Course Name: Human Resource Management

Course Code: cc-602

1. Definition of Human resource Management

Answer: Human Resource Management (HRM) can be defined as the art of procuring, developing and
maintaining competent workforce to achieve the goals of an organization in an effective and efficient
manner. It helps managers to recruit, select, train and develop members for an organization.
According to Gary Dessler, “Human Resource management is the process of acquiring, training,
appraising, and compensating employees, and of attending to their labor relations, health and safety, and
fairness concerns”.
At last we can say that, Human Resource Management (HRM) is a process of bringing people and
organizations together so that the goals of each are met.

2. Explain how Human Resource Management relates to the management process

Answer:There are five basic functions in management process that are given below:
1. Planning: Establishing goals and standards; developing rules and procedures; developing plans and
forecasting.
2. Organizing: Giving each subordinate a specific task; establishing departments; delegating authority
to subordinates; establishing channels of authority and communication; coordinating the work of
subordinates.
3. Staffing: Determining what type of people should be hired; recruiting prospective employees;
selecting employees; setting performance standards; compensating employees; evaluating
performance; counseling employees; training and developing employees.
4. Leading: Getting others to get the job done; maintaining morale; motivating subordinates.
5. Controlling: Setting standardsto see how actual performance compares with these standards; taking
corrective action as needed.
The main function of human resource management is staffing which is for determining what type of people
should be hired, recruiting prospective employees, evaluating performance, counseling employees; training
and developing employees.
Thus human resource management is related to the management process.

3. Describe the Nature of HRM

Answer: The nature of Human Resource Management are given below:

1. Inherent Part of Management: Human resource management is inherent in the process of
management. HRM involves the application of management functions and principles. The functions
and principles are applied to acquiring, developing, maintaining and providing remuneration to
employees in organization.
2. Pervasive Function: Human Resource Management is a pervasive function of management. It is
performed by all managers at various levels in the organisation.

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 3. Interdisciplinary and fast changing: It is multi- disciplinary activity utilising knowledge and inputs
from psychology, sociology, economics, etc. It is changing itself in accordance with the changing
environment.
4. Basic to all functional areas: Human Resource Management permeates all the functional area of
management such as production management, financial management, and marketing management.
5. People Centered: Human Resource Management is people centered and is relevant in all types of
organizations. It is concerned with all categories of personnel from top to the bottom of the
organisation.
6. Personnel Activities: Human Resource Management involves several functions concerned with the
management of people at work. It includes manpower planning, employment, placement, training,
appraisal and compensation of employees.
7. Continuous Process: Human Resource Management is not a ‘one shot’ function. It must be
performed continuously if the organizational objectives are to be achieved smoothly.
8. Human relations philosophy:HRM is a philosophy and the basic assumption is that employees are
human beings and not a factor of production like land, labour or capital. HRM recognises
individuality and individual differences.
9. Focus on results: HRM is performance oriented. It has its focus on results, rather than on rules. It
encourages people to give their 100%.
10. It is an art and a science: The art and science of HRM is indeed very complex. HRM is both the art
of managing people by recourse to creative and innovative approaches; it is a science as well because
of the precision and rigorous application of theory that is required.

4. Describe the scope of Human Resources Management

Answer:The scope of HRM is indeed vast. All major activities in the working life of a worker - from the
time of his or her entry into an organization until he or she leaves the organizations comes under the
purview of HRM. The scopes of HRM are given below:
1. Human Resource Planning: The objective of HR Planning is to ensure that the organization has the
right types of persons at the right time at the right place. It prepares human resources inventory with a
view to assess present and future needs, availability and possible shortages in human resource.
2. Design of Organization and Job: This is the task of laying down organization structure, authority,
relationship and responsibilities. This will also mean definition of work contents for each position in
the organization. This is done by “job description”. Another important step is “Job specification”.
3. Selection and Staffing: This is the process of recruitment and selection of staff. This involves
matching people and their expectations with which the job specifications and career path available
within the organization.
4. Training and Development: This involves an organized attempt to find out training needs of the
individuals to meet the knowledge and skill which is needed not only to perform current job but also
to fulfill the future needs of the organization.
5. Organizational Development: This is an important aspect whereby “Synergetic effect” is generated
in an organization i.e. healthy interpersonal and inter-group relationship within the organization.
6. Compensation and Benefits: This is the area of wages and salaries administration where wages and
compensations are fixed scientifically to meet fairness and equity criteria.
7. Employee Assistance: Each employee is unique in character, personality, expectation and
temperament. By and large each one of them faces problems every day. Some are personal some are
official. In their case he or she remains worried. Such worries must be removed to make him or her
more productive and happy.

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 8. Union-Labour Relations: Healthy Industrial and Labour relations are very important for enhancing
peace and productivity in an organization. This is one of the areas of HRM.
9. Personnel Research and Information System: Knowledge on behavioral science and industrial
psychology throws better insight into the workers expectations, aspirations and behaviour.
Advancement of technology of product and production methods have created working environment
which are much different from the past.

5. Discuss the Objectives of Human Resource Management.

Answer: HRM is useful not only to organization, but the employees working therein, and also the society at
large also find it useful. The objectives can be as under:
1. Organizational Objectives: HRM is a means to achieve efficiency and effectiveness. Succession
planning is an important issue to be taken up as a contemporary organizational objective. The
organizational objectives of HRM are –
a. Acquiring right man for the right job at right time in right quantity.
b. Developing through right kind of training.
c. Utilizing the selected workforce, and
d. Maintaining the workforces.
2. Personnel Objectives: Employees are encouraged by competitive firms to change the jobs. HRM has
the responsibility to acquire, develop, utilize, and maintain employees. The personnel objectives of
HRM are -
a. To assist employees in achieving their personal goals.
b. Creating work-life balance for the employees.
3. Societal Objectives: HRM must see that the legal, ethical, and social environmental issues are
properly attended to. The societal objectives of HRM are -
a. To take care of farmers (whose land has been acquired for the factory) and tribal’s (who are
displaced by industries and mining companies) are the ethical issues,
b. To help the society through generating employment opportunity, creating schools and
dispensaries,
c. Helping women empowerment are the social responsibility issues.
4. Functional Objectives: HRM performs so many functions for other departments. However, it must
see that the facilitation should not cost more than the benefit rendered.

6. Describe the functions of Human Resource Management

Answer: The main functions of human resource management are classified into the following two
categories:
A. Managerial Functions:
1. Planning: The planning function of human resource department pertains to the steps taken in
determining in advance personnel requirements, personnel programmes, policies etc. After
determining how many and what type of people are required, a personnel manager has to devise ways
and means to motivate them.
2. Organisation: Under organisation, the human resource manager has to organise the operative
functions by designing structure of relationship among jobs, personnel and physical factors.

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 3. Directing: Directing is concerned with initiation of organised action and stimulating the people to
work. The personnel manager directs the activities of people of the organisation to get its function
performed properly.
4. Controlling: It provides basic data for establishing standards, makes job analysis and performance
appraisal, etc. All these techniques assist in effective control of the qualities, time and efforts of
workers.
B. Operative Functions :
1. Procurement of Personnel: It is concerned with the obtaining of the proper kind and number of
personnel necessary to accomplish organisation goals.
2. Development of Personnel:Development has to do with the increase through training, skill that is
necessary for proper job performance.
3. Compensation to Personnel:To determine the monetary compensation for various jobs is one of the
most difficult and important function of the personnel management.
4. Maintaining Good Industrial Relation:Human Resource Management covers a wide field. It is
intended to reduce stifles, promote industrial peace, provide fair deal to workers and establish
industrial democracy.
5. Record Keeping:In record-keeping the personnel manager collects and maintains information
concerned with the staff of the organisation.
6. Personnel Planning and Evaluation : Under this system different type of activities are evaluated
such as evaluation of performance, personnel policy of an organisation and its practices, personnel
audit, morale, survey and performance appraisal, etc.

7. Elaborate some of the main challenges which might be faced by the HR

Managers in future in the management of people in Business and Industry.

Answer:Human Resource Management in the “New Millennium” has undergone a great revolution by
questioning the accepted practices and re-inventing the organizations as well as structures. Many traditional
practices have been thrown out. The new role of human resource management is much more strategic than
before. Some of the new directions of the role of HRM can be summed up as follows:

1. HR Can Help in Dispensing Organizational Excellence: To achieve this paradigm shift in

theorganization excellence there is a need for organizations to reform the way in which work is
carried out by the Human Resource department. By designing an entirely new role and agenda that
results in enriching the organization’s value to customers, investors and employees, HR can help in
delivering organizational excellence.
2. Human Resource Should be a Strategy Partner: HR should also become a partner in strategy
executions by propelling and directing serious discussions of how the company should be organized
to carry out its strategy.
3. HR Accountability Should be Fixed to Ensure Employee Commitment: HR must be held
accountable for ensuring that employees feel committed to the organization and contribute fully.
4. The New HR Must Become a Change Agent: The new HR must become a change agent, which is
building the organization’s capacity to embrace and capitalize on change.
5. Improving the Quality of HR: The most important thing that managers can do to drive the new
mandate for HR is to improve the quality of the HR staff itself.
6. Change in Employment Practices:The challenges for Employment Practice in the New Millennium
will require that there should be strategic involvement of the people and labour-management
partnershipsas they both have to take organization ahead.

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 7. Benchmarking Tool Must be mastered by HR Professionals: HR professionals must master
benchmarking, which is a tool for continuous improvement- directing the human side associated with
the strategic path adopted by the organization.
8. Aligning Human Resources to Better Meet Strategic Objectives: It is the duty of HR manager to
hire talented human resource and to provide them with a positive environment where they will be
able to utilize their skills and potentials and to create an environment in which these individuals are
comfortable taking risks.
9. Promote fromwithin and Invest in Employees: Promoting employees from within sends a powerful
message that the organization’s employees are valued. New blood and fresh ideas often come from
newcomers to the organization. To avoid stagnation of the firm, new ideas and approaches are
critical.
10. Review the Recruitment and Selection Process: A key element of human resource planning is
ensuring that the supply of appropriate employees is on board when needed. This requires a proactive
approach whereby the organization anticipates its needs well in advance. It is important to identify
the competencies being sought.
11. Communicate Mission and Vision: If employees are expected to contribute to the attainment of the
organization’s strategic objectives, they must understand what their role is. This can be achieved in
part by clearly communicating the mission and vision statements of the firm.
12. Use Teams to Achieve Synergy: Synergy can be defined as the whole is greater than the sum of the
parts. So much more can be achieved as people work together. Through the effective use of teams,
organizations can often achieve synergy.

8. Explain the primary responsibilities of Human Resource managers.

The first and foremost role of HR personnel is to impart continuous education to the employees about the
changes and challenges facing the country in general and their organization in particular. The primary
responsibilities of Human Resource managers are:
1. To develop a thorough knowledge of corporate culture, plans and policies.
2. To act as an internal change agent and consultant
3. To initiate change and act as an expert and facilitator
4. To actively involve in company’s strategy formulation
5. To keep communication line open between the HRD function and individuals and groups both within
and outside the organization\
6. To identify and evolve HRD strategies in consonance with overall business strategy.
7. To facilitate the development of various organizational teams and their working relationship with
other teams and individuals.
8. To try and relate people and work so that the organization objectives are achieved efficiently and
effectively.
9. To diagnose problems and determine appropriate solution particularly in the human resource areas.
10. To provide co-ordination and support services for the delivery of HRD programmes and services
11. To evaluate the impact of an HRD intervention or to conduct research so as to identify, develop or
test how HRD In general has improved individual and organizational performance.