity

A

power to make decisions - The organisational design should show clear lines of authority on who has the right to make decisions

48
Q

Delegation

A

authority to carry out a task or a decision is handed down to another employee - 5 rights to delegation =
1. right task
2. right circumstance
3. right employee
4. right communication
5. right supervision

49
Q

Hierarchy

A

system in a business where employees are ranked due to their status and authority.

50
Q

Chain of command

A

the flow of information, power and authority through the organisation.

51
Q

Span of control

A

the number of subordinates that they can delegate to

52
Q

Influences on delegation

A
  • company history and ownership - if historically the owner does the decision making, they might find it hard to delegate.
  • Availability of suitable subordinates to delegate to, or employees who can step into new roles.
53
Q

Human resource flow

A

Assess the future labour needs - Identify gaps in labour needs - develop strategies to resolve gaps - Right people, right place, right time - Assess current workforce - repeat.

54
Q

Human resource flow

A

employees moving through a business, starting with recruitment.

55
Q

Recruitment processes

A

workforce planning - prepare job description etc - advertise vacancy - shortlist candidates - interview and select - draw up contracts and appoint

56
Q

Internal recruitment

A

selects candidates from those already employed at the business
Pros
- they have experience within the business
- cheaper than advertising externally
- increases productivity as chance for promotion

Cons
- Less candidates - ma not fit the role
- No new ideas coming into the company
- new vacancy is produced

57
Q

External recruitment

A

candidates can come from outside of the business
Pros
- Wide range of candidates
- new ideas and skills brought to the business
- no vacancy produced

Cons
- no experience with the business
- expensive to advertise
- damage to employee morale if they do not get chosen

58
Q

Maslows Hierarchy of needs

A

Way of describing the various levels of human needs
Example = Google where 97% of staff are ‘happy’
Top
- Self-actualisation needs
- Esteem needs
- Love/belonging needs
- safety needs
- Physiological needs
Bottom

59
Q

Maslows hierarchy of needs - self actualisation

A

where personal development is fully realised after basic need are met - employees feel they can reach their full potential within the company.

60
Q

Maslows hierarchy of needs - self esteem

A

our requirement or desire to feel good about ourselves - being recognised by others - gives sense of belonging to employees

61
Q

Maslows hierarchy of needs - safety and security

A

the desire for order, predictability and control - examples include financial security and law and order. - important as employees must feel safe

62
Q

Maslows hierarchy of needs - Love and belonging

A

trust and acceptance etc - will increase job satisfaction

63
Q

Maslows Hierarchy of needs - physiological needs

A

most basic - the essentials that people need to survive - important as they can motivate employees

64
Q

Googles hierarchy of needs

A

Physiological = free meals and sleep pods on site
Safety - healthcare and mindfulness spaces
Social - football pitches and the offices are designed for people to work together
Esteem - 20% of employees time spent working on un-related projects

65
Q

Taylor’s theory - Taylorism

A

Key principles =
- division of labour - breaks task’s into smaller manageable components - e.g. an assembly line

  • scientific selection and training - selecting the right people for the job and training them properly
  • standardisation of work methods - ensures consistency and efficiency
  • financial incentives for performance - linking wages to productivity to motivate employees
66
Q

Herzberg two factor theory - Hygiene factors

A
  • Relationship with peers
  • Physical workspace
  • company policies
  • working conditions
  • job security
  • status
  • supervision
67
Q

Herzberg two factor theory - Motivational factors

A
  • Achievement
  • Recognition
  • work itself
  • job advancement opportunities
  • Growth opportunities
68
Q

Motivation

A

the will to work - enjoyment of work itself and desire to achieve certain goals

69
Q

Engagement

A

employee is positive about their work - want to improve

70
Q

Trade unions

A

= collect bargaining to protect and improve working conditions
Benefits…
- Equal pay act
- more flexible working hours
- better sickness and pension benefits
- provide legal help
- annual leave

Negatives
- monthly membership fee

71
Q

work councils

A

internal, within the business - elected by staff
Benefits…
- no membership fee
- more communication = employees feel more involved
- two - way communication
- improved consultation

Negatives
- only effects those within the business - small scale
- if company’s don’t comply there is little that can be done

72
Q

Employee committee

A

informal discussion to discuss issues in the workplace
Benefits…
- no membership fee

Negatives
- no formal process to deal with the issues

73
Q

influences on employee representation

A
  • nature of the work - low skilled workers are less likely to have a large input on key decisions
  • leadership style of the company - autocratic may oppose to a union membership)
74
Q

Mediation

A

involves an independent, impartial person helping two or more individuals or groups reach a solution that’s acceptable for everyone.
aim is to restore employment relationship.

75
Q

Conciliation

A

used when an employee is complaining against their employer to an employment tribunal.
Conciliator’s discuss the issues with both parties to help them reach a better understanding - have no authority to seek evidence or call witnesses

76
Q

Arbitration

A

alternative to court of law. involves an impartial outsider making a decision on a dispute.
Arbitration is voluntary so both sides must agree to go to it.

Business Studies A-level (7 decks)

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