HRIS Business, governments, and non-profit organizations around the world rely on human resource information systems (HRIS)

to facilitate information sharing as well as facilitate downsizing and reengineering efforts. The human resource information system also called the human resources management system (HRMS) refers to a systematic procedure for collecting, storing, maintaining, retrieving, and validating data needed by an organization about its human resources, personnel activities, and organization unit characteristics. Human resource information systems help human resource professionals achieve human resource objectives. For example, human resource information systems provide businesses with rapid data access, information exchange, and strategic advantage. Public and private sector organizations, such as Federal Express, IBM, Levi-Strauss, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Defence US, Hewlett-Packard, Stanford University, and Johns Hopkins, have developed and implemented HRIS to optimize their human capital performance. HRIS, along with the Internet and related communication technologies, are transforming the human resource management arena and life within organizations. Human resource information systems, while increasingly complex and computerized, can be simple or complex, computerized or non-computerized. Examples of informal human resource management systems include small business payroll records and time cards. Examples of complex human resource information system include the computerized human resource databases of major corporations, banks, and national governments. There are countless HRIS computer applications available from consulting firms, software firms, and in-house developers. Oracle HR and People Soft are two popular versions of computerized human resource information systems (Kovach & Cathcart, 1999). HRIS, which requires capital and technical resources to design and implement, can be used to create a competitive advantage for organizations through improved accuracy, the provision of timely and quick access to information, the cost savings, quality/ customer satisfaction, and innovation (Ngai & Wat, 2006). HRIS impacts the time allocation and work-flow of human resource staff. For example, HRIS can eliminate work duplication and streamline processes, allow human resources staff to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on strategic decision making and planning. This reallocation of time for human resources staff creates increased efficiency and departmental response time. HRIS improve business organizations knowledge management and, in turn, increases competitive advantage in the marketplace and stakeholder satisfaction (Targowski & Deshpande, 2001). Ultimately, HRIS data can provide a new tool for managerial decision-making in the human resources arena and organizations-at-large. The management uses this strategic data to make a wide range of decisions from work-related decisions regarding an individual employee to large scale decisions about corporate strategy (Kovach, Hughes, & Fagan, 2002). HRIS are designed to collect, process, and disseminate information that has been deemed valuable or important by the organization. Organizations vary in the types of information that they consider useful and important to collect. Organizations develop at least two kinds of human resource information systems. The first HRIS replaces many of the administrative functions once performed by people in the organization. Human resource information systems, which perform administrative tasks faster than people and require fewer employees, are designed to produce a wide range of vital information at the lowest cost. The second HRIS is based on organizational reengineering. HRIS that reengineer organizational processes are based on optimization of the way in which HR managers use information. HRIS with reengineered processes often include interactive employee information kiosks or Internet-based Web applications. Reengineered HRIS provide employees and managers the opportunity to interact with the organizations databases to apply for jobs, review organizational regulations, and to facilitate communications between employees, managers, and labour unions. In the twenty-first century, organizational and employee data are one of the strongest influences on organizational decisions and strategies. HRIS are increasingly dynamic and evolving resulting in issues and challenges experienced in the different phases in their implementation. This requires managers to formulate better strategies to counter these issues and increasingly develop HRIS with scalability, set-up, functionality, cost, security, and compatibility in mind (Kovach, Hughes, & Fagan, 2002). If the issues and challenges are properly taken care of then HRIS has the ability to increase competitiveness of an organization in the marketplace by improving the efficiency of HR operations; produce more and varied HR-related data and reports; shift the focus of HR from administrative to strategic activities; and involve employees in human resources self-management.