BCS Written Management flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

SWOT analysis

A structured review of internal strengths and weaknesses plus external opportunities and threats; it informs strategy but does not itself set objectives or priorities.

Ansoff matrix

A growth grid crossing existing or new products with existing or new markets, producing penetration, product development, market development, and diversification options.

Porter's Five Forces

An industry attractiveness model covering competitor rivalry, new entrants, substitutes, buyer power, and supplier power; stronger forces generally compress industry profitability.

Value chain

Porter's model dividing activities into primary activities that create and deliver value and support activities that enable them, used to locate cost or differentiation advantage.

Tuckman's stages

A model of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning; conflict during storming is normal before norms and performance stabilise.

Herzberg two-factor theory

Hygiene factors such as pay and working conditions prevent dissatisfaction but do not motivate; motivators such as achievement, recognition, and growth create satisfaction.

Expectancy theory

Vroom's model in which motivation equals expectancy multiplied by instrumentality and valence; if any factor is zero, effort is not motivated.

Belbin team roles

Nine behavioural roles including plant, coordinator, shaper, monitor evaluator, implementer, teamworker, resource investigator, completer finisher, and specialist, used to balance teams.

Gross margin

Gross profit divided by revenue, expressed as a percentage; it shows profitability after cost of sales and before operating expenses, interest, and tax.

Current ratio

Current assets divided by current liabilities; it measures short-term liquidity, with a ratio below one indicating liabilities due exceed available current assets.

Net present value

The sum of future cash flows discounted at the cost of capital, minus initial investment; a positive NPV indicates value creation.

Break-even units

Fixed costs divided by contribution per unit, where contribution equals selling price minus variable cost; it gives the sales volume at which profit is zero.

Critical path

The longest dependent sequence of activities in a project network; it has zero total float, so any delay on it delays project completion.

Earned value CPI

Cost performance index equals earned value divided by actual cost; below one means work is costing more than budgeted, above one means under budget.

RACI matrix

A responsibility chart assigning Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed roles to tasks; each task should have exactly one Accountable owner.

Stage gate

A formal decision checkpoint between project phases where governance approves, pauses, redirects, or terminates the project based on evidence and business justification.

CIA triad

The three core information security objectives: confidentiality limits access to authorised parties, integrity keeps data accurate and complete, availability ensures timely access.

COBIT EDM domains

COBIT splits governance into Evaluate, Direct, and Monitor, and management into aligning, planning, building, running, and monitoring activities, separating oversight from execution.

Service level agreement

A documented agreement between a service provider and customer stating measurable service commitments such as availability, response times, and remedies for shortfall.

Shadow IT

Technology acquired or used without central IT approval or oversight, creating security, integration, data protection, and licensing risks for the organisation.

Lewin's change model

A three-stage model of unfreezing existing behaviour, moving to new practices, and refreezing so the change becomes embedded in structures and norms.

Kotter's eight steps

A sequence from creating urgency and a guiding coalition through vision, communication, empowerment, short-term wins, consolidation, to anchoring change in culture.

Force field analysis

Lewin's technique comparing driving forces for change against restraining forces; successful change shifts the balance by strengthening drivers and removing restraints.

ADKAR model

An individual change model requiring Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement; change succeeds only when each element is achieved in sequence.

Residual risk

The risk remaining after existing controls and treatments are applied, as distinct from inherent risk measured before controls are considered.

Recovery time objective

The maximum acceptable period for restoring a process or system after disruption; it drives continuity strategy and must align with business impact analysis findings.

Risk appetite

The amount and type of risk an organisation is willing to accept in pursuit of objectives; risk tolerance describes acceptable variation around that appetite.

Business impact analysis

An assessment identifying critical activities and their dependencies, quantifying disruption effects over time, and deriving recovery time and recovery point objectives.

Little's Law

Average number of items in a system equals arrival rate multiplied by average time in the system; used to relate throughput, work in progress, and cycle time.

DMAIC cycle

Six Sigma's improvement sequence: define the problem, measure current performance, analyse causes, improve the process, and control gains to sustain results.

Seven wastes

Lean's TIMWOOD categories: transport, inventory, motion, waiting, overproduction, overprocessing, and defects; each represents activity that consumes resources without customer value.

Agency problem

Arises when managers, as agents, pursue interests diverging from owners, the principals; mitigated by incentives, board monitoring, audit, and disclosure.