| Human resources are a word with which a lot of | | | | capital does not lose the capacity to continue to train |
| organization explains the mixture of conventionally | | | | new people in trades, professions, and the arts. |
| directorial employee’s functions with performance, | | | | An extreme version of this view is that historical |
| employee relations, and resource planning. The field | | | | inequities such as African slavery must be |
| draws upon concepts developed in Industrial or | | | | compensated by current developed nations, which |
| Organizational Psychology. Human resources have at | | | | benefited from stolen "human resources" as they |
| least two related interpretations depending on context. | | | | were developing. This is an extremely controversial |
| The original usage derives from political economy and | | | | view, but it echoes the general theme of converting |
| economics, where it was traditionally called labor, one | | | | human capital to "human resources" and thus greatly |
| of four factors of production. The more common | | | | diminishing its value to the host society, i.e. "Africa", as it |
| usage within corporations and businesses refers to the | | | | is put to narrow imitative use as "labor" in the using |
| individuals within the firm, and to the portion of the | | | | society. |
| firm's organization that deals with hiring, firing, training, | | | | In a series of reports of the UN Secretary-General to |
| and other personnel issues. | | | | the General Assembly over the last decade [e.g. A/56 |
| This article addresses both definitions. | | | | 162 (2001)], a broad inter sectoral approach to |
| The objective of Human Resource training and | | | | developing human resourcefulness through hr training |
| development is to maximize the return on investment | | | | has been outlined as a priority for socio-economic |
| from the organization's human capital and minimize | | | | development and particularly anti-poverty strategies. |
| financial risk. It is the responsibility of human resource | | | | This calls for strategic and integrated public policies, for |
| managers to conduct these activities in an effective, | | | | example in education, health, and employment sectors |
| legal, fair, and consistent manner. | | | | that promote occupational skills, knowledge and |
| Human resource management serves these key | | | | performance enhancement. |
| functions: | | | | In the very narrow context of corporate "human |
| 1. Selection | | | | resources", there is a contrasting pull to reflect and |
| 2. Training and Development | | | | require workplace diversity that echoes the diversity of |
| 3. Performance Evaluation and Management | | | | a global customer base. Foreign language and culture |
| 4. Promotions | | | | skills, ingenuity, humor, and careful listening, are |
| 5. Redundancy | | | | examples of traits that such programs typically require. |
| 6. Industrial and Employee Relations | | | | It would appear that these evidence a general shift to |
| 7. Record keeping of all personal data. | | | | the human capital point of view, and an |
| 8. Compensation, pensions, bonuses etc in liaison with | | | | acknowledgment that human beings do contribute |
| Payroll | | | | much more to a productive enterprise than "work": |
| 9. Confidential advice to internal 'customers' in relation | | | | they bring their character, their ethics, their creativity; |
| to problems at work | | | | their social connections, in some cases even their pets |
| 10. Career development | | | | and children, and alter the character of a workplace. |
| Human resources | | | | The term corporate, culture is used to characterize |
| Modern analysis emphasizes that human beings are | | | | such processes. |
| not "commodities" or "resources", but are creative and | | | | The traditional but extremely narrow context of hiring, |
| social beings in a productive enterprise. The 2000 | | | | firing, and job description is considered a 20th century |
| revision of ISO 9001 in contrast requires identifying the | | | | anachronism. Most corporate organizations that |
| processes, their sequence and interaction, and to | | | | compete in the modern global economy have adopted |
| define and communicate responsibilities and authorities. | | | | a view of human capital that mirrors the modern |
| In general, heavily unionized nations such as France | | | | consensus as above. Some of these, in turn, |
| and Germany have adopted and encouraged such job | | | | deprecate the term "human resources" as useless. |
| descriptions especially within trade unions. One view of | | | | In general, the abstractions of macroeconomics treat it |
| this trend is that a strong social consensus on political | | | | this way - as it characterizes no mechanisms to |
| economy and a good social welfare system facilitates | | | | represent choice or ingenuity. So one interpretation is |
| labor mobility and tends to make the entire economy | | | | that "firm-specific human capital" as defined in |
| more productive, as labor can move from one | | | | macroeconomics is the modern and correct definition |
| enterprise to another with little controversy or difficulty | | | | of "human resources" - and that this is inadequate to |
| in adapting. | | | | represent the contributions of "human resources" in |
| An important controversy regarding labor mobility | | | | any modern theory of political economy. |
| illustrates the broader philosophical issue with usage of | | | | Modern concept of human resources |
| the phrase "human resources": governments of | | | | Though human resources have been part of business |
| developing nations often regard developed nations that | | | | and organizations since the first days of agriculture, the |
| encourage immigration or "guest workers" as | | | | modern concept of human resources began in |
| appropriating human capital that is rightfully part of the | | | | reaction to the efficiency focus of Taylorism in the |
| developing nation and required to further its growth as | | | | early 1900s. By 1920, psychologists and employment |
| a civilization. They argue that this appropriation is similar | | | | experts in the United States started the human |
| to colonial commodity fiat wherein a colonizing | | | | relations movement, which viewed workers in terms of |
| European power would define an arbitrary price for | | | | their psychology and fit with companies, rather than as |
| natural resources, extracting which diminished national | | | | interchangeable parts. This movement grew |
| natural capital. | | | | throughout the middle of the 20th century, placing |
| The debate regarding "human resources" versus | | | | emphasis on how leadership, cohesion, and loyalty |
| human capital thus in many ways echoes the debate | | | | played important roles in organizational success. |
| regarding natural resources versus natural capital. | | | | Although more increasingly challenged this view |
| Over time the United Nations have come to more | | | | quantitatively, rigorous and less "soft" management |
| generally support the developing nations' point of view, | | | | techniques in the 1960s and beyond, human resources |
| and have requested significant offsetting "foreign aid" | | | | had gained a permanent role within an organization. |
| contributions so that a developing nation losing human | | | | |