GMS200

GMS200 terms and definitions

Ethics

code of moral principles that set standards of conduct of what is good and right

Organizations as open system

composed or interrelated parts that function together

Line Manager

Responsible for work activities that directly affect organization's outputs

Staff Manager

have technical expertise to advise/ support line workers

Functional Manager

responsible for a single area of activity

General Managers

responsible for activities covering many functional areas

Administrators

managers who work in public/ non-profit organizations

General Environment

consists of all the background conditions in the external environment of an organization

Economic Conditions

the economic conditions of the general environment details the health of the economy in terms of inflation, income levels, GDP, unemployment, and job out

Legal-Political Conditions

by staying abreast of the legal-political conditions of the general environment, managers are aware of the prevailing philosophy and objectives of the political party or parties running the government, as well as laws and government regulations.

Internet Censorship

is the deliberate blockage and denial of public access to information posted on the Internet

Technological Conditions

with the development and availability of new technologies in the general environment, managers need to constantly monitor how these advances affect the work being done by employees.

Socio-cultural Conditions

changes in the norms, customs, and social values on such matters as human rights, ethics, gender roles, and life styles, along with environmental trends in education and related social institutions, as well as demographic patterns all will affect how organizations are managed.

Specific Environment

consists of all the actual organizations, groups, and persons with whom an organization interacts and conducts business.

Stakeholders

the persons, groups, and institutions who are affected by the organization's performance

Competitive Advantage

refers to a core competency that clearly sets and organization apart from competitors and gives it an advantage over them in the marketplace

Cost

operating with lower costs than one's competitors and thus earning profits with prices that competitors have difficulty matching

Quality

creating products and services that are demonstrably higher quality for customers than what is being offered by the competition

Delivery

outperforming competitors by delivering products and services to customers faster and on

Flexibility

adjusting and tailoring products and services to fit customer needs in ways that are difficult for competitors to match

Strategic Positioning

occurs when an organization does different things or the same thing in different ways from its major competitors

Environmental Uncertainty

means that there is a lack of complete information regarding what exists and what developments may occur in the external environment

Planning

set performance objectives & deciding how to achieve them

Organizing

arranging tasks, people & other resources to accomplish the work

Leading

inspiring people to work hard to achieve high performance

Controlling

measuring performance & taking action to ensure desired results

Human Skills

ability to work well in cooperation with other people

Technical Skills

it is learned through education and then refined through training and experience

Scientific Management

principal object of management should be securing maximum prosperity for employer and employee ( how can things be done more efficiently)

Division of Labour

specialization of work

Discipline

rules that workers follow

Unity of Command

report to one boss in an organization

Remuneration

Fairness

Centralization

decisions are made from the top

Equity

Kind and fair

Bureaucracy

based on principles of logic, order, and legitimate authority

Hawthorne Studies

examined how economic incentives and physical conditions affected worker output

Physiological Needs

Food, water, warmth, rest

Safety Needs

Security and Safety

Belongingness and love needs

Intimate relationships, friends

Esteem Needs

prestige and feeling of accomplishment

Self Actualization Needs

achieving one's full potential, including creative activities

Theory X

assumes that workers:
-dislike work
-lack ambition
-are irresponsible

Theory Y

assumes that workers:
-willing to work
-willing to accept responsibility
-capable of self direction

System

collection of interrelated parts that function together to achieve a common purpose

Subsystem

a smaller component of a larger system

Open Systems

organizations that interact with their environments in the continual process of transforming resource inputs into outputs

Contingency thinking

tries to match managerial responses with problem ad opportunities unique to different situations

Total Quality Management (TQM)

comprehensive approach to continuous quality improvement for a total organization

High Performance Organization

organizations that consistently achieve excellence while creating a high quality work environment

Global economy

resource supplies, product markets, and business competition are worldwide, rather than local

Globalization

the process of growing interdependence of these components in the global economy

Global sourcing

is the practice of sourcing from the global market for goods and services across geopolitical boundaries

Franchising

is the practice of using another firm's successful business model

Insourcing

having people within the company do jobs that would normally be done by contractors

Joint Ventures

operates in a foreign country through co-ownership by foreign and local partners

Global Strategic Alliances

foreign and domestic firms share resources and knowledge

Foreign Subsidiaries

local operation completely owned by a foreign firm

Regional Economic Alliances

NAFTA
EU
WTO

MNC

multinational coporation

Global Corporation

MNC with extensive business operations in more than one foreign country

Transnational corporation

MNC operates worldwide on a borderless basis

Culture Shock

confusion and discomfort a person experiences in an unfamiliar culture

Ethnocentrism

tendency to consider one's own culture as superior to others

Stages in Adjusting to a new Culture

Confusion
Small victories
The honeymoon
Anger
Reality

Low- Context Cultures

emphasize communication via spoken or written words
CANADA, AMERICA, AUSTRALIA, GERMAN

High- Context Cultures

rely on nonverbal and situational cues as well as on spoken or written words in communication
ASIA, AFRICA

Mono chronic Cultures

one thing at a time

Polychronic Cultures

time is used to accomplish many different things at one time

Proxemics

is how people use space to communicate

Groups

two or more people with a common relationship

Teams

a small number of people who work closely together toward a common objective and are accountable to one another

Four Types of Teams

1. Problem-solving
2. Self-managed
3. Cross-functional
4.Virtual

Problem-solving

groups of employees from the same department who meet for a few hours each week to discuss ways of improving quality, efficiency, and the work environment.

Quality Circles

a work group of employees and mangers who meet regularly to discuss their quality problems, investigate causes, recommend solutions, and take corrective actions

Self-Managed

have the authority to make decisions about how they share and complete their work

Cross-Functional

operates with members who come from different functional units of an organization

Virtual

work together and solve problems through computer

Role Conflict

a situation in which an individual is confronted by divergent role expectations

Role Ambiguity

a person is unclear about his or her role

Role Overload

too much is expected of someone

Role Underload

too little is expected of someone

Norms

acceptable standards of behaviour within a group that are shared by the group's members

Performance

how hard to work, what kind of quality, levels of tardiness

Appearance

personal dress, when to look busy, when to "goof off," how to show loyalty

Social arrangement

how team members interact

Allocation of resources

pay, assignments, allocation of tools and equipment

Forming

team acquaints and establishes ground rules

Storming

members start to communicate their feelings but still view themselves as individuals rather than part of the team

Norming

people feel part of the team and realize that they can achieve work if they accept other view points

Performing

the team works in an open and trusting atmosphere where flexibility is the key and hierarchy is of little importance

Adjourning

the team conducts an assessment of the year and implements of a plan for transitioning roles and recognizing members' contributions

Task-Oriented Roles

roles performed by group members to ensure that the tasks of the group are accomplished

Maintenance roles

roles performed by group members to maintain good relations within the group

Individual roles

roles performed by group members that are not productive for keeping the group on task

Social Loafing

the tendency for individuals to expend less effort when working collectively than when working individually

Group Think

phenomenon in which the norm for consensus overrides the realistic appraisal of alternative courses of action

Sensation Thinking

emphasize detail, facts, certainty

Intuitive Thinker

show concern for current, real life problems

Sensation Feeling

deals with theoretical/ technical problem