What is human resource management?

Human Resource Management (HRM) is both				The debate regarding "human resources"
an academic theory and a business				versus human capital thus in many ways
practice. It is based on the notion that				echoes the debate regarding natural
employees are firstly human, and				resources versus natural capital. Over
secondly should NOT be treated as a				time the United Nations have come to
basic business resource. HRM is also				more generally support the developing
seen as an understanding of the human				nations' point of view, and have
aspect of a company and its strategic				requested significant offsetting
importance. HRM is seen as moving on				"foreign aid" contributions so that a
from a simple "personnel" approach (or				developing nation losing human capital
was supposed to) because it is				does not lose the capacity to continue
preventative of potential problems, and				to train new people in trades,
secondly it should be a major aspect of				professions, and the arts.
the company philosophy, in which all				An extreme version of this view is that
managers and employees are champions of				historical inequities such as African
HRM-based policies and philosophy.				slavery must be compensated by current
Human resources has at least two				developed nations, which benefitted from
meanings depending on context. The				stolen "human resources" as they were
original usage derives from political				developing. This is an extremely
economy and economics, where it was				controversial view, but it echoes the
traditionally called labor, one of three				general theme of converting human
factors of production. The more common				capital to "human resources" and thus
usage within corporations and businesses				greatly diminishing its value to the
refers to the individuals within the				host society, i.e. "Africa", as it is
firm, and to the portion of the firm's				put to narrow imitative use as "labor"
organization that deals with hiring,				in the using society.
firing, training, and other personnel				In the very narrow context of corporate
issues. This article will address both				"human resources", there is a
definitions.				contrasting pull to reflect and require
Modern analysis emphasizes that human				workplace diversity that echoes the
beings are not predictable commodity				diversity of a global customer base.
"resources" with definitions totally				Foreign language and culture skills,
controlled by contract, but are creative				ingenuity, humor, and careful listening,
and social beings that make				are examples of traits that such
contributions beyond "labor" to a				programs typically require. It would
society and to civilization. The broad				appear that these evidence a general
term human capital has evolved to				shift to the human capital point of
contain the complexity of this term, and				view, and an acknowledgement that human
in macro-economics the term				beings do contribute much more to a
"firm-specific human capital" has				productive enterprise than "work": they
evolved to represent the original				bring their character, their ethics,
meaning of term "human resources".				their creativity, their social
Advocating the central role of "human				connections, and in some cases even
resources" or human capital in				their pets and children, and alter the
enterprises and societies has been a				character of a workplace. The term
traditional role of socialist parties,				corporate culture is used to
who claim that value is primarily				characterize such processes.
created by their activity, and				The traditional but extremely narrow
accordingly justify a larger claim of				context of hiring, firing, and job
profits or relief from these enterprises				description is considered a 20th century
or societies. Critics say this is just a				anachronism. Most corporate
bargaining tactic which grew out of				organizations that compete in the modern
various practices of medieval European				global economy have adopted a view of
guilds into the modern trade union and				human capital that mirrors the modern
collective bargaining unit.				consensus as above. Some of these, in
A contrary view, common to capitalist				turn, deprecate the term "human
parties, is that it is the				resources" as useless.
infrastructural capital and (what they				As the term refers to predictable
call) intellectual capital owned and				exploitations of human capital in one
fused by "management" that provides most				context or another, it can still be said
value in financial capital terms. This				to apply to manual labor, mass
likewise justifies a bargaining position				agriculture, low skill "McJobs" in
and a general view that "human				service industries, military and other
resources" are interchangeable. The				work that has clear job descriptions,
unicist approach defines the integration				and which generally do not encourage
of humans and business as a sole unified				creative or social contributions.
field.				In general the abstractions of
A significant sign of consensus on this				macro-economics treat it this way - as
latter point is the ISO 9000 series of				it characterizes no mechanisms to
standards which requires a "job				represent choice or ingenuity. So one
description" of every participant in a				interpretation is that "firm-specific
productive enterprise. In general,				human capital" as defined in
heavily unionized nations such as France				macro-economics is the modern and
and Germany have adopted and encouraged				correct definition of "human resources"
such descriptions especially within				- and that this is inadequate to
trade unions. One view of this trend is				represent the contributions of "human
that a strong social consensus on				resources" in any modern theory of
political economy and a good social				political economy.
welfare system facilitates labor				Though human resources have been part of
mobility and tends to make the entire				business and organizations since the
economy more productive, as labor can				first days of agriculture, the modern
move from one enterprise to another with				concept of human resources began in
little controversy or difficulty in				reaction to the efficiency focus of
adapting.				Taylorism in the early 1900s. By 1920,
An important controversy regarding labor				psychologists and employment experts in
mobility illustrates the broader				the United States started the human
philosophical issue with usage of the				relations movement, which viewed workers
phrase "human resources": governments of				in terms of their psychology and fit
developing nations often regard				with companies, rather than as
developed nations that encourage				interchangeable parts. This movement
immigration or "guest workers" as				grew throughout the middle of the 20th
appropriating human capital that is				century, placing emphasis on how
rightfully part of the developing nation				leadership, cohesion, and loyalty played
and required to further its growth as a				important roles in organizational
civilization. They argue that this				success. Although this view was
appropriation is similar to colonial				increasingly challenged by more
commodity fiat wherein a colonizing				quantitatively rigorous and less "soft"
European power would define an arbitrary				management techniques in the 1960s and
price for natural resources, extracting				beyond, human resources had gained a
which diminished national natural				permanent role within the firm.
capital.

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What is human resource management?