Management Service Officers' Service Exam flashcards

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

Weberian bureaucracy

Model of administration based on hierarchy, written rules, impersonal application, merit-based appointment, career service, and documented files, grounding rational-legal authority.

New Public Management

Reform approach that replaces input controls with output and outcome contracts, delegated authority, performance measurement, competition, and customer orientation in public services.

Subsidiarity principle

Governance rule that decisions should be taken at the lowest competent level; higher tiers act only when lower tiers cannot perform the task effectively.

Records life cycle

Sequence from creation or receipt through classification, use and maintenance, retention, and final disposition by destruction or transfer to archives.

Retention schedule

Authoritative list assigning each record class a disposal action and retention period, such as destroy after five years or transfer permanently to archives.

File classification scheme

Hierarchical coding system grouping records by function or subject so that files are titled, numbered, and retrieved consistently across an office.

Job analysis

Systematic process producing a job description of duties and reporting lines and a person specification of qualifications, skills, and experience required.

Natural justice

Two procedural rules for disciplinary and administrative decisions: hear the other side, and ensure no one judges a case in which they have an interest.

Training needs analysis

Assessment at organizational, task, and individual levels to identify performance gaps and specify training objectives before designing and evaluating training.

Zero-based budgeting

Budget method requiring every expenditure to be justified from zero each cycle rather than rolled forward from the previous year's allocation.

Three-way match

Payment control comparing purchase order, goods received note, and supplier invoice for quantity, price, and terms before authorizing disbursement.

Value for money

Procurement objective combining economy, efficiency, and effectiveness so that goods and services deliver the best balance of cost and outcomes.

Contribution margin

Sales revenue minus variable costs; contribution per unit equals selling price minus variable cost per unit and funds fixed costs and profit.

Break-even point

Activity level at which total revenue equals total cost and profit is zero; in units it equals fixed costs divided by contribution per unit.

Margin of safety

Excess of actual or budgeted sales over break-even sales, expressed in units, revenue, or percentage, indicating how far sales can fall before a loss.

Invitation to treat

Statement inviting offers rather than making one, such as displaying goods in a shop or advertising; the customer's response is the offer.

Ultra vires

Acting beyond legal power; delegated legislation or administrative action outside the enabling statute is ultra vires and may be struck down by a court.

Judicial review grounds

Bases on which courts review administrative decisions: illegality, irrationality or unreasonableness, procedural impropriety, and sometimes proportionality.

GDP expenditure identity

Gross domestic product equals consumption plus investment plus government spending plus net exports (exports minus imports), measured at market prices.

Price elasticity of demand

Percentage change in quantity demanded divided by percentage change in price; absolute value above one is elastic, below one inelastic, equal to one unit elastic.

Progressive tax

Tax structure in which the average tax rate rises as taxable income rises, so higher earners pay a larger share of income.

Coefficient of variation

Standard deviation divided by the mean, expressing relative dispersion; useful for comparing variability across data sets with different units or scales.

Stratified sampling

Sampling method dividing the population into homogeneous strata and drawing random samples from each, improving precision and ensuring representation.

Laspeyres index

Price index using base-period quantities as weights; it measures the cost of the base basket at current prices relative to base prices.

Executive summary

One-page opening section of a report stating purpose, key findings, conclusions, and recommendations, written last but placed first.

Seven Cs of communication

Quality criteria for messages: clear, concise, concrete, correct, coherent, complete, and courteous, applied to writing and speaking.

Minutes of meeting

Formal record of date, attendees, agenda items, decisions, and action items with owners and deadlines, plus next meeting details.

CIA triad

Information security model requiring confidentiality through access control and encryption, integrity through hashing and version control, and availability through backups and redundancy.

Multi-factor authentication

Access control requiring two or more independent factors from knowledge, possession, and inherence categories, reducing risk from stolen passwords.

3-2-1 backup rule

Data protection guideline keeping three copies of data, on two different media, with one copy stored off-site, and testing restoration regularly.

Performance appraisal

Systematic evaluation of employee performance against set standards using methods such as rating scales, critical incidents, BARS, or 360-degree feedback.

Medium-term expenditure framework

Budgeting approach linking annual budgets to a three-to-five-year expenditure projection and policy priorities, improving fiscal discipline and predictability.