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GCSE Edexcel Business > 2.5 Making Human Resource Decisions > Flashcards

2.5 Making Human Resource Decisions Flashcards

1
Q

Define organisational structure

A

Refers to the levels of hierarchy within a business

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2
Q

Define hierarchy

A

Levels of authority within an organisation

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3
Q

What does an organisational structure do?

A

Outlines the responsibilities, roles and relationsjips between employees in a business

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4
Q

Define chain of command

A

The path/chain down which orders are passed

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5
Q

Define span of control

A

The number of staff a manager is directly responsible for

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6
Q

Define delegation

A

Passing down authority for work to another worker further down the hierarchy

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7
Q

Define authority

A

The power or right to give orders within an organisation

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8
Q

Define delayering

A

Removing layers of management and workers in the hierarchy so that there are fewer workers in the chain of command

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9
Q

What are the two types of organisational structures?

A

Tall and flat

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10
Q

Describe a tall organisational structure

A
  • has many levels of hierarchy
  • has a narrow span of control
  • has a long communication flow
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11
Q

Describe a flat organisational structure

A
  • has few levels of hierarchy
  • has a wide span of control
  • has a short communication flow
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12
Q

What are the advantages of a tall organisational structure?

A
  • Clear lines of formal authority with defined roles and responsibilities
  • Promotes specialisation and expertise within each department or function
  • Offers opportunities for career advancement within the business
  • All of the above increases efficiency and motivation
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13
Q

What are the disadvantages of a tall organisational structure?

A
  • Can create communication problems between the upper and lower levels of hierarchy
  • Decision making can be slow as information must pass through multiple layers of management
  • Can lead to excessive levels of management
  • All of the above can reduce efficiency and motivation
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14
Q

What are the advantages of a short organisational structure?

A
  • promotes a culture of collaboration and open communication
  • decision making can be faster and more efficient
  • Encourages creativity and innovation as workers have a wider job role, allowing for more autonomy and flexibility
  • Low number of managers and supervisors needed, reduces overheads
    –> More independent staff = feel more trusted/ motivated
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15
Q

What are the disadvantages of having a flat organisational structure?

A
  • Can lead to role ambiguity and lack of clear hierarchy
  • May not provide clear opportunities for career advancement or promotion
  • May lead to employees taking on multiple roles, which can lead to burnout and overwhelm
  • Manager has less time for staff under their control: do managers know what their staff are doing?
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16
Q

Define centralised structure

A

Decision making authority is concentrated at the top of the organisation wherein senior management make most of the decisions

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17
Q

Define decentralised structure

A

Decision making authority is distributed throughout the organisation, with lower level employees having more decision making power

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18
Q

What are the advantages of a centralised structure?

A
  • More consistency across the business
  • Senior managers tend to have plenty of experience, and can get an overview of the business
  • Easy to implement policies
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19
Q

What are the disadvantages of using a centralised structure?

A
  • May not meet the needs of the local market
  • demotivation as employees may not feel involved in the business
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20
Q

What are the advantages of a decentralised structure?

A
  • decisions can be made quickly
  • employees can use their expert knowledge of the sector to make informed decisions
  • less need for a central office as senior managers are no longer needed as much, which could decrease a firms costs
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21
Q

What are the disadvantages of a decentralised structure?

A
  • Inconsistencies beteen departments or regions
  • decision makers may not be able to see the overall needs of the business
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22
Q

Define communication

A

Transferring information from one part of the business to another

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23
Q

Why is effective communication important?

A
  • Helps managers and employees to minimise mistakes
  • supports everyone involved in the business to understand their role and what is expected of them
  • ensures business values and objectives are clear
  • provides customers with the information they need to understand goods and services
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24
Q

When does effective communication occur?

A

When communication is sent, recieved and understood by the intended audience

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25
Q

State some examples of internal communication

A
  • emails
  • intranets
  • message boards
  • blogs
  • podcasts
  • conference calls
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26
Q

State some examples of external communication

A
  • press releases
  • marketing materials
  • government reports
  • telephone conversations
  • published financial reports/accounts
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27
Q

What are the barriers of effective communication?

A
  • noise
  • jargon
  • speed of talking
  • poor spelling and grammar
  • illegible handwriting
  • personalities
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28
Q

What problems can insufficient communication cause?

A
  • inefficiency
  • information isn’t passed on
  • demotivate staff
  • customers may complain about poor customer service
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29
Q

What problems can be caused by excessive communication?

A
  • employees may become distracted
  • people start taking less notice of the messages, and miss out the ones that are important to them
  • employees may get conflicting information
  • time wasted
  • staff overwhelmed with excessive information
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30
Q

State the different ways of working

A
  • Full time
  • Part time
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31
Q

Define full time workers

A

Employees that usually work for more than 35 hours a week

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32
Q

Define part time workers

A

Employees that work less than 35 hours a week, usually between 10-20 hours

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33
Q

Define flexible workers

A

May be full time or part time, and some may have a choice over when they want to complete their work

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34
Q

What is the difference between a permanent contract and a temporary contract?

A
  • Permanent Contract: worker is employed until they are made redundant/ they want to leave
  • Temporary contract: contract that lasts for a specific period of time
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35
Q

What is the difference between fixed contracts and zero hour contract?

A
  • Fixed term: guarantees a certain amount of hours for workers to work
  • Zero Hour: do not guarantee hours of work to a worker but they should be available when expected
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36
Q

Define freelance worker

A

Self employeed contracter who works for a variety of businesses on a day to day basis

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37
Q

What are the benefits of remote working for the business?

A
  • costs are reduced as less workspace is needed
  • Staff are less likely to take time off so absentee rate is lower
  • Staff are likely to remain motivated and remain within the business because they can work flexibly
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38
Q

What are the benefits of remote working for the employee?

A
  • Flexibility may give workers the opportunity to start and finish work whenever they want
  • Less time spent travelling to and from work
  • Workers less likely to be distracted by colleagues and may be more productive
39
Q

How has technology had an impact on the way that people work?

A
  • processes have become more efficient
  • made it easier for employees to share information
  • remote working has become more accessible
40
Q

Name the key job roles in a business

A
  1. Directors
  2. Senior Managers
  3. Supervisors
  4. Operational and Support Staff
41
Q

What are the responsibilites of the director?

A

Responsible for the business’s strategy (its overall directions)

42
Q

What are the responsibilities of the senior manager?

A

Organise the carrying out of the directors strategy

43
Q

What are the responsibilities of Supervisor or Team leader?

A

Usually look after specific projects or small teams of operational or support staff

44
Q

What are the responsibilities of operational and support staff?

A

Often given specific tasks to perform by managers, supervisors or team leaders

45
Q

Define recruitment

A

The process of hiring new staff

46
Q

What are the four documents involved in the recruitment process?

A
  • Job description
  • CV
  • Application Form
  • Person Specification
47
Q

What is included in the person specification?

A
  • Qualifications
  • Experience
  • Skills
  • Personal Characteristics
48
Q

What is included in the job description?

A
  • duties
  • hours and location of the job
  • managerial and supervisory responsibilites
  • pay and conditions
49
Q

Describe the recruitment process

A
  1. Business identifies the need to recruit a new member of staff
  2. Business writes job description
  3. Business writes person specification
  4. Business advertises the job and interviews the candidates
50
Q

What are the two different types of recruitment?

A

Internal and external

51
Q

Define internal recruitment

A

When a person who already works for a business is appointed to a job role

52
Q

Define external recruitment

A

When a business hires an employee from outiside the business

53
Q

What are the benefits of internal recruitment

A
  • member of staff already familiar with business culture and working practices
  • business is aware of the employees strengths and weaknesses
  • no need for induction training
  • expensive advertising is not needed
  • employees can be ready to start their new role immediately
54
Q

What are the drawbacks of internal recruitments?

A
  • old job role must be filled
  • may be resentment amongst overlooked employees
55
Q

What are the benefits of external recruitment?

A
  • higher number of applicants will be attracted
  • new recruits are usually highly motivated and keen to impress
  • new ideas and experience are bought into the business
  • more likely that the firm will find someone better suited for the job
56
Q

What are the drawbacks of external recruitment?

A
  • new employees may need support from colleagues and induction training which slows down productivity
  • advertising for external staff can be more expensive
57
Q

Define training

A

Teaching of new skills

58
Q

Define development

A

Improvement of existing skills

59
Q

Why is a well-trained workforce important?

A
  • more productive
  • staff may feel more valued
  • staff more likely to be flexible and resistent in the face of challenge
60
Q

What are the two different types of training?

A

Formal and informal

61
Q

What is the difference between formal and informal training?

A
  • Formal training: employees attend specific training courses to imrpove their skills
  • Informal training: Employees learn skills on the job by developing skills and experiences over time or by being coached by other employees
62
Q

What are the advantages of formal training?

A
  • experts are likely to offer high quality training
  • employees can focus on learning if they are away from the workplace
63
Q

What are the disadvantages of formal training?

A
  • expensive
  • time consuming
  • a member of staff is taken away from the workplace, so productivity falls
64
Q

What are the advantages of informal training?

A
  • cheaper and less time consuming than formal training
  • focused on the specific skills and needs of the business
  • trainees are able to ask questions and ask for demonstrations to be repeated
  • gives employees real ‘hands-on’ experience
65
Q

What are the disadvantages of informal training?

A
  • relies on the expertise and communication skills of the trainer
  • productivity of both trainer and trainee is likely to be low during the training period
66
Q

What is self learning?

A

Involves workers studying or practicing skills without the presence of a teacher or a trainer

67
Q

What are examples of self learning skills?

A
  • time management
  • planning and organising
  • problem solving
  • management/ leadership
  • creativity
  • multitasking
68
Q

What is ongoing training?

A

Provided to workers throughout their careers and is a key way to continuously improve productivity as they understand how to fulfil their job roles effectively

69
Q

Why is ongoing training carried out?

A
  • ensures workers stay up to date with working practices
  • allows skills to be improved
  • reminds workers of business priorities
70
Q

What is a performance review?

A

A discussion between the employee and their supervisor about the job. This should set out new targets and training needs for the employee so they can continue to develop

71
Q

How does performance training benefit the employee?

A
  • recognises high performing employees
  • an opportunity for the employee to get feedback on how they are doing at work
72
Q

Why does a business train and develop their employees?

A
  • shows employees that they’re valued
  • keeps knowledge and skills of employees up to date
  • helps to identify mistakes or inefficiency
  • improves employee confidence
  • meet legal requirements
  • increase staff retention
73
Q

How is ongoing training related to technology?

A

As technology develops, ongoing training must be carried out to ensure that workers are able to use it effectively

74
Q

Define motivation

A

The desire to complete tasks in the workplace

75
Q

Why is motivation important in the workplace?

A
  • attracting employees
  • retaining employees
  • productivity increases
76
Q

What is the impact of motivation on productivity?

A
  • more productive and efficient
  • workers more engaged with their work and take initiative in order to meet their daily goals
  • generate higher levels of quality and outputs
  • which will lead to higher profits
77
Q

What is the impact of motivation on the reliability of workers?

A
  • more likely to be reliable and dependable
  • they take pride in their job, show up to work on time, take less sick days and meet deadlines
  • leads to increased trust between business and its employees
  • leads to higher productivity
78
Q

What is the impact of motivation on turnover rates?

A
  • more likely to stay with the company which reduces the staff turnover rate
  • lower turnover rates reduce the cost of recruitment and training
79
Q

Give some examples of financial methods of motivation

A
  • remuneration
  • bonuses
  • commission
  • promotion
  • fringe benefits
80
Q

Define remuneration

A

Money given to an employee in rturn for work or service

81
Q

Define bonuses

A

Given out when certain performance targets have been met

82
Q

Define commission

A

Employee recieves a reward for every sale made

83
Q

Define promotion

A

Staff moving to position higher up in the hierarchy

84
Q

Define fringe benefits

A

Items an employee recieves in addition to their normal salary

85
Q

Name some non financial methods of motivation

A
  • job rotation
  • job enrichment
  • autonomy
86
Q

Define job rotation

A

Employees are rotated between different jobs to avoid repetition

87
Q

What are the advantages of job rotation?

A
  • easy to find an employee to cover for an absent colleague
  • more motivated due to wider range of skills
88
Q

What are the disadvantages of job rotation?

A
  • training costs are high
  • fall in output due to less specialisation
  • could be simply a greater number of boring tasks with less social benefits due to constant changing of groups
89
Q

Define job enrichment

A

Employees are given redesigned jobs that have more challenge and are less repetitive and boring (given more responsibility)

90
Q

What are the advantages of job enrichment?

A
  • develops unused skills and chllenges employees
  • allows employees to contribute to decision making process
  • increased feelings of achievement
91
Q

What are the disadvantages of job enrichment?

A
  • some employees may feel under pressure or simply not challenged enough
  • costly
  • benefits only when thinking long term as employees have to be trained
  • not all jobs can be enriched
92
Q

What are the advantages of autonomy?

A
  • employees feel more ownership of their own work and so are moer motivated
  • employees able to use their own thinking skills to complete work at their pace
92
Q

Define autonomy

A

Allowing employees to make their own decisions

92
Q

What are the disadvantages of autonomy?

A
  • some employees may be unhappy as they need more direction in their work and want recognition from their boss
  • some may want to make more decisions than they are entitled to

GCSE Edexcel Business (12 decks)

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