people in business (organisational structures) Flashcards
(31 cards)
definition of organisational structures
the levels of management and division of responsibilities within and organisation
definition of organisational chart
a diagram that outlines the internal management structure
definition of chain of command
the structure in an organisation which allows instructions to be passed down from senior management to lower levels of management
definition of span of control
the number of subordinates working directly under a manager
advantages of tall structure
- lots of opportunities for promotion
- narrow span of control
- supervisor gets to know their subordinates
disadvantages of tall structure
- slow communication and decision making
- higher salary cost (more managers)
advantages of flat structure
- fast communication and decision making
- more responsibility for employees
- lower cost
- close relationship between managers and employees
- more flexible to change
disadvantages of flat structure
- fewer promotion opportunities
- wide span of control
- hard to maintain authority
- not suitable for large organisations
advantages of short chain of command
- faster and accurate communication
- managers more close to subordinates
- more responsibility to employee
disadvantages of short chain of command
- managers and employees have heavy workload
- easier to lose control
- stressful/reduce effectiveness of managers
- easier to get confused
advantages of long chain of command
- more control and supervision
- clear structure and roles
- more promotion opportunities
definition of flexible working
giving employees more control over how, when, or where they work
definitions of home working
employees work from home instead of going to the business’s physical workplace
definition of flexible hours
employees can choose when to start and finish work within agreed limits, as long as they work the required number of hours
definition of job sharing
two employees share the responsibilities and pay of one-full-time job
definition of compressed hours
working full-time hours over fewer days
definition of part time employee
someone who works fewer hours than a full-time employee. between 1 and 30-35 hours of work per week
definition of full-time employee
someone who wants the standard number of hours set by a business or country, typically 35 hours or more per week, on a regular and permanent basis
operations
- manage the production process
- decide suppliers
- deciding on production methods
- maintaining quality
- ensure products and services are made efficiently
Marketing
- promoting
- market research and analysis
- identify customer’s needs and wants
- pricing strategies
- developing new products
Finance
- manage the money in and out of a business
- raising finance
- budgeting
- calculate cost, profit and revenue
- preparing financial documents
Human Resources
- redundancy and dismissal
- selecting and recruiting
- training and developing workers
- managing employee motivation and performance
- handle contracts, wages and benefits
advantages of tall structure
- promotion opportunities
- managers become more close to subordinates -> increase subordinate productivity
disadvantages of tall structure
- slow communication
- slow decision-making
- high salary cost (more managers)
