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A-level business > Unit 6 Human Resources > Flashcards

Unit 6 Human Resources Flashcards

(81 cards)

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1
Q

What is HR

A

Implementation of strategies to manage people for optimum business performance

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2
Q

Roles of HR

A

selection, hiring, firing
motivation, retention, training
redundancy and career planning

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3
Q

Employee engagement

A

The level of commitment an employee shows to their work and the business as a whole

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4
Q

Employee involvement

A

The amount of contributions an employee provides to their working practices and decision making

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5
Q

Benefits of high engagement and involvement

A

Higher productivity, lower turnover

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6
Q

Talent development

A

Business identifying those individuals who have potential to help improve the business in the future

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7
Q

Training

A

Process of equipping employees with the skills and knowledge to carry out their jobs effectively

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8
Q

diversity

A

recognising all employees are different however making sure these differences aren’t discriminated against

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9
Q

Alignment of values

A

Pulling values of employees together to focus on achieving one common aim

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10
Q

What is soft Human resource management

A

Where employees are treated as the most important part of the business, where they provide a competitive advantage

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11
Q

What is hard HRM

A

Treats employees simply as a resource - cost focused

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12
Q

features of soft HRM

A

strong communication, competitive pay structure, appraisal systems, empowered employees

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13
Q

features of hard HRM

A

high labour turnover, minimal pay, one way communication, little empowerment

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14
Q

Influences on HRM

A

Type of business, industry
Leadership style
Finances available
Skillset of staff

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15
Q

Labour productivity calc

A

Output/number of employees

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16
Q

Labour cost per unit

A

Total labour costs/output

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17
Q

Employee costs as a percentage of turnover

A

(Total labour costs/ revenue) x100

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18
Q

What is labour turnover

A

The percentage of employees who leave a business over a period of time

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19
Q

Labour turnover calc

A

(number of employees who leave the business/total staff employed) x100

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20
Q

Which type of businesses experience high turnover of labour

A
  • Seasonal businesses
  • Low paying jobs
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21
Q

What are the negative consequences of high labour turnover

A
  • High costs of re-selecting staff and re-training
  • Loss of experience
  • Lower productivity
  • Low motivation
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22
Q

How to reduce high turnover

A

Better pay, soft HRM, better motivation methods, more promotion and careers development opportunities

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23
Q

What does a business structure show

A

Individual job titles and roles, authority and responsibility

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24
Q

Chain of command

A

Describes the lines of authority within a business

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25
Span of control
The number of employees a manager is responsible for
26
What is a functional organisational structure
Organisation is divided into specialist departments - marketing, operations, finance, HR
27
Positive of a functional structure
Promotes specialisation and expertise Increases efficiency and productivity
28
Negative of a functional structure
Minimal collaberating between function Less flexibility
29
What is a product based organisational structure
Organisations are divided according to the products it produces
30
Positives of a product based org. structure
Clear product focus - encouraging innovation
31
Negative of a product based org. structure
Duplication of efforts due to multiple teams - increasing costs
32
What is a regional org. structure
When an organisation is divided based on geographical locations
33
Positive of regional
Allows for a localised approach - so consumer needs are better met
34
What is a matrix org. structure
When an organisation is both functional and product based
35
What are the positives of matrix structure
Best of functional and product pros
36
What are the negatives of matrix structure
Complicated and confusing
37
Influences on span of control
Type of job - how much supervision How much input is needed from managers Can staff be trusted
38
Benefits of a wide span of control - flat structure
Fast communication, flexibility to delegate, lower costs
39
Benefits of narrow span of control - tall structure
More direct communication, higher productivity, more promotion opportunities
40
What is delegation
Passing authority and tasks to a subordinate
41
What is a centralised structure
When authority rests with senior management at the top of the business
42
Advantages of centralised structure
- Consistency of g/s produced - Centralised purchasing - EoS - Quick decisions - Control
43
Disadvantages of centralised
- Products are too generic - Products aren't specialised to local needs - Minimal flexibility and autonomy
44
Decentralised structure
When authority is passed further down the hierarchy
45
Advantages of decentralised
Products adapted to local market Local suppliers Higher motivation
46
Disadvantages of decentralised
Duplication of roles Longer decision making Only works if staff are skilled No consistency over products
47
Influences on organisational design
Customer expectations on consistency of g/s Leadership style Workforce ability to make decisions
48
Delayering
Removing one or more layers of a heirarchy
49
Motivation
Initiates goal orientated behaviour
50
Benefits of a highly motivated workforce
Higher productivity, lower absenteeism, lower turnover, improved workplace relations
51
Taylor's motivational theory
People are motivated by money - performance should be linked to a financial reward - piece rate
52
Herzberg's motivational theory
Employees motivation is relient on two factors: hygiene and motivating factors
53
What are hygiene factors
Salary (base pay), working conditions, workplace relations. These decrease job satisfaction when not in place
54
What are motivating factors
Recognition and achievement, these make employees more productive and committed
55
Maslow's motivating theory
Employees are working to fulfil specific needs. Employees are motivated by these needs which follow a hierarchy
56
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Self actualisation, self-esteem, social, safety, physiological
57
Human resource flow
The hiring (inflow), movement (internal flow) and dispersing of staff (outflow)
58
Workforce planning
Identifying future workforce needs and then taking action - training, recruitment, redundancies
59
Recruitment
Process of gathering potential employees for the selection process
60
Internal recruitment
Recruiting from within the business
61
External recruitment
Recruiting from outside the business
62
Selection
Process of narrowing down candidates in order to decide who is best for the job
63
Selection methods
Interviews, CV, application forms, tests, references, group activities
64
Training
Improving skills and knowledge of employees
65
Benefits of training
Improved human resource performance measure: productivity, turnover Less supervision Quality
66
Redeployment
Moving an employee to a different job role, department or location
67
Reasons for redeployment
Changing structure of business Avoid redundancies
68
Difference between redundancy and dismissal
Dismissal is due to performance or disciplinary reasons Redundancy is when the job is no longer needed
69
Which motivational theorist emphasised pay
Taylor
70
What did maslow and herzberg belief about financial motivators
They are a basic requirement
71
Methods of financial motivation
Piece rate, commission, performance related pay (bonus)
72
Advantages of financial methods of motivation
Linked to efficiency - productivity gains Save costs e.g. from turnover by motivating financially
73
Disadvantage of financial motivators
-focus on quantity rather than quality - No guaranteed income - safety need not fufilled
74
Examples of non financial motivators
Praise, empowerment, working conditions, promotion
75
What can poor industrial relations leads to
Industrial disputes (conflicts) and industrial action (strikes)
76
Consequences of poor industrial relations
Increased absenteeism and turnover Reduced reputation, productivity and customer service
77
Employee representation
Involving employees in the decision making process
78
Employee representatives
Where the views of employees are represented by a smaller group. Occurs in large businesses due to the inability to manage all employees views
79
Trade union
External organisations that represent employees in an occupation
80
Collective bargaining
Used by trade unions. Its the way trade unions negotiate with employers on the behalf of their members
81
Reasons for a decline in trade unions
More people self employed Better conditions High cost People aren't prepared to strike

A-level business (8 decks)

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