Owt 101 Coursework

Andrew Weinstock

30/4/2012

32985525

2. Critically asses the current practice and status of HRM.

Human resource management is a relatively new sector of business in the modern world. The birth of the strategic aspect occurred just over 30 years ago (Wright, 1998). Since then, HRM has taken on a tremendously important role in businesses of all sizes around the world. The primary objective of Human resource management is ensuring that employees receive a satisfactory experience during the employee lifecycle, from recruitment until termination. In practice, HRM must succeed at the following in order to positively affect a company; employer branding, recruitment, training and development and employee assessments (performance appraisals). As well, the status of HRM has been constantly changing throughout its relatively short thirty-year lifespan, with much of the focus now placed on outsourcing this sector of business to other firms. This essay will critically asses the individual importance of all stated aspects of the HRM practice, along with the current status of HRM in modern businesses, and how outsourcing is affecting the sector as a whole.

Just as HRM is relatively new to business, so is the concept of employer branding within the sector. The employer brand was described very early on as “the package of functional, economic and psychological benefits provided by employment, and identified with the employing company.” (Ambler, 1996). So, the term has come to describe a business’s reputation as an employer, and what the potential and current employees consider the business’s workplace to be like. This portion of HRM is of utmost importance to any organization, as it would be unable to hire the best employees required to fulfill necessary jobs, expand its workforce, reach its set goals and maintain the proper type of employees for the vision and guidelines already in place. At the same time, it would be hard-pressed to maintain its current employees...