2.1 Functions and evolution of human resource management Flashcards

1
Q

Human resource management

A

the management function of using and developing people within a business to meet its organisational objectives

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2
Q

Roles of HRM

A
workforce planning
recruitment, selection and induction
training and development of staff
reviewing pay and remuneration packages
disciplinary and grievance procedures
looking after the welfare of employees
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3
Q

How can HR add value to the output?

A

increase productivity
improve quality
come up with new ideas
provide better customer service

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4
Q

Human resource/workforce planning

A

the management process of anticipating and meeting an organisation’s current and future staffing needs

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5
Q

Short-term workforce planning

A

deals with the upcoming and existing demands of an organisation

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6
Q

Long-term workforce planning

A

looks at the human resources needs of the business in the foreseeable future

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7
Q

What does workforce planning look at?

A
historical data and trends
sales and income levels
labour turnover rates
flexibility and workload of staff
demographic changes
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8
Q

Labour turnover

A

measures the percentage of the workforce that leaves the organisation in a given time period, usually one year

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9
Q

Labour turnover formula

A

number of staff leaving / total number of staff

x 100

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10
Q

What are the main reasons some people leave their jobs? [CLAMPS]

A
Challenge
Location 
Advancement 
Money 
Pride (Prestige) 
(Job) Security
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11
Q

What are some internal and external factors that influence human resource planning?

A

demographic changes
changes in labour mobility
new communication technologies

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12
Q

Why do businesses need to recruit people?

A

labour is an essential factor of production needed for the provision of any good or service
–> hiring the right people helps to ensure that businesses can function effectively.

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13
Q

Differentiate between internal recruitment and external recruitment.

A

Internal recruitment involves hiring people who have already been in the organisation to fill out a position, whereas external recruitment hires new employees from outside of the organisation to fill out vacant posts.

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14
Q

Advantages of high labour turnover

A

Low skilled and productive staff leave and replaced with better workers
New ideas and practices are brought to the company
Business planning to reduce staff

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15
Q

Disadvantages of labour turnover

A

costs of recruiting, selecting and training
Poor output levels and customer service due to staff vacancies
Difficult to establish team spirit and stable work groups.

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16
Q

Examples of demographic changes that can affect the supply of labour.

A

Population growth
Net migration
Ageing population

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17
Q

Factors affecting workforce plan

A
Supply of labour
Government
Finances
Structure of business
Effectiveness of communication
Morale of workforce
Leadership style of managers
Need for change/reaction to change
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18
Q

Advantages of internal recruitment

A

Cost effective
Less time needed to acclimate to company culture
Less risk
Motivational

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19
Q

Disadvantages of internal recruitment

A

Fewer applicants
Time consuming
No new ideas
Internal politics

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20
Q

Advantages of external recruitment

A
New blood (wide range of experiences)
Larger pool of applicants
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21
Q

Disadvantages of external recruitment

A

Even more time consuming
Expensive
Uncertainty

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22
Q

Training

A

Process of providing opportunities for workers to acquire skills and knowledge

Training is the improvement of task-specific skills

Development involves enhancing personal skills that improve workforce flexibility

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23
Q

Advantages of training

A
Improve efficiency and effectivity
Less wastage
Higher morale
Adapt to change easily
Flexible workforce
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24
Q

Disadvantages of training

A

Cost

Employees may leave since they are qualified for better jobs

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25
Q

Induction

A

Introduction to company policies, general info

May involve meeting other personnel, touring the premises, etc.

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26
Q

Advantages of induction

A

Establishes expectations
Understand company culture
Morale booster

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27
Q

Disadvantages of induction

A

Time consuming
Personnel have to be freed to work on the induction
Info overload

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28
Q

On the job

A

Learn from coworkers by experience

May involve being mentored by or shadowing senior managers

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29
Q

Advantages of on the job

A

Relatively cheap
Relevant job-specific skills are learned
Fewer disruptions to work
Establish team relationships

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30
Q

Disadvantages of on the job

A

Possibility of learning bad working habits
Trainers may lack the best training skills
Trainers may not be able to work properly

31
Q

Off the job

A

Learn from specialists from third party (e.g. university, speakers)

32
Q

Advantages of off the job

A

Expert expertise
Wide range of training
No distractions
Networking

33
Q

Disadvantages

A

Expensive
Loss of output
Skills may be irrelevant

34
Q

Cognitive

A

Theoretical training in the hopes of improving overall intelligence

35
Q

Advantages of cognitive

A

Improves brain function (memory, reasoning, etc.)

Knowledge may apply to a wide variety of situations

36
Q

Disadvantages of cognitive

A

Costly

May not be immediately practical/applicable

37
Q

Behavioural

A

Practical training in order to improve employee attitudes/behaviours

38
Q

Advantages of behavioural

A

May make for more competent and assertive employees

Improves customer and intra-company relations

39
Q

Disadvantages of behavioural

A

Costly

Difficult to track progress

40
Q

Poor morale is a reason for labour turnover, which is seen in:

A

Militant workforce
Frequent union representation to management
Low suggestion rates
Widespread rumours

41
Q

Recruitment process

A

Establishing the exact nature of the job vacancy and draw up a job description

Draw up a person specification

Prepare a job advertisement reflecting the requirement of the job and the personal qualities looked for

Draw up a shortlist of applicants

Conduct interviews

42
Q

Employee appraisal

A

The process of assessing the effectiveness of an employee judged against preset objectives

43
Q

Reasons for appraisals

A

Assess performance in line with job description and targets

Identify hindrances

Identify training needed

Reflect on performance (areas for improvement)

Praise good performance

Set new goals/targets

44
Q

Why are appraisals not done often?

A

May be costly and time consuming (thus isn’t done often), subjective, offensive, and biased (especially when appraising someone higher up)

45
Q

Appraisal methods

A

Formative

Summative

360 degree feedback

Self appraisal

46
Q

Formative

A

Qualitative feedback

Gather feedback that can be used by the supervisors to guide improvements in the ongoing work being undertaken

47
Q

Summative

A

Goal is to measure the level of an employee’s success or proficiency in meeting predetermined benchmarks.

Used to influence an employee’s pay grade, annual bonus or promotion

48
Q

360 degree feedback

A

Collected from ‘all around ‘ an employee/

Does not use supervisor as the sole mean

Assess training and development needs

49
Q

Self appraisal

A

Employee to self evaluate his performance

Need for employees to set targets for improvement

50
Q

Dismissal

A

Being removed from a job due to incompetence or breach of discipline

51
Q

Unfair dismissal

A

Ending a works employment contract for a reason that the law regards as being unfair

52
Q

What does HR have to do before dismissal?

A

Must be seen to have done all that it can to help the employee reach the required standard

53
Q

Redundancy

A

When a job is not longer required so the employee doing this job becomes redundant through no fault of his or her own

54
Q

Changing employment patterns and practices factors

A

Employment sector (primary, secondary, tertiary)
Aging population
Labor supply

55
Q

Flexible work structures

A

teleworking/home working
Portfolio/Project based/Contractual working
Part time employment
Flexitime

56
Q

Advantages of Flexible work structures

A

Increased flexibility for both
Company needs only to train core employees
Employees exercise more autonomy
Less office overhead expense

57
Q

Disadvantages of Flexible work structures

A

Requires investment in ICT, which may be unreliable
Employees are harder to control
Less job security for employees

58
Q

Outsourcing/subcontracting

A

Transferring the internal business activities to an external firm

e.g. business outsources bookkeeping duties to accounting firms

59
Q

Reasons for outsourcing

A

Activities are not the core function of the business
Business lacks the specific skills
Cost reduction

60
Q

Advantages of outsourcing

A

Better focus on core activities
Helps reduce production and labor costs
Ensures high quality standards

61
Q

Disadvantages of outsourcing

A

Requires effective two-way communication, coordination and mutual trust
Subcontractors need to be monitored and managed properly
Quality inconsistency
Possibility of unethical practices

62
Q

Offshoring

A

Transferring of internal business activities overseas

Usually done in countries with low minimum wage

63
Q

Reasons for offshoring

A

Cut down labor costs
Enter new markets in growing countries
Overcome political limitations and regulations

64
Q

Advantages of offshoring

A

Reduce labor cost
Help the business expand and gain exposure
Business has access to large talent pool
Stimulate host country’s economy (job opportunities, trade, etc.)

65
Q

Disadvantages of offshoring

A

Language and cultural barrier
Time difference
Communication

66
Q

Reshoring

A

Bringing back offshore/outsourced personnel and services back to the original location

67
Q

Reasons for reshoring

A

Foreign labor costs are increasing

Problems with delivery/logistics

68
Q

Advantages of reshoring

A

Greater control
Increased proximity to customers/shorter supply chain
Product quality may increase

69
Q

Disadvantages of reshoring

A

May still be more costly

Local country may lack the labor supply

70
Q

Hard HRM

A

An approach to managing staff that focuses on cutting cost

71
Q

Examples of Hard HRM

A

Using temporary and part-time employment contracts

Offering maximum flexibility but with minimum training costs

72
Q

Soft HRM

A

An approach to managing staff that focuses on developing staff so that they reach self fulfilment and are motivated to work hard and stay with the business

73
Q

Limitations of soft HRM

A

Global competition leads to low prices being the most important