Human Resources and the Business Environment

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how as the business environment in which most companies operate has changed, the role of the human resource function has changed, as well. It looks at how human resource professionals used to serve as personnel specialists who worked largely outside the realm of strategic management and how they are now an integral part of the strategic focus of a company. It evaluates how human resource professionals now take a proactive role in helping companies attract and retain the highest quality workers who are able to meet the needs of the organization not only in the immediate future, but over the long term. Human resource managers are in a unique position to bring change to organizations since they are increasingly being included in senior management and since they work closely with other managers as well as lower-level employees.

Outline
Introduction
Globalization
Managing the Expatriate
Reducing Costs
Competition
Increase in Service Sector Activity
Downsizing/Re-Engineering
Changing Demographics
Strategic Planning and Human Resources
Goal-Setting
Planning
Organizing
Profit Sharing
Executive Information Systems
Delegating
Organizational Culture and Ritual
Rituals as Barriers in Organizations
Culture and Standards of Behavior
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Increasingly, organizations are including human resource professionals in the strategic planning sessions which take place at the executive level. Where once personnel specialists would react to the strategic plan by trying to find employees who could help the company achieve its goals, human resource professionals are now active participants in determining those plans. Based on their familiarity of the workforce in the local region (or in remote areas, in some cases), human resource professionals can offer guidelines as to how much a particular strategy will cost in terms of human resources, and whether the company has the right people on staff currently or whether new employees will have to be hired and trained. In some cases, retraining of current employees will take place concurrently with hiring new employees."

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