business edexcel a level > 1.4 > Flashcards

1.4 Flashcards

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1
Q

what is hard HRM

A

-staff as a cost
-staff treated as a resource that must be managed in order for the business to control cost and output

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2
Q

what is soft HRM

A

-staff as an asset
-staff are treated as an asset to the business that can contribute and help the business achieve its objectives

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3
Q

whatre the features of hard HRM

A

-minimal communication
-financial motivation
-little empowerment/delegation
-taller organisational structures
-suits autocratic leadership styles
-short term changes in employees

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4
Q

what are the features of soft HRM

A

-strong communication
-performance related pay
-non financial motivation
-focus on job satisfaction
-flatter structures
-democratic leadership

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5
Q

what is a flexible workforce

A

the ability to match workforce skills, size and location to business needs and to match supply to demand

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6
Q

what is multi skilling

A

training of employees in more than one skill set

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7
Q

what are part time employees

A

-contracted to work less hours than a full time employee

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8
Q

what are temporary employees

A

-contracted to work for a business for a specific period of time
-full time or part time

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9
Q

pros of part time / temporary staff

A

-flexible
-affordable
-may increase number of applications

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10
Q

cons of part time / temporary staff

A

-may lack commitment
-may be more transient
-higher recruitment and training costs

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11
Q

what are flexible hours

A

giving autonomy to employees to choose their own hours of work, within certain boundaries

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12
Q

what is homeworking

A

the ability to work from home rather than in the workplace

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13
Q

what is outsourcing

A

using the services of other organisations to complete all or some of the manufacturing process

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14
Q

benefits of outsourcing

A

-provides flexibility in supply
-can increase capacity without high cost
-can buy in expertise

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15
Q

what is dismissal

A

when an employees contract is terminated due to a breach of the terms of that contract by the employee

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16
Q

what is redundancy

A

a form of dismissal when an employees contract is terminated because the job no longer exists

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17
Q

what is employer/employee relations

A

the defining features of how employers and employees interact with each other on a day to day basis

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18
Q

what is the individual approach to employer/ employee relations

A

-each employee negotiates individually with management for their own interest
-decisions made on one to one basis

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19
Q

what is the collective bargaining approach to employer/ employee relations

A

-employee representation systems are put in place to aid communication between employers and employees

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20
Q

what are the methods of collective bargaining

A

trade unions
work councils

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21
Q

pros of employee representation / collective bargaining

A

-medium for effective 2 way communication
-reduced them and us
-employees kept informed
-improved motivation
-less risk of disputes
employers understand employee views

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22
Q

cons of employee representation / collective bargaining

A

-opportunity cost of time
-may cause conflict of agendas
-slows decision making
-employer may not be able to respond to employee wishes

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23
Q

what is a trade union

A

organisation of employees who join to improve their woking conditions and employment

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24
Q

what actions may be taken by employees who are unsatisfied

A

-strikes
-go slows
-work to rule/ do bare minimum

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25
what are work councils
group of managers and representative employees who meet regularly to discuss issues relating to business and workforce
26
what is recruitment
-the steps undertaken by a business to identify a vacancy and attract suitable candidates
27
what is selection
actions taken to identify the best candidate for a job
28
what are the stages of recruitment and selection
-identify vacancy -job description -person specification -advertise -receive applications -shortlisting and references -assess candidates -offer position
29
what is internal recruitment
candidates recruited for a position are already within the business
30
pros of internal recruitment
-lower costs -improved promotion prospects -quicker -shorter induction -abilities known
31
cons of internal recruitment
-creates gap -may lack new ideas -reduced talent available -limited number of applicants -may cause disagreement between applicants
32
what is external recruitment
recruiting a candidate for a position from outside the business
33
pros of external recruitment
-increased talent available -more applicants -new ideas
34
cons of external recruitment
-higher costs -may upset internal candidates overlooked -longer process -cant see candidates work over period
35
what are the methods of selection
-interviews -assessment centres -psychometric testing
36
what are the types of psychometric testing
aptitude of skills attainment of knowledge personality
37
what are the costs of recruitment
-time making job description/ person specification -advertisement -fees to recruitment consultancy
38
what are the costs of selection
-time shortlisting and interviews -candidate expenses if reimbursed for interviews -fees to assessment centres
39
what are the costs of training
-productivity lost by employee being trained -productivity lost by employee giving training -fees to external training provider
40
what is training
process of equipping employees with the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out their job effectively
41
what is on the job training
-an employee is trained in the workplace by an experiences employee
42
what is off the job training
employee is trained somewhere outside of the business
43
what is induction
-introductory training period for employees new to a job/ organisation -allows recruit to become productive quickly with little mistakes
44
what may be included in induction
-leaning abt duties of job -meeting colleagues -seeing layout of premises -learning values/ aims of business -learning working and policied
45
pros of on the job
-cost effective -employees are productive -training alongside real colleagues -can learn while doing
46
cons of on the job
-quality depends on ability of trainer and time available -bad habits passed on -potential disruption to production -learning environment may not be conducive
47
pros of off the job
-wider range of skills -employees can be more confident -learn from specialist/ experts
48
cons of off the job
-expensive -lost working time -may still need some induction training -may leave for better job
49
what is a job description
outlines details of a job
50
what is a person specification
outlines type of person the firm wants
51
what does a job description include
-job title purpose of job place in organisation duties of job location hours of work working conditions
52
what does a person specification include
previous experience general intelligence specialised skills interests personality physical requirements
53
what is organisational structure
the way in which the workforce within a firm is organised including communication and job roles
54
what is a tall hierarchy
-each superior is responsible for a few subordinates -long chain of command -narrow span of control
55
what are wide/flat hierarchies
-each superior is responsible for a large number of subordinates -short chain of command -wide span of control
56
what is chain of command
the way authority is passed down the levels of hierarchy
57
what is span of control
how many subordinates a manager is directly responsible for
58
what is authority
the power of an employee to instruct subordinates, make decisions and control use of resources
59
what is centralised decision making
decision making by senior management at centre/top of the business
60
pros of centralised decision making
-control maintained -econ of csale -quick decision making -consistency across branches
61
cons of centralised decision making
-demotivation lower down -lost flexibility
62
what is decentralised decision making
decision making is spread and delegated to include more junior managers in the middle of hierarchy
63
pros of decentralised decision making
-closer to customer -improved customer service -can respond to local circumstances -train junior managers -empowerment + motivation
64
cons of decantralised decision making
-decisions may not be strategic -diseconomies of scale -hard to ensure consistency -harder to achieve tight financial control
65
what may affect structure of decision making and delegation
-organisation design -skill of workforce -nature of decisions -ownership form -objectives -response to technology changes -degree of stability in economy
66
pros of tall structure
-opportunity for promotion -tight span of control; close supervision -clear lines of authority -clear roles
67
cons of tall structure
-freedom of employees limited -slower decision making/ communication -rivalry between departments may reduce efficiency -increased costs; more managers
68
pros of flat structure
-good communcation -more responsibility; motivation -quicker decision making -reduced costs; fewer managers
69
cons of flat structure
-employees less strictly controlled + may abuse -rules/ responsibility may be burred -may limit growth
70
what is delayering
-reducing the number of layers in the business hierarchy -increases spans of controls
71
what is a matrix structure
teams are put together from different functional areas to work on specific projects
72
pros of matrix structure
-communicaiton across functional areas -range of view points considered -functions understand each other + support -motivational; part of team
73
cons of matrix strucure
-potential loss of control -dependednt on effectuve delegation -teams may take time to work tg effectively -can cause conflict
74
what does the structure of a business affect
-decision making speed -communicatin -supervision -promotion opportunity -cross functional relationships -clarity of roles -motivation
75
what is motivation
the factors influencing the way people behave
76
pros of motivated workforce
-higher labour productivity -lower labour turnover -higher retention rates -lower unit costs -lower absenteeism -improved customer service -better workplace relations
77
what are the four motivational theories
-mayo -maslow -taylor -herzberg
78
what are financial motivation incentives
methods that have monetary value used to reward workforce and influence behaviour
79
what are non financial incentives
methods of motivating employees through elements of job deisgn
80
what are the financial incentives
-piecework -bonus -commission -profit share -performance related pay
81
what are the non financial incentives
-delegation -consultation -empowerment -team working -flexible working -job enrichment -job rotation -job enlargement
82
what is piecework
payment based on number of items produced by an employee
83
whats bonus
an additional one off payment to an employee for meeting a target
84
what is commission
payment based on number of units sold
85
what is profit share
a proportion of employee pay that varies with the profits of the company
86
what is performance related pay
employee receives a bonus based on their performance, measured against a pre agreed criteria
87
whats delegation
passing of authority down the hierarchy to a subordinate, responsibility remains with manager
88
what is consultation
seeking thoughts and opinions of employees before making decisions that could affect them
89
what is empowerment
delegating responsibility to employees so they can use their abilities to have greater say in decision making
90
what is team working
employees are organised into groups and work together to meet objectives
91
what is flexible working
giving employees more control over their working routines
92
what is job enrichment
increase in **level** of responsibility of an employee
93
what is job rotation
varying the tasks an employee does to reduce boredom + increase the workers range of skills
94
what is job enlargement
increase in the number **number** of responsibilities an employee has
95
what is leadership
-the art of motivating and organising a group of people to achieve a common goal -inspire and motivate, influence and direct
96
what do leaders do
-set objectives + direction -set standards + example -make effective use of skills of staff -become role model -shape culture
97
what do managers do
-leading and motivating subordinates -communicate objectives + direct subordinates -make decisions -review + monitor performance
98
what are the leadership styles
-autocratic -paternalistic -democratic -laissez faire
99
what is autocratic leadership
-leader has complete control over decision making with little/ no input from others -no delegation
100
pros of autocratic leadership
-quick decision making -better communication -improved productivity -reduce stress of employee
101
cons of autocratic leadership
-creates dependency on leader -discourages leadership -less employee motivation -micromanagement
102
what is paternalistic leadership
-leader takes on a parental role, making decisions in the best interest of their staff -will consult staff but still have final say
103
pros of paternalistic leadership
-staff loyalty -quicker decisions -higher staff retention -motivation???
104
cons of paternalistic
-low motivation as staff dont have authority -employees dependent on leader
105
what is democratic leadership
leader involves their team in the decision making process and often delegates
106
pros of democratic leadership
-equips for promotion -motivated employees -higher staff retention -increased production -interpersonal relationship with employees
107
cons of democratic leadership
-slower decision making -employees may feel rejected if ideas ignored
108
what is laissez faire leadership
-leader takes a hands off approach and employees have freedom and autonomy to make decision
109
pros of laissez faire
-creates independence -motivated employees -creative/ innovative decisions
110
cons of laissez faire
-stressed employees -unclear roles of responsibility -high trust
111
what is herzbergs motivation theory
-motivation is dependent on hygiene factors and motivation factors -hygiene factor is something that doesnt lead to motivation but causes dissatisfaction in absence -motivators lead to job satisfaction and motivation
112
what is maslows motivation theory
-the five tiers of human needs must be met for individuals to reach full potential -self actualisation, esteem, love/belonging, safety, physiological
113
pros of maslows theory
-high employee satisfaction -increased motivation -increased performance
114
cons of maslows theory
-expensive -time consuming
115
what is taylors theory
-motivation is linked to money -piece rate -each employee trained in one area only -higher efficiency = more pay
116
pros of taylor
-increased efficiency -standardised procedure -specialisation of labour -clear hierarchy -improved training
117
cons of taylor
-overemphasis on efficiency -workers may be dissatisfied -lack of flexibility -potential for exploitation of workers
118
what is mayos theory
-focus on importance of social factors in workplace -empowerment of employees leads to motivation -team building and feedback -employee developmenmt
119
pros of mayos theory
-improved job satisfaction -increased productivity -better communication -employee empowerment -stronger teams
120
cons of mayos theory
-time consuming -lack of control -resistance to change -potential for conflict -limited aplicability for certain businesses
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