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HR
Human Resources
226
Business
Professional
12/16/2008
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Term
Accounts payable
 Definition
The money an organization owes its vendors and suppliers.
Term
Accounts receivable
 Definition
The money an organization’s customers owe to the organization.
Term
Action plans
 Definition
"The detailed steps a unit, department, or team will take in order to achieve short- term objectives."
Term
Amendment
 Definition
The modification of the Constitution or a law; may be either formal (written) or informal (unwritten).
Term
Assets
 Definition
"The financial, physical, and sometimes intangible properties an organization owns."
Term
Balance sheet
 Definition
A statement of a firm’s financial position at a particular time.
Term
Balanced Scorecard
 Definition
"Framework that aligns individual business function measures with organizational strategies in order to track progress, reinforce accountability, and prioritize improvement opportunities."
Term
Bill
 Definition
A proposal presented to a legislative body for possible enactment as a law.
Term
Break-even analysis
 Definition
Analysis that shows the point in time at which money put into an HR program is equal to or greater than its return.
Term
Capacity
 Definition
"To an operations department, the ability to yield output."
Term
Centralization
 Definition
The degree to which decision-making authority is restricted to higher levels of management.
Term
Change
 Definition
"The process of alteration or transformation that individuals, groups, and organizations undergo in response to external or internal factors."
Term
Chief ethics officer
 Definition
An individual who is involved with communicating standards of conduct in terms of organizational values and culture and instilling these throughout the organization; also known as ombuds.
Term
Code of ethics
 Definition
Principles of conduct within an organization that guide decision making and behavior.
Term
Consumer price index (CPI)
 Definition
A measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for goods and services.
Term
Control
 Definition
"To an operations department, an after-the-fact evaluation of the functioning of the department."
Term
Correlation
 Definition
A measure of association that indicates the relationship between two variables.
Term
Cost-benefit analysis
 Definition
An analytical tool for measuring HR program effectiveness.
Term
CPI (consumer price index)
 Definition
A measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for goods and services.
Term
Customer structure
 Definition
"An organizational structure built around easily identifiable, distinct customer markets."
Term
Decentralization
 Definition
The degree to which decision-making authority is given to lower levels in an organization’s hierarchy.
Term
Deductive reasoning
 Definition
The ability to take a rule and apply it by determining what additional observations one can expect to find.
Term
Departmentation
 Definition
A division of labor that establishes specific work units or groups within an organization.
Term
Divisional structure
 Definition
"A decentralized organizational structure in which divisions are separated by product, market, or region."
Term
Due diligence
 Definition
The process of conducting an intensive investigation of a corporation as one of the first steps in a pending merger or acquisition.
Term
Effectiveness
 Definition
The extent to which organizational or department goals have been met.
Term
Efficiency
 Definition
The degree to which operations are done in an economical manner.
Term
Environmental scanning
 Definition
"A process that systematically surveys, identifies, and interprets relevant data to identify external opportunities and threats."
Term
Equity
 Definition
The amount of an owners’ or shareholders’ portion of a business.
Term
Ethics
 Definition
A system of moral principles and values that establish appropriate conduct.
Term
Experiment
 Definition
The use of tests to explore what is not directly observed.
Term
Experimental designs
 Definition
Designs that include random selection for the simultaneous testing of experimental and control groups for comparison.
Term
FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)
 Definition
Prohibits American companies from making corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business.
Term
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
 Definition
Prohibits American companies from making corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business.
Term
Formula budgeting
 Definition
Form of budgeting in which an average cost is applied to comparable expenses and general funding is changed by a specific amount.
Term
Functional structure
 Definition
A centralized and specialized organizational structure that is arranged by business function.
Term
Gantt chart
 Definition
Project planning tool that graphically displays activities of a project in sequential order and plots them against time.
Term
GDP (gross domestic product)
 Definition
An estimate of the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a given year.
Term
Generation X
 Definition
Describes the group of people born roughly between the years of 1965 and 1980.
Term
Generation Y
 Definition
Describes the group of people born after 1980.
Term
Gross domestic product (GDP)
 Definition
An estimate of the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a given year.
Term
Gross profit margin
 Definition
Measures the difference between what it costs to produce a product and what an organization is selling it for.
Term
HR audit
 Definition
A process to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and positions.
Term
HRIS (human resource information system)
 Definition
"A systematic tool for gathering, storing, maintaining, retrieving, and revising HR data."
Term
HRM (human resource management)
 Definition
The design of formal systems in an organization that ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals.
Term
Human capital
 Definition
"Consists of the combined knowledge, skills, and experience of a company’s employees."
Term
Human resource information system (HRIS)
 Definition
"A systematic tool for gathering, storing, maintaining, retrieving, and revising HR data."
Term
Human resource management (HRM)
 Definition
The design of formal systems in an organization that ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals.
Term
Hypothesis
 Definition
"A specific, testable prediction that is derived from a theory and describes a relationship between two variables."
Term
Income statement
 Definition
"A statement explaining revenues, expenses, and profits over a specified period of time—usually a year or a quarter."
Term
Incremental budgeting
 Definition
Form of budgeting in which the prior budget is the basis for allocation of funds.
Term
Inductive reasoning
 Definition
Involves looking at a set of observations and designing a rule that characterizes or explains a pattern underlying the observations.
Term
Inter-rater reliability
 Definition
The degree to which different raters or observers give consistent estimates of the same behavior.
Term
Inventory
 Definition
"To an operations department, an organization’s major asset after physical buildings and equipment."
Term
Joint resolution
 Definition
"A legislative measure that must be passed by both houses and approved by the chief executive to become effective; similar to a bill, with the force of law, and often used for unusual or temporary purposes."
Term
Liabilities
 Definition
An organization’s debts and other fmancial obligations.
Term
Line units
 Definition
Work groups that conduct the major business of the organization.
Term
Lobbying
 Definition
"The activities of an agent (lobbyist) for a group, usually to influence public policy."
Term
Long-term objectives
 Definition
"Specific results, accomplished in three to five years, that an organization seeks to achieve in pursuing its mission."
Term
Marketing
 Definition
"The process of planning, pricing, promoting, and distributing goods and services to satisfy organizational objectives."
Term
Matrix structure
 Definition
"An organizational structure that combines two different organizational designs, usually product- and function-focused, in order to gain the benefits of both."
Term
Mean
 Definition
A measure of central tendency that indicates the average score or value.
Term
Median
 Definition
A measure of central tendency that indicates the point below which 50% of the scores lie.
Term
Mid-term objectives
 Definition
Serve a purpose similar to short-term objectives but are completed in one to three years.
Term
Mission statements
 Definition
Specify what activities an organization intends to pursue and what course management has charted for the future.
Term
Mode
 Definition
A measure of central tendency that indicates the value that occurs most frequently.
Term
Normal distribution
 Definition
The expected distribution given a random sampling of people across a large population.
Term
Ombuds
 Definition
An individual who is involved with communicating standards of conduct in terms of organizational values and culture and instilling these throughout the organization; also known as chief ethics officer.
Term
Outsourcing
 Definition
The practice of buying services externally rather than producing them internally.
Term
Percentile
 Definition
A measure of variation that indicates a specific point in a distribution that has a given percentage of cases below it.
Term
PERT (program evaluation review technique) chart
 Definition
"Project planning tool that provides a road map or diagram of project events, mainly to illustrate the time needed to complete a project."
Term
Population
 Definition
A group of persons or objects or a complete set of observations or measurements about which one wishes to draw conclusions.
Term
Primary research
 Definition
Involves data that is gathered firsthand for the specific evaluation being conducted.
Term
Program evaluation review technique (PERT) chart
 Definition
Project planning tool that provides a road map or diagram of project events mainly to illustrate the time needed to complete a project.
Term
Project
 Definition
"A series of tasks and activities that has specific objectives, defined start and end dates, budget limits, and dedicated resources."
Term
Qualitative analysis
 Definition
"Research that utilizes open-ended interviewing to explore and understand the attitudes, opinions, feelings, and behavior of individuals or a group of individuals."
Term
Quantitative analysis
 Definition
"Utilizes statistical measures to collect, interpret, and communicate data."
Term
Quasi- experimental designs
 Definition
Include comparisons between groups before and after the installation of a special program or new technique.
Term
Quorum
 Definition
The number of members of a legislature or of any organization that have to be present before official business may be conducted.
Term
Range
 Definition
Measure of variation that indicates the distance between the highest and lowest scores.
Term
Regression
 Definition
"Measure of association that refers to the fact that if two variables are related, when one changes by a certain amount, so does the other."
Term
Regulation
 Definition
A rule or order issued by a government agency; often has the force of law.
Term
Reliability
 Definition
The ability of an instrument to measure consistently.
Term
Request for proposal (RFP)
 Definition
A written request asking contractors to propose solutions and prices that fit the customer’s requirements.
Term
Return on investment (ROE)
 Definition
A calculation showing the value of expenditures on HR activities.
Term
RFP (request for proposal)
 Definition
A written request asking contractors to propose solutions and prices that fit the customer’s requirements.
Term
ROl (return on investment)
 Definition
A calculation showing the value of expenditures on HR activities.
Term
Sales
 Definition
The business function responsible for selling the organization’s product to the marketplace.
Term
Sample
 Definition
A portion of a population used to draw conclusions regarding the entire population.
Term
Sandwich generation
 Definition
The portion of the baby boom generation that is simultaneously caring for both their own children and one or more elderly family members.
Term
Scatter diagram
 Definition
Measure of association that indicates the relationship between data items using x and y axes.
Term
Scheduling
 Definition
"To an operations department, the act of detailed planning; based upon incoming orders and forecasts of future demand."
Term
Scientific method
 Definition
"A systematic method for diagnosing problems, finding solutions, and evaluating the effectiveness of activities."
Term
Secondary research
 Definition
Uses data already gathered by others and reported in various sources.
Term
Short-term objectives
 Definition
"Milestones that must be achieved, usually within six months to one year, in order to reach long-term objectives."
Term
Social responsibility
 Definition
A company’s long-term investment in an appropriate cause that does measurable good in society while enhancing the company’s reputation with key audiences.
Term
Span of control
 Definition
Refers to the number of individuals who report to a supervisor.
Term
Standard deviation
 Definition
A measure of variation that indicates how much the scores are spread out around the mean or average.
Term
Standards
 Definition
"For an operations department, provide the yardstick by which the amount and quality of output are measured."
Term
Strategic management
 Definition
"The processes and activities used to formulate HR objectives, practices, and policies."
Term
Strategic planning
 Definition
"The art and science of formulating, developing, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enable an organization to achieve its objectives."
Term
Strategies
 Definition
Provide the direction that enables an organization to achieve its long-term objectives.
Term
Strategy development
 Definition
"The second phase of the strategic planning process; involves conducting a SWOT analysis, establishing long-term objectives, and identifying strategies."
Term
Strategy evaluation
 Definition
"The final phase of the strategic planning process; includes reviewing strategies, measuring performance, and taking the appropriate corrective action."
Term
Strategy formulation
 Definition
"The first phase of the strategic planning process; focuses on composing the organization’s vision, mission, and values."
Term
Strategy implementation
 Definition
"The third phase of the strategic planning process; establishes short-term objectives, develops action plans, allocates resources, and motivates employees to participate."
Term
SWOT analysis
 Definition
"A vehicle for collecting information on an organization’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats."
Term
Validity
 Definition
The ability of an instrument to measure what it is intended to measure.
Term
Values
 Definition
"Describe what is important to an organization, dictate employee behavior, and create the organization’s culture."
Term
Veto
 Definition
The action of canceling or postponing a decision or bill.
Term
Vision statement
 Definition
"A vivid, guiding image of an organization’s success."
Term
Whistle blowers
 Definition
Employees who disclose illegal employer conduct to appropriate government agencies.
Term
Zero-based budgeting
 Definition
Form of budgeting that requires that expenditures be justified for each new period and budgets start at zero.
Term
Accounts payable
 Definition
The money an organization owes its vendors and suppliers.
Term
Accounts receivable
 Definition
The money an organization’s customers owe to the organization.
Term
Action plans
 Definition
"The detailed steps a unit, department, or team will take in order to achieve short- term objectives."
Term
Amendment
 Definition
The modification of the Constitution or a law; may be either formal (written) or informal (unwritten).
Term
Assets
 Definition
"The financial, physical, and sometimes intangible properties an organization owns."
Term
Balance sheet
 Definition
A statement of a firm’s financial position at a particular time.
Term
Balanced Scorecard
 Definition
"Framework that aligns individual business function measures with organizational strategies in order to track progress, reinforce accountability, and prioritize improvement opportunities."
Term
Bill
 Definition
A proposal presented to a legislative body for possible enactment as a law.
Term
Break-even analysis
 Definition
Analysis that shows the point in time at which money put into an HR program is equal to or greater than its return.
Term
Capacity
 Definition
"To an operations department, the ability to yield output."
Term
Centralization
 Definition
The degree to which decision-making authority is restricted to higher levels of management.
Term
Change
 Definition
"The process of alteration or transformation that individuals, groups, and organizations undergo in response to external or internal factors."
Term
Chief ethics officer
 Definition
An individual who is involved with communicating standards of conduct in terms of organizational values and culture and instilling these throughout the organization; also known as ombuds.
Term
Code of ethics
 Definition
Principles of conduct within an organization that guide decision making and behavior.
Term
Consumer price index (CPI)
 Definition
A measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for goods and services.
Term
Control
 Definition
"To an operations department, an after-the-fact evaluation of the functioning of the department."
Term
Correlation
 Definition
A measure of association that indicates the relationship between two variables.
Term
Cost-benefit analysis
 Definition
An analytical tool for measuring HR program effectiveness.
Term
CPI (consumer price index)
 Definition
A measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for goods and services.
Term
Customer structure
 Definition
"An organizational structure built around easily identifiable, distinct customer markets."
Term
Decentralization
 Definition
The degree to which decision-making authority is given to lower levels in an organization’s hierarchy.
Term
Deductive reasoning
 Definition
The ability to take a rule and apply it by determining what additional observations one can expect to find.
Term
Departmentatlon
 Definition
A division of labor that establishes specific work units or groups within an organization.
Term
Divisional structure
 Definition
"A decentralized organizational structure in which divisions are separated by product, market, or region."
Term
Due diligence
 Definition
The process of conducting an intensive investigation of a corporation as one of the first steps in a pending merger or acquisition.
Term
Effectiveness
 Definition
The extent to which organizational or department goals have been met.
Term
Efficiency
 Definition
The degree to which operations are done in an economical manner.
Term
Environmental scanning
 Definition
"A process that systematically surveys, identifies, and interprets relevant data to identify external opportunities and threats."
Term
Equity
 Definition
The amount of an owners’ or shareholders’ portion of a business.
Term
Ethics
 Definition
A system of moral principles and values that establish appropriate conduct.
Term
Experiment
 Definition
The use of tests to explore what is not directly observed.
Term
Experimental designs
 Definition
Designs that include random selection for the simultaneous testing of experimental and control groups for comparison.
Term
FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)
 Definition
Prohibits American companies from making corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business.
Term
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
 Definition
Prohibits American companies from making corrupt payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business.
Term
Formula budgeting
 Definition
Form of budgeting in which an average cost is applied to comparable expenses and general funding is changed by a specific amount.
Term
Functional structure
 Definition
A centralized and specialized organizational structure that is arranged by business function.
Term
Gantt chart
 Definition
Project planning tool that graphically displays activities of a project in sequential order and plots them against time.
Term
GDP (gross domestic product)
 Definition
An estimate of the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a given year.
Term
Generation X
 Definition
Describes the group of people born roughly between the years of 1965 and 1980.
Term
Generation Y
 Definition
Describes the group of people born after 1980.
Term
Gross domestic product (GDP)
 Definition
An estimate of the total value of goods and services produced in a country in a given year.
Term
Gross profit margin
 Definition
Measures the difference between what it costs to produce a product and what an organization is selling it for.
Term
HR audit
 Definition
A process to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of programs and positions.
Term
HRIS (human resource information system)
 Definition
"A systematic tool for gathering, storing, maintaining, retrieving, and revising HR data."
Term
HRM (human resource management)
 Definition
The design of formal systems in an organization that ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals.
Term
Human capital
 Definition
"Consists of the combined knowledge, skills, and experience of a company’s employees."
Term
Human resource information system (HRIS)
 Definition
"A systematic tool for gathering, storing, maintaining, retrieving, and revising HR data."
Term
Human resource management (HRM)
 Definition
The design of formal systems in an organization that ensure the effective and efficient use of human talent to accomplish organizational goals.
Term
Hypothesis
 Definition
"A specific, testable prediction that is derived from a theory and describes a relationship between two variables."
Term
Income statement
 Definition
"A statement explaining revenues, expenses, and profits over a specified period of time—usually a year or a quarter."
Term
Incremental budgeting
 Definition
Form of budgeting in which the prior budget is the basis for allocation of funds.
Term
Inductive reasoning
 Definition
Involves looking at a set of observations and designing a rule that characterizes or explains a pattern underlying the observations.
Term
Inter-rater reliability
 Definition
The degree to which different raters or observers give consistent estimates of the same behavior.
Term
Inventory
 Definition
"To an operations department, an organization’s major asset after physical buildings and equipment."
Term
Joint resolution
 Definition
"A legislative measure that must be passed by both houses and approved by the chief executive to become effective; similar to a bill, with the force of law, and often used for unusual or temporary purposes."
Term
Liabilities
 Definition
An organization’s debts and other fmancial obligations.
Term
Line units
 Definition
Work groups that conduct the major business of the organization.
Term
Lobbying
 Definition
"The activities of an agent (lobbyist) for a group, usually to influence public policy."
Term
Long-term objectives
 Definition
"Specific results, accomplished in three to five years, that an organization seeks to achieve in pursuing its mission."
Term
Marketing
 Definition
"The process of planning, pricing, promoting, and distributing goods and services to satisfy organizational objectives."
Term
Matrix structure
 Definition
"An organizational structure that combines two different organizational designs, usually product- and function-focused, in order to gain the benefits of both."
Term
Mean
 Definition
A measure of central tendency that indicates the average score or value.
Term
Median
 Definition
A measure of central tendency that indicates the point below which 50% of the scores lie.
Term
Mid-term objectives
 Definition
Serve a purpose similar to short-term objectives but are completed in one to three years.
Term
Mission statements
 Definition
Specify what activities an organization intends to pursue and what course management has charted for the future.
Term
Mode
 Definition
A measure of central tendency that indicates the value that occurs most frequently.
Term
Normal distribution
 Definition
The expected distribution given a random sampling of people across a large population.
Term
Ombuds
 Definition
An individual who is involved with communicating standards of conduct in terms of organizational values and culture and instilling these throughout the organization; also known as chief ethics officer.
Term
Outsourcing
 Definition
The practice of buying services externally rather than producing them internally.
Term
Percentile
 Definition
A measure of variation that indicates a specific point in a distribution that has a given percentage of cases below it.
Term
PERT (program evaluation review technique) chart
 Definition
"Project planning tool that provides a road map or diagram of project events, mainly to illustrate the time needed to complete a project."
Term
Population
 Definition
A group of persons or objects or a complete set of observations or measurements about which one wishes to draw conclusions.
Term
Primary research
 Definition
Involves data that is gathered firsthand for the specific evaluation being conducted.
Term
Program evaluation review technique (PERT) chart
 Definition
Project planning tool that provides a road map or diagram of project events mainly to illustrate the time needed to complete a project.
Term
Project
 Definition
"A series of tasks and activities that has specific objectives, defined start and end dates, budget limits, and dedicated resources."
Term
Qualitative analysis
 Definition
"Research that utilizes open-ended interviewing to explore and understand the attitudes, opinions, feelings, and behavior of individuals or a group of individuals."
Term
Quantitative analysis
 Definition
"Utilizes statistical measures to collect, interpret, and communicate data."
Term
Quasi- experimental designs
 Definition
Include comparisons between groups before and after the installation of a special program or new technique.
Term
Quorum
 Definition
The number of members of a legislature or of any organization that have to be present before official business may be conducted.
Term
Range
 Definition
Measure of variation that indicates the distance between the highest and lowest scores.
Term
Regression
 Definition
"Measure of association that refers to the fact that if two variables are related, when one changes by a certain amount, so does the other."
Term
Regulation
 Definition
A rule or order issued by a government agency; often has the force of law.
Term
Reliability
 Definition
The ability of an instrument to measure consistently.
Term
Request for proposal (RFP)
 Definition
A written request asking contractors to propose solutions and prices that fit the customer’s requirements.
Term
Return on investment (ROE)
 Definition
A calculation showing the value of expenditures on FIR activities.
Term
RFP (request for proposal)
 Definition
A written request asking contractors to propose solutions and prices that fit the customer’s requirements.
Term
ROl (return on investment)
 Definition
A calculation showing the value of expenditures on HR activities.
Term
Sales
 Definition
The business function responsible for selling the organization’s product to the marketplace.
Term
Sample
 Definition
A portion of a population used to draw conclusions regarding the entire population.
Term
Sandwich generation
 Definition
The portion of the baby boom generation that is simultaneously caring for both their own children and one or more elderly family members.
Term
Scatter.diagram
 Definition
Measure of association that indicates the relationship between data items using x and y axes.
Term
Scheduling
 Definition
"To an operations department, the act of detailed planning; based upon incoming orders and forecasts of future demand."
Term
Scientific method
 Definition
"A systematic method for diagnosing problems, finding solutions, and evaluating the effectiveness of activities."
Term
Secondary research
 Definition
Uses data already gathered by others and reported in various sources.
Term
Short-term objectives
 Definition
"Milestones that must be achieved, usually within six months to one year, in order to reach long-term objectives."
Term
Social responsibility
 Definition
A company’s long-term investment in an appropriate cause that does measurable good in society while enhancing the company’s reputation with key audiences.
Term
Span of control
 Definition
Refers to the number of individuals who report to a supervisor.
Term
Standard deviation
 Definition
A measure of variation that indicates how much the scores are spread out around the mean or average.
Term
Standards
 Definition
"For an operations department, provide the yardstick by which the amount and quality of output are measured."
Term
Strategic management
 Definition
"The processes and activities used to formulate HR objectives, practices, and policies."
Term
Strategic planning
 Definition
"The art and science of formulating, developing, implementing, and evaluating cross-functional decisions that enable an organization to achieve its objectives."
Term
Strategies
 Definition
Provide the direction that enables an organization to achieve its long-term objectives.
Term
Strategy development
 Definition
"The second phase of the strategic planning process; involves conducting a SWOT analysis, establishing long-term objectives, and identifying strategies."
Term
Strategy evaluation
 Definition
"The final phase of the strategic planning process; includes reviewing strategies, measuring performance, and taking the appropriate corrective action."
Term
Strategy formulation
 Definition
"The first phase of the strategic planning process; focuses on composing the organization’s vision, mission, and values."
Term
Strategy implementation
 Definition
"The third phase of the strategic planning process; establishes short-term objectives, develops action plans, allocates resources, and motivates employees to participate."
Term
SWOT analysis
 Definition
"A vehicle for collecting information on an organization’s current strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats."
Term
Validity
 Definition
The ability of an instrument to measure what it is intended to measure.
Term
Values
 Definition
"Describe what is important to an organization, dictate employee behavior, and create the organization’s culture."
Term
Veto
 Definition
The action of canceling or postponing a decision or bill.
Term
Vision statement
 Definition
"A vivid, guiding image of an organization’s success."
Term
Whistle blowers
 Definition
Employees who disclose illegal employer conduct to appropriate government agencies.
Term
Zero-based budgeting
 Definition
Form of budgeting that requires that expenditures be justified for each new period and budgets start at zero.
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