| Human Resource Management (HRM) is both an | | | | Human Resource Management is part of a |
| academic theory and a business practice. It | | | | business or company which recruits, develops |
| is based on the notion that employees are | | | | and utilizes an organization's personnel in |
| firstly human, and secondly should not be | | | | the way which would benefit the firm's |
| treated as a basic business resource. HRM is | | | | objectives. Creating alignment between an |
| also seen as an understanding of the human | | | | organization's HRM strategy and the core |
| aspect of a company and its strategic | | | | objectives of a business is seen to be |
| importance. | | | | essential. |
| | | | |
| Human Resource Management is seen as moving | | | | Human resources management's functions extend |
| on from a simple "personnel" approach because | | | | to deciding the type of staff needed |
| it is preventative of potential problems, and | | | | (manpower, labor, office staff, etc.), |
| secondly it should be a major aspect of the | | | | evaluation of the personnel's performances |
| company philosophy, in which all managers and | | | | and granting the appropriate compensations |
| employees are champions of HRM-based policies | | | | and benefits to them. The human resource |
| and philosophy. | | | | manager holds the personnel's data, records, |
| | | | policies, and has the access to the pool of |
| The basic premise of the academic theory of | | | | other applicants when the company's need for |
| HRM is that humans are not machines. | | | | new/additional staff arises. |
| Therefore we need to have an | | | | |
| interdisciplinary examination of people in | | | | The human resource staff is the foremost |
| the workplace. Therefore fields such as | | | | implementer of the company's rules and |
| psychology, sociology, and critical theories | | | | regulations regarding staff/personnel |
| such as postmodernism and post-structuralism | | | | behavior and discrepancies. The human |
| play a major role. | | | | resource department also covers the regular |
| | | | updating and improvement of personnel |
| Critics of HRM have noted that HRM suffers | | | | performances through development activities, |
| the problem of the connotation of its own | | | | surveys and evaluation exercises. |
| name: treating humans as a resource. | | | | |
| | | | Copyright 2007 Ismael D. |