【文章內容簡介】 ive pay, job evaluationBenefitsInsurance, vacationleave administration , retirement plans, profit sharing, stock plansEmployee servicesEmployee assistance programs, relocation services, outplacement servicesEmployee and munity relationsAttitude surveys, labor relations, publications, labor law pliance, disciplinePersonnel recordsInformation systems, recordsHealth and safetySafety inspection, drug testing, health, wellnessStrategic planningInternational human resources, forecasting, planning, mergers and acquisitionsSource : Based on SH RMBNA Sur vey No . 60 ,Human Resource A ctivities , Budgets and Staf fs: 1994 1995 .Bulletin to Management, Bureau of National A ffairs Policy and Practice Series, June 29 , 1995 . Washington, DC: Bureau of National A ffairs. The HR function is in transition from an administrative function to a strategic business partnership. The percentage of time human resource departments are devoting to administrative roles such as maintaining records, auditing and controlling, and providing services has decreased. Advances in technology such as development of the Intranet have decreased the role of human resources in maintaining records by allowing HR services to be offered on a selfservice basis at substantially less cost than traditional facetoface services. Selfservice refers to giving employees control of HR transactions. Selfservice also fits with the changing psychological contract — employees are expected to take greater responsibility for their own careers. Selfservice is being used for a wide range of HR services including training course catalogs and course enrollment, benefits enrollment and inquiries, and attitude surveys. For example, at Richmond, Virginiabased LandAmerican Financial Group ( a 4, 000employee pany that processes title insurance ), the pany has selfservice for address changes, benefits, enrollment and taxes, pany policy information, and internal job postings. Besides reducing costs, the selfservice system has helped to shape employee perceptions that HR is a progressive department. Outsourcing of the administrative role has also occurred. Outsourcing refers to the practice of having another pany ( known as a vendor, thirdparty provider, or consultant) provide services. Many panies have outsourced payroll administration. Outsourcing is also being used for benefits administration, training, selection, and recruiting employees. Other roles such as practice development and strategic business partnering have increased. One of the most prehensive studies ever conducted regarding HRM concluded that human resources is being transformed from a specialized, standalone function to a broad corporate petency in which human resources and line managers build partnerships to gain petitive advantage and achieve overall business goals. There is an increase in managers in charge of the human resource function being included on highlevel mittees that are shaping the strategic direction of the pany. These managers report directly to the CEO, president, or board of directors and they are being asked to propose solutions to business problems. RECURRING THEMES IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENTFour general concerns span all functions of human resource management in organizations: the strategic approach。 the increasing globalization of HR activities。 maintaining ethical policies and behavior within the organization。 and the need to benchmark, measure, and evaluate the costbenefit utility of HR endeavors.Strategic Approach Business organizations use the resources available to pete with other panies. These include physical resources (e .g . plant, equipment, technology) organizational advantages (. structure, coordinating systems), and human resources. The human resources include the experience, skill, training, and mitment of the employees. It is the allocation and integration of these resources that provides a pany with a petitive advantage. Human resources are directly or indirectly related to all organizational processes and thus are important in allowing an organization to gain and sustain a petitive advantage. To be maximally effective, the human resource management function must be integrally involved in any pany’s strategic management process. This means that peoplerelated issues should be a primary concern in any organizational decision. Further, an accumulation of important research now demonstrates that when strategically linked, HR practices have an economically significant impact on both employee outes ( turnover and productivity) and short and longterm measures of corporate financial performance. Some of the most interesting aspects of human resource management are not just acquiring human resources, building performance, rewarding employees, and maintaining human resources, but the fusion of these elements with the strategic goals of the organization. In any organization, the challenge is managing the interplay of resources, including human resources, to gain and sustain a petitive advantage.International Human Resource Management The impact of the dynamic international economy has bee a major force in business in general and in human management in particular. Much of the book describes stateoftheart HR practices in North America。 however, other nations have sometimes chosen different approaches to dealing with the human side of organizations. For instance, in some countries a condition of doing business is a government mandate on the number of individuals who must be employed. Obviously, this alters many HR practices, including HR planning, selection, pensation, and job design, to name a few. Although interesting in their own right, these varied practices are also important realities faced by multinational firms doing business overseas. Maintaining Ethical Policies and Behavior It has long been recognized that managers have a duty to serve the interest of the business an