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Human Resources Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an organisational structure?

A

An organisational structure is the system that defines a hierarchy in an organisation. An organisational structure identifies every job in an organisation, the responsibilities of each job and how each job is related to other jobs.

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2
Q

What are the 4 layers of staff within a hierarchy?

A
  • Directors (Manage the business strategy)
  • Managers (Carrying out the strategy)
  • Supervisors (Manage individual projects or small teams)
  • Operatives (Workers who carry out specific tasks)
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3
Q

What is the line of communication between the directors and operatives called?

A

Chain of command

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4
Q

What is a tall organisational structure?

A

An organisational structure with a long chain of command and lots of layers of management. Each manager only has a narrow span of control.

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5
Q

What is a span of control?

A

The employees to which a manager delegates to

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6
Q

What is delegation?

A

Passing on tasks to subordinates.

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7
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of narrow spans of controls / tall organisational charts?

A

+ Employees can be managed closely

  • Need to hire more managers
  • Slow communication up and down the chain of command
  • Information can get distorted on the chain of command
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8
Q

What is a flat organisational chart?

A

An organisational chart with a short chain of command. Each manager has a very wide span of control.

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9
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of wide spans of controls / flat organisational charts?

A

+ Less managers
+ More efficient communication
- Less closely managed employees
- Hard to manage employees efficiently

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10
Q

What is delayering?

A

The process of removing layers of management from a organisational chart to make the hierarchy flat rather than tall.

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11
Q

What is a centralised organisational structure?

A

An organisation structure in which a few people at the top of the hierarchy make the major decisions of a business.

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12
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a centralised organisational structure?

A

+ Directors are more experienced and therefore are likely to make better decisions
+ Directors have an overall view of the business
+ Directors will have the goals and aims of the business in mind
- Directors are unlikely to have specialist knowledge in all areas
- Directors are unlikely to be involved with the everyday actions of the business, and may be out of touch with reality

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13
Q

What is a decentralised organisational structure?

A

An organisational structure in which authority on decisions is delegated to middle and lower managers.

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14
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of a decentralised organisational structure?

A

+ Faster decisions
+ Managers may have specialist knowledge
+ Managers know the everyday operations better
- Possibility of inconsistent decisions
- Decisions may be not aligned with overall aims and goals

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15
Q

What is recruitment?

A

The process of finding people to fill job vacancies.

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16
Q

What is internal recruitment?

A

Recruiting current employees into new roles. The job is advertised within the company.

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17
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of internal recruitment?

A 
\+ Quick
\+ Less training needed
\+ Cheaper
- Creates a new vacancy
- No new ideas
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18
Q

What is external recruitment?

A

The process of recruiting employees from outside of the business. The job may be advertised in newspapers, job centres, trade journals and employment websites.

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19
Q

What are the advantages and disadvantages of external recruitment?

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A 
\+ More likely to find someone suited to the job
\+ More likely to be a specialist
\+ Reaches more people
\+ New ideas
\+ Does not create a new vacancy
- Expensive
- Slow
20
Q

What are the 4 key stages of recruitment?

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A
  • Job analysis
  • Job description
  • Person specification
  • Selection
21
Q

What is a job analysis?

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A

An analysis detailing the function of the job, the type of person they are looking for, and whether the role needs to be filled.

22
Q

What is a job description?

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A

A brief description on what the job involves, what the person will be doing, and some background information of the firm.

23
Q

What is a person specification?

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A

A list of requirements for potential employees. A person specification may include:

  • Qualifications
  • Training
  • Languages
  • Education
24
Q

What are the 3 key elements of selection?

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A
  • CVs or application forms
  • Interviews
  • Tests
25
What is a CV?
A summary of a person's personal details, skills, qualifications and interests
26
Why are interviews used for selection?
To assess a candidate's confidence, social and verbal skills, as well as to figure out their general attitude. Interviewers should ask all candidates the same questions.
27
What tests are used for selection?
- Skills tests: Exercises to assess whether the candidate is able to do the job - Aptitude tests: To assess whether the candidate has the potential to learn how to do the job - Personality tests: To assess the candidate's personal qualities - Group tests: To assess whether the candidate can work as part of a team, and their leadership + decision making skills
28
What are the benefits of having an effective recruitment process?
- High productivity - High quality output - Good customer service - Staff retention
29
What is a contract of employment?
A contract of employment is a legal agreement between a business and an employee. It contains information on the pay of the employee, their roles, the start and end date of their employment and the hours they will work. It also gives information on sick leave, holiday pay and maternity or paternity leave.
30
What is a full time contract?
A contract that states the employee will work a minimum number of hours. This guarantees that staff will always be available, and the firm will have more control.
31
What is a part time contract?
A contract in which employees work less than full time employees. These are typically used to increase staff levels during peak times of the day or year without increasing costs too much.
32
What is job sharing?
A process in which the work and pay of a full time job is shared between 2 people. This is good for people who want to work part time and have greater flexibility, however, it requires a lot of organisation. Job sharing is also beneficial to the employer, as the people may have different strengths, and the other person can cover is one is absent.
33
What are zero hour contracts?
Contracts in which employers can call upon employees at any time and ask them to come in. They don't have to offer any work, and the employee doesn't have to accept it. They offer lots of flexibility and are used in industries with lots of fluctuation in demand. They are very cheap for the firm.
34
What is motivation?
The reasons for acting or behaving in a certain way. For businesses, it means the reasons employees have for acting in the best interests of the business.
35
What are the benefits of motivation?
- Higher productivity (Make more revenue) | - Staff retention (good reputation, don't have to spend more on hiring + training)
36
What are the main methods of financial motivation?
- Increased salary (Want to keep the job) - Sales commissions (Motivated to do a better job) - Profit sharing (Motivates the employees to make the firm profitable) - Bonuses - Promotions
37
What are the main methods of non-financial motivation?
- Job rotation (Stops work becoming boring) - Autonomy (Shows confidence and trust in the employees) - Styles of management (Makes the employees feel more valued) - Fringe benefits (i.e. company cars, health insurance) - Job enrichment (Makes work interesting) - Good quality training (Staff are confident in taking on new tasks, makes them want to stay with the firm)
38
What are the benefits of training your employees?
- Productivity - Able to deal with technological changes - Increased motivation - Staff retention - Increased quality output - Good customer service
39
What is induction training?
Training that takes place when an employee first joins a firm that teaches them what they need to know about their role and other procedures. It also provides the opportunity to meet their coworkers.
40
What are the benefits of induction training?
- Allows them to meet their coworkers - Confidence - Less likely to make mistakes meaning they can become productive quickly - More likely to stay if they feel welcomed from the start
41
What is on the job training?
Training that takes place whilst the employee is working. Another employee usually teaches the employee.
42
What are the advantages and disadvantages of on the job training?
+ Low cost - Bad practices can be passed on - Experienced employees are taken away from their work
43
What is on the job training best suited for?
Jobs which involve practical skills
44
What is off the job training?
Training away from the workplace where the employee is taught a wide range of skills. It is usually high quality as it is taught be specialist instructors.
45
What are the advantages and disadvantages of off the job training?
+ Provides a wide range of skills + High quality - Expensive
46
What is off the job training best suited for?
Skills that aren't related to one specific task, e.g. management

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