Unit 2 Key Terms

Question 1

Demography

Answer 1

The statistical study of population characteristics, using data such as birth rates, death rates, ageing populations and net migration rates.

Question 2

Flexitime

Answer 2

A system that enables workers to have a degree of autonomy to determine when they work, so long as they complete their work by set deadlines

Question 3

Gig economy

Answer 3

Refers to labour markets where workers are typically on short-term, temporary contracts or carry out freelance work as independent contractors

Question 4

Home working

Answer 4

An aspect of flexitime whereby people work Ron their own homes

Question 5

Human resource management (HRM)

Answer 5

Refers to the role of managers in planning and developing the organisation’s people. This is done through interrelated functions such as the recruitment and selection, as well as training and development of employees

Question 6

Human resource planning (or workforce planning)

Answer 6

The management process of forecasting an organisation’s current and future staffing needs

Question 7

Migrant workers

Answer 7

People who move to other countries in search of a better job and opportunities

Question 8

Mobility of labour

Answer 8

The extent to which workers are flexible enough to move to different locations (geographical mobility) and/or their flexibility in changing to different jobs (occupational mobility)

Question 9

Net migration

Answer 9

Measures the difference between the number of workers entering a country (immigration) and the number of people leaving (emigration)

Question 10

Portfolio workers

Answer 10

Those who simultaneously carry out a number of different jobs, often for various contractors, usually on a temporary basis

Question 11

Six change approaches

Answer 11

Is John P. Kotter’s model for reducing the impact of change and resistance to change. It consists of six strategies of approaches. (i) education and communication, (ii) participation and involvement, (iii) facilitation and support, (iv) negotiation and agreement, (v) manipulation and co-option and (vi) explicit and implicit coercion

Question 12

Teleworking

Answer 12

Refers to working away from the office by using electronic forms of communication, such as telephones, the internet and email.

Question 13

Workforce

Answer 13

Refers to the number of employees at any one point in time for a particular organisation