Human Resources Management (Byte Size Skills Course).

Human Resources Management (Byte Size Skills Course)

Human resource management (HRM) is regarded by Porter (1985) in his Value Chain as one of the primary activities in an organisation. It is responsible for one of the key inputs of the transformation process and it is also involved in all other functions and activities as they all have a human element. HRM is concerned with all aspects of people management in organisations, from the initial contact through to termination of employment (and beyond in some cases). The management of people in organisations is becoming more widely recognised as a factor critical to organisational success (Storey, 1992, p. 46). The workforce can be regarded as an organisation's greatest asset and is crucial in achieving and sustaining competitive advantage.

In this course, we consider the background to and philosophy of HRM and will concentrate on some of the tasks carried out that can influence the effectiveness of people within the work environment.

After Participating in this course, you should be able to:

• distinguish between the concepts of personnel management and HRM
• explain how the function has developed and the influences upon it
• outline the range of tasks carried out within people management
• describe the factors which impact on manpower and human resource planning
• outline recruitment and selection processes and methods
• describe the stages in the training cycle
• explain the role of assessment and appraisal
• define appraisal methods and their usage
• outline the main factors in employer/employee relations and the role of unions
• identify the value of HRM procedures that are grounded in a legislative framework.