BBL Business Review

**The responsibility of human resources in attracting a quality workforce** 

Planning, Recruitment and selection

HR management definition

A department of a business or organization that deals with the hiring, administration and training of personnel.

Organization chart definition

How to categorize employees into roles within the company

Organizational Culture definition

All of a company’s beliefs, values and attitudes, and how these influence the behavior of its employees

Three types of Organizational Structure

**Functional**: Where an organization is split into departments.

**Divisional**: Where employees are often grouped together based on a similar process or by product or perhaps serve similar groups of customers. Also often organized by geographic regions.

**Hybrid/Matrix:** Hybrid because it combines divisional and functional. Matrix because it forms a matrix or grid-like appearance. Hybrid/Matrix structures attempt to reduce levels of vertical hierarchy to increase flexibility and communication within the organization.

Formal structure definition

Split up into departments bases which have their own specific function. The same as functional

Five forces

1. Industry competition: competition that already exists
2. New entrants: new competitors entering the market
3. Substitutes: substitute products or services in the marketplace
4. Bargaining power-suppliers: ability of suppliers to influence price
5. Bargaining power-consumers: ability of consumers to influence price

**SWOT analysis definition**

a way to identify the organization's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats

Strengths: gives advantages over competitors

Weaknesses: gives disadvantages relative to competitors 

Opportunities: allows a chance to increase profitability (external factors) 

Threats: elements that could endanger their integrity and profitability (external factors

**Different levels of strategy that exist in organizations**

**corporate, business, and**

**functional**

Corporate strategy

Top level plans, put into place by top level managers, to set broad and overriding goals for the organization. 

Major focus of corporate strategy is deciding what the organization does and will continue doing. 

A mission statement is typically used to guide and identify the reason and purpose for an organization's existence. It is a brief statement outlining the mission of an organization. It guides all other plans and decision making. 

Missions can be more short term and move subjects to change as we get closer to achieving our mission. They are an organization's reason for existence in society.

Business strategy

Focus is more on individual business units and how the organization is going to compete within that one unit or product line.

Functional strategy:

Takes a business strategy and focuses it even more by planning how to use and allocate resources in order to implement the business strategies.
Focus shifts to functional organization decisions.
Functional strategies are usually set and planned for by front line manager and supervisors

Definition of strategy

a plan of action or policy designed to achieve a major or overall aim.

Definition of progressive discipline

Goal: to correct and improve employee performance before it gets worse
Dealing with employee problems, issues and shortcomings
Is where harsher discipline takes place as additional employee issues arise
Ex; Process could be → verbal warning, formal written warning, formal write up, a demotion, or loss of working hours, all the way up to termination

What should a good mission statement include?

Brief statement outlining the mission of an organization
Guides all other plans and decision making
More of a day to day statement unlike the vision statement

Controlling

Ensure things get accomplished, plans get followed, strategic direction continues, and organization objectives get met

The four steps in the control process

1. Establish standards and methods for measuring performance
2. Measure the performance
3. Determine whether performance matches the standard
4. Take corrective action

Definition of market control

the influence of the market competition on the behavior of organizations and their members (stores using renewable energy to align with competitors)

Example of clan control

influences behavior through norms and expectations set by the organizational culture (students calling their male teachers sir, female teachers miss)

Definition of bureaucratic control

influences behavior through authority, policies, procedures, job description, budgets and day to day supervision (dress code policy)

Definition of external control

Structure a situation and make sure things happen as planned (Bureaucratic, clan, market control)

Definition of internal control

Manage and expect people to behave. Controlling a workplace that emphasizes participation and involvement will rely heavily on self-control

What does a feedforward control system focus on?

Take place before an activity or process takes place 

Considered preventative measures 

Making sure the right things are in place for something to go smoothly

What do concurrent controls focus on?

Focus on what happens during a task

Deal with problems accordingly as they arise

Also known as steering controls

**What does a feedback control system focus on?** 

Happens after the process or work is completed

Also known as post-action controls

**Definition of planning** 

Function of management that involves setting objectives and determining a course of action for achieving those objectives/goals

**Definition of strategy** 

Guides how organizations make use of their resources in order to reach their goals and objectives 

Includes money and capital resources

Corporate, business, functional

**Strategic plan definition** 

Strategy guides how organizations make use of their resources
Including money and capital resources, in order to achieve their goals and objectives

Different levels of strategy that exist in organizations

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Corporate: Set broad and overriding goals for the organization. Implemented by top level managers. It is deciding what the organization does and will continue doingBusiness: Focus here is more on individual business units, and how the organization is going to compete within that one unit product line
Functional: Take a business strategy and focus it even more by planning how to use and allocate resources in order to implement the business strategies. Usually set and planned for by front-line managers and supervisors

How long are short-range and long-range plans?

Short term: under a year
Long term: year +

Planning process stages in proper order

Define your objectives
Determine where you are in relation to your objectives
Anticipate future events
Consider alternatives and make the plan
Implement your plan and evaluate the results

Definition of objectives in planning process

Cannot progress to higher levels without attaining the ones below first Pyramid below is lowest to highest: Physiological needs → food, water, shelter, sleep Safety needs → health, personal & financial security Love and belonging → friendship, family, intimacy Esteem → self-esteem, status, freedom Self-actualization → achieving full potential

Definition of motivation

The process of initiating, guiding and maintaining goal oriented behaviors
It is what gets people to perform
Could include rewards like a raise, promotion, etc

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic rewards

Intrinsic: Valued outcomes from within the individual (ex; self satisfaction as a reward)
Extrinsic: Valued outcomes that are provided to someone by another person (money from someone as a reward)

Merit pay- what is it and what should it be based on?

You get paid based on your performance, not based on your race, gender, etc

Big five personality traits

Extraversion

Is the degree to which someone is outgoing, sociable, and assertive

Extravert vs introvert

Agreeableness

Is the degree to which someone is good-natured, co operative, and trusting

Agreeable vs disagreeable person

Conscientiousness

Is the degree to which someone is responsible, dependable, and careful

Conscientious vs careless 

Emotional Stability

Is the degree to which someone is relaxed, secure, and unworried

Stable vs unstable

Opening to Experience

Is the degree to which someone is curious, open to new ideas, and imaginative

Broad minded vs narrow minded 

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Definition of perception

The process of selecting, organizing, and interpreting information
Perception refers to our sensory experience of the world. It is through this experience that we gain information about the environment around us. Perception relies on the cognitive functions we use to process information, such as utilizing memory to recognize the face of a friend or detect a familiar scent.

Definition of selective perception

the process by which individuals perceive what they want to in media messages while ignoring opposing viewpoints.
For marketers, selective perception marketing is about customizing messages to increase customers' brand recall.

Definition of non-verbal communication

Infographic is a visual way to present and organize information
Designed with a combination of visuals and text to tell a story, present information, persuade, or communicate something
the ways in which beings convey information without the use of verbal language (Ex: facial expressions)

Definition of communication channel

communication channels are mediums through which you can send a message to its intended audience. For example, phone calls, text messages, emails, video, radio, and social media are all types of communication channels.
Sender: The person conveying the message
Message: The general idea or purpose of communication
Medium and Method: How the message is actually communicated. Formal and Informal
Noise: Disrupts the message being displayed
Receiver: The Person receiving the message
Feedback: Any response to the message

Definition of noise

Potential distortions to the intended meaning of a message in the communication process
Obstacles to effective communication
Physical noise: child crying, phone ringing, etc.
Semantic noise: language barriers, grammatical errors, etc.
Physiological noise: headache that doesn't allow you to listen
Psychological Noise: daydreaming, distracted
Cultural Noise: prejudices, stereotypes, and discrimination

Common sources of noise in communication (examples)

Process: a blocked, or broken step will become a natural communication barrier (ex; someone holds back from sharing an idea in a meeting due to fear of criticism)
Physical: anything physical that gets in the way (ex; wall that blocks hearing the speaker fully)
Semantic: The meaning of the words we use to convey a message might be distorted (sarcasm)
Perception: The way in which people receive and interpret messages and information. Can be influenced by past experiences, culture, values, etc. (2 people can receive the same message, but interpret and perceive the message in different ways)
Perceptual tendency: How you constantly view a topic/person /group and it will never change (perpetual means continuous) (halo effects, selective perception)

When is communication considered to be effective?

Communication is effective when the sender’s message is fully understood by the receiver

Fiedler's theory

Task oriented: leader may rely on the completion of certain tasks to determine whether a goal has been met
Relationship oriented: leader may focus more on the individual performing the tasks and the individuals well-being

Blake-mouton leadership grid

Places a leader on a vertical and horizontal grid style graph based on their concern for tasks and concern for people.
Team Manager has both high concern for people and task
Country club manager (High concern for people, low concern for tasks)
Middle-of-road manager (medium concern for people and tasks)
Impoverished Manager (Low concern for people and tasks)
Authority - Obedience Manager (low concern for people, high concern for tasks)

Definition of power

The ability of a leader to influence others to get them to do something

Different types of power

Position Power: Based on leaders' position in an organization, and their ability to influence. Rewards and punishment based.
Personal Power: Based on how a leader is viewed by others, and their ability to influence action through their positive relationships with others. Relational based.

Define ethics

What is morally right or wrong
In business it is regarding the moral code that guides the behavior of employees with respect to what is right and wrong in regard to conduct and decision making

Define performance opportunity and performance deficiency

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Opportunity: The chances you have to perform to your fullest

Deficiency: The lack of chances you have to perform

Henri Fayol’s principles

Henri Fayol’s 14 administrative principles
If an employee is given a specific task to do, they will become more efficient and skilled in it
This is opposed to a multi-tasking culture where an employee is given so many tasks to do at once
Some of his principles:
Division of work
Authority of responsibility
Discipline
Unity of command
Unity of direction

Define scientific management

Fredrick Taylor 

The success of an organization comes down to whether workers truly know the fundamentals of their jobs or not

He believed that most workplace issues regarding employees not performing well, were the direct result of workers not knowing clear and set responsibilities

4 guiding principles: 


1. Every job should have clear rules and set by set directions to follow
2. Workers should be selected to best fit each job
3. Workers should be properly trained to do that job best
4. Workers should be supported by planning what they do and how they do it 

Scientific management theory is a method of improving efficiency in the workforce. As its name implies, this management theory uses scientific methods to assess work processes.

The scientific method consists of three steps: observation, experimentation, and analysis

Three branches of classical approach to management

Autocratic style
Acts in a unilateral command-and-control fashion.
Workplace is focused on command by the leader and there is little flexibility with tasks.
Laissez-faire
Style displays a “do the best you can and don't bother me” attitude.
Employees are expected to make their own decisions and solve their own problems.
Democratic style
Emphasizes both tasks and people.
The manager encourages their employees to be creative and to produce their own idea, however, they still have final say.

Define prejudice

A strong dislike or negative feelings towards another person or group
It is not based on one’s actual experience but instead is based on feelings or attitudes surrounding race, gender, sexuality
Could lead to harassment and discrimination in the workplace which can affect someone being able to succeed in a job

Define workforce diversity

All employees have an equal opportunity for advancement and to reach their full potential regardless of sex, ethnicity, and sexual orientation
Workforce diversity is the collective mixture of employees' differences and similarities (including individual characteristics, values, beliefs, experiences, backgrounds, preferences and behaviors).

Define intellectual capital

Intellectual capital is the value of a company's employee knowledge, skills, business training, or any proprietary information that may provide the company with a competitive advantage.

Define continuous learning

The process of ongoing expansion of knowledge and skill sets
Continuously learning new approaches and skills
Example could be a committee