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Fundamentals of Human Resource Management
Applicable to both HR majors and non-majors Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e focuses on human resource issues and how HR is a key component of any company’s overall corporate strategy. With Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e students learn about best practices and are actively engaged through the use of cases and decision making. As a result students will be able to take what they have learned in the course and apply it to solving HRM problems they will encounter on the job.
Kindle Edition
First published February 28, 2003
61 people are currently reading
331 people want to read
About the author
Raymond A. Noe
39 books14 followersProfessor Raymond Andrew Noe is one of the foremost academic authorities in the area of training and development.
He is an author of three texts in human resource management, including Employee Training and Development, which includes a section on use of the technologies in training, and has published extensively in such publications as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior and Personnel Psychology.
He has consulted with several companies, including Strategic Interactive and General Motors Assurance Corporation, on training and development issues.
He is an author of three texts in human resource management, including Employee Training and Development, which includes a section on use of the technologies in training, and has published extensively in such publications as the Journal of Applied Psychology, Academy of Management Review, Journal of Organizational Behavior and Personnel Psychology.
He has consulted with several companies, including Strategic Interactive and General Motors Assurance Corporation, on training and development issues.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 6, 2022
I can’t believe I assigned this book to a class. I can’t believe I read this book. I can’t believe I have a degree in Human Resource Management. I can’t believe there’s such a thing as Human Resource Management.
November 24, 2011
Effective management of HR can form a strong foundation of high performance work system
May 3, 2021
It's a text book lol but pretty decent
Read
February 13, 2022Fundamentals of Human Resource Management ...
The book was written to educate, inspire and motivate for change of activity/activities, approach, and above all, mindsets.
Engaging, Focused, and Applied Content...
Stereotypes and prejudices are removed and destroyed when I only think about so many stories about the cruelty of American entrepreneurship where workers and their rights are not valuated and protected, investigated in cases of violation, and legally persecuted in cases of severe damage.
Mutual obligations and rights, in relation to Organization - Employees are arranged with even wider and strict rules within legal framework than in countries of the European Union not to mention exercised longer with many improvements with the growth of democracy and Society in the United States of America.
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management with 16 chapters cover a topic which is most important: Human Capital, priceless and due to that fact not possible to evaluate and find a place in balance statements as intangible assets.
Summary:
Chapter 1: Managing Human Resources
*Definition of human resource management, and explanation of how HRM contributes to an organization’s performance.
Human resource management consists of an organization’s “people practices”—the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behavior, attitudes, and performance.
HRM influences who works for the organization and how those people work.
These human resources, if well managed, have the potential to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage, contributing to basic objectives such as quality, profits, and customer satisfaction.
*Identification of the responsibilities of human resource departments.
By carrying out HR activities or supporting line management, HR departments have the responsibility for a variety of functions related to acquiring and managing employees.
The HRM process begins with analyzing and designing jobs, then recruiting and selecting employees to fill those jobs.
Training and development equip employees to carry out their present jobs and follow a career path in the organization.
Performance management ensures that employees’ activities and outputs match the organization’s goals.
Human resource departments also plan and administer the organization’s pay and benefits. They carry out activities in support of employee relations, such as communications programs and
collective bargaining.
Conducting all these activities involves the establishment and administration of personnel policies. Management also depends on human resource professionals for help in ensuring compliance with labor laws, as well as for support for the organization’s strategy—for example, human
resource planning and change management.
*Summary of the types of skills needed for human resource management.
Human resource management requires substantial human relations skills, including skills in communicating, negotiating, and team development.
Human resource professionals also need decision-making skills based on knowledge of the HR field as well as the organization’s line of business.
Leadership skills are necessary, especially for managing conflict and change.
Technical skills of human resource professionals include knowledge of current techniques, applicable laws, and computer systems.
*Explanation of the role of supervisors in human resource management.
Although many organizations have human resource departments, non-HR managers must be
familiar with the basics of HRM and their own role with regard to managing human resources. Supervisors typically have responsibilities related to all the HR functions.
Supervisors help analyze work, interview job candidates, participate in the selection decisions, provide training, conduct performance appraisals, and recommend pay increases.
On a day-to-day basis, supervisors represent the company to their employees, so they also play an important role in employee relations.
*Discussion on ethical issues in human resource management.
Like all managers and employees, HR professionals should make decisions consistent with sound ethical principles. Their decisions should result in the greatest good for the largest number of people; respect basic rights of privacy, due process, consent, and free speech; and treat employees and customers equitably and fairly.
Some areas in which ethical issues arise include concerns about employee privacy, protection of employee safety, and fairness in employment practices (for example, avoiding discrimination).
*Description of typical careers in human resource management.
Careers in human resource management may involve specialized work in fields such as recruiting, training, or labor relations.
HR professionals may also be generalists, performing the full range of HR activities described in this chapter.
People in these positions usually have a college degree in business or the social sciences.
Human resource management means enhancing communication with employees and concern for their well-being, but it also involves a great deal of paperwork and a variety of non-people skills, as well as knowledge of business and laws.
Chapter 2: Trends in Human Resource Management
*Description of trends in the labor force composition and how they affect human resource
management.
An organization’s internal labor force comes from its external labor market—individuals who are
actively seeking employment.
In the United States, this labor market is aging and becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. The share of women in the U.S. workforce has grown to nearly half of the total.
To compete for talent, organizations must be flexible enough to meet the needs of older workers, possibly redesigning jobs.
Organizations must recruit from a diverse population, establish bias-free HR systems, and help employees understand and appreciate cultural differences.
Organizations also need employees with skills in decision making, customer service, and
teamwork, as well as technical skills.
The competition for such talent is intense.
Organizations facing a skills shortage often hire employees who lack certain skills, then train them for their jobs.
*Summary of areas in which human resource management can support the goal of creating a high-performance work system.
HRM can help organizations find and keep the best possible fit between their social system and technical system.
Organizations need employees with broad skills and strong motivation.
Recruiting and selection decisions are especially important for organizations that rely on knowledge workers.
Job design and appropriate systems for assessment and rewards have a central role in supporting employee empowerment and teamwork.
*Definition of employee empowerment, and explanation of its role in the modern organization.
Employee empowerment means giving employees responsibility and authority to make decisions
regarding all aspects of product development or customer service.
The organization holds employees accountable for products and services, and in exchange, the employees share in the rewards (or losses) that result.
Selection decisions should provide to the organization people who have the necessary decision-making and interpersonal skills.
HRM must design jobs to give employees latitude for decision making and train employees to handle their broad responsibilities.
Feedback and rewards must be appropriate for the work of empowered employees.
HRM can also play a role in giving employees access to the information they need.
*Identification of ways HR professionals can support organizational strategies for quality, growth, and efficiency.
HR professionals should be familiar with the organization’s strategy and may even play a role
in developing the strategy.
Specific HR practices vary according to the type of strategy.
Job design is essential for empowering employees to practice total quality management.
In organizations planning major changes such as a merger or acquisition, downsizing, or reengineering, HRM must provide leadership for managing the change in a way that includes skillful employee relations and meaningful rewards.
HR professionals can bring “people issues” to the attention of the managers leading these changes. They can provide training in conflict-resolution skills, as well as knowledge of the other organization involved in a merger or acquisition.
HR professionals also must resolve differences between the companies’ HR systems, such as benefits packages and performance appraisals.
For a downsizing, the HR department can help to develop voluntary programs to reduce the workforce or can help identify the least valuable employees to lay off.
Employee relations can help maintain the morale of employees who remain after a downsizing.
In reengineering, the HR department can lead in communicating with employees and providing training.
It will also have to prepare new approaches for recruiting and appraising employees that are better
suited to the reengineered jobs.
Outsourcing presents similar issues related to job design and employee selection.
*Summary of ways in which human resource management can support organizations expanding internationally.
Organizations with international operations hire employees in foreign countries where they operate, so they need knowledge of differences in culture and business practices.
Even small businesses discover that qualified candidates include immigrants because they account for a significant and growing share of the U.S. labor market.
HRM needs to understand and train employees to deal with differences in cultures.
HRM also must be able to help organizations select and prepare employees for overseas assignments.
To support efficiency and growth, HR staff can prepare companies for offshoring, in which operations are moved to lower-wage countries.
HR experts can help organizations determine whether workers in offshore locations can provide
the same or better skills, how offshoring will affect motivation and recruitment of employees needed in the United States, and whether managers are prepared to manage offshore employees.
*Discussion on how technological developments are affecting human resource management.
Information systems have become a tool for more HR professionals, and often these systems are provided through the Internet.
The widespread use of the Internet includes HRM applications.
Organizations search for talent globally using online job postings and by screening candidates online.
Organizations’ Web sites feature information directed toward potential employees.
Employees may receive training online.
At many companies, online information sharing enables employee self-service for many HR
needs, from application forms to training modules to information about the details of company policies and benefits.
Organizations can now structure work that involves collaboration among employees at different times and places.
In such situations, HR professionals must ensure that communications remain effective enough to detect and correct problems when they arise.
*Explanation on how the nature of the employment relationship is changing.
The employment relationship takes the form of a “psychological contract” that describes what
employees and employers expect from the employment relationship. It includes unspoken expectations that are widely held. In the traditional version, organizations expected their employees to contribute time, effort, skills, abilities, and loyalty in exchange for job security and opportunities for promotion.
Today, modern organizations’ needs are constantly changing, so organizations are requiring
top performance and longer work hours but cannot provide job security. Instead, employees are looking for flexible work schedules, comfortable working conditions, greater autonomy, opportunities for training and development, and performance-related financial incentives.
For HRM, the changes require planning for flexible staffing levels.
*Discussion on how the need for flexibility affects human resource management.
Organizations seek flexibility in staffing levels through alternatives to the traditional employment
relationship.
They may use outsourcing as well as temporary and contract workers.
The use of such workers can affect job design and also the motivation of the organization’s permanent employees.
Organizations also may seek flexible work schedules, including shortened work weeks. They may
offer flexible schedules as a way for employees to adjust work hours to meet personal and family
needs.
Organizations also may move employees to different jobs to meet changes in demand.
Chapter 3: Providing Equal Employment Opportunity and a Safe Workplace
Chapter 4: Analyzing Work and Designing Jobs
Chapter 5: Planning for and Recruiting Human Resource
Chapter 6: Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs
Chapter 7: Training Employees
Chapter 8: Managing Employees’ Performance
Chapter 9: Developing Employees for Future Success
Chapter 10: Separating and Retaining Employees
Chapter 11: Establishing a Pay Structure
Chapter 12: Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay
Chapter 13: Providing Employee Benefits
Chapter 14: Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations
Chapter 15: Managing Human Resources Globally
Chapter 16: Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Organizations
Recommended Reading and Material for Studying ...
...so it could be applied and exercised anyplace around the Globe!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/teaser...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/teaser...
The book was written to educate, inspire and motivate for change of activity/activities, approach, and above all, mindsets.
Engaging, Focused, and Applied Content...
Stereotypes and prejudices are removed and destroyed when I only think about so many stories about the cruelty of American entrepreneurship where workers and their rights are not valuated and protected, investigated in cases of violation, and legally persecuted in cases of severe damage.
Mutual obligations and rights, in relation to Organization - Employees are arranged with even wider and strict rules within legal framework than in countries of the European Union not to mention exercised longer with many improvements with the growth of democracy and Society in the United States of America.
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management with 16 chapters cover a topic which is most important: Human Capital, priceless and due to that fact not possible to evaluate and find a place in balance statements as intangible assets.
Summary:
Chapter 1: Managing Human Resources
*Definition of human resource management, and explanation of how HRM contributes to an organization’s performance.
Human resource management consists of an organization’s “people practices”—the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behavior, attitudes, and performance.
HRM influences who works for the organization and how those people work.
These human resources, if well managed, have the potential to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage, contributing to basic objectives such as quality, profits, and customer satisfaction.
*Identification of the responsibilities of human resource departments.
By carrying out HR activities or supporting line management, HR departments have the responsibility for a variety of functions related to acquiring and managing employees.
The HRM process begins with analyzing and designing jobs, then recruiting and selecting employees to fill those jobs.
Training and development equip employees to carry out their present jobs and follow a career path in the organization.
Performance management ensures that employees’ activities and outputs match the organization’s goals.
Human resource departments also plan and administer the organization’s pay and benefits. They carry out activities in support of employee relations, such as communications programs and
collective bargaining.
Conducting all these activities involves the establishment and administration of personnel policies. Management also depends on human resource professionals for help in ensuring compliance with labor laws, as well as for support for the organization’s strategy—for example, human
resource planning and change management.
*Summary of the types of skills needed for human resource management.
Human resource management requires substantial human relations skills, including skills in communicating, negotiating, and team development.
Human resource professionals also need decision-making skills based on knowledge of the HR field as well as the organization’s line of business.
Leadership skills are necessary, especially for managing conflict and change.
Technical skills of human resource professionals include knowledge of current techniques, applicable laws, and computer systems.
*Explanation of the role of supervisors in human resource management.
Although many organizations have human resource departments, non-HR managers must be
familiar with the basics of HRM and their own role with regard to managing human resources. Supervisors typically have responsibilities related to all the HR functions.
Supervisors help analyze work, interview job candidates, participate in the selection decisions, provide training, conduct performance appraisals, and recommend pay increases.
On a day-to-day basis, supervisors represent the company to their employees, so they also play an important role in employee relations.
*Discussion on ethical issues in human resource management.
Like all managers and employees, HR professionals should make decisions consistent with sound ethical principles. Their decisions should result in the greatest good for the largest number of people; respect basic rights of privacy, due process, consent, and free speech; and treat employees and customers equitably and fairly.
Some areas in which ethical issues arise include concerns about employee privacy, protection of employee safety, and fairness in employment practices (for example, avoiding discrimination).
*Description of typical careers in human resource management.
Careers in human resource management may involve specialized work in fields such as recruiting, training, or labor relations.
HR professionals may also be generalists, performing the full range of HR activities described in this chapter.
People in these positions usually have a college degree in business or the social sciences.
Human resource management means enhancing communication with employees and concern for their well-being, but it also involves a great deal of paperwork and a variety of non-people skills, as well as knowledge of business and laws.
Chapter 2: Trends in Human Resource Management
*Description of trends in the labor force composition and how they affect human resource
management.
An organization’s internal labor force comes from its external labor market—individuals who are
actively seeking employment.
In the United States, this labor market is aging and becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. The share of women in the U.S. workforce has grown to nearly half of the total.
To compete for talent, organizations must be flexible enough to meet the needs of older workers, possibly redesigning jobs.
Organizations must recruit from a diverse population, establish bias-free HR systems, and help employees understand and appreciate cultural differences.
Organizations also need employees with skills in decision making, customer service, and
teamwork, as well as technical skills.
The competition for such talent is intense.
Organizations facing a skills shortage often hire employees who lack certain skills, then train them for their jobs.
*Summary of areas in which human resource management can support the goal of creating a high-performance work system.
HRM can help organizations find and keep the best possible fit between their social system and technical system.
Organizations need employees with broad skills and strong motivation.
Recruiting and selection decisions are especially important for organizations that rely on knowledge workers.
Job design and appropriate systems for assessment and rewards have a central role in supporting employee empowerment and teamwork.
*Definition of employee empowerment, and explanation of its role in the modern organization.
Employee empowerment means giving employees responsibility and authority to make decisions
regarding all aspects of product development or customer service.
The organization holds employees accountable for products and services, and in exchange, the employees share in the rewards (or losses) that result.
Selection decisions should provide to the organization people who have the necessary decision-making and interpersonal skills.
HRM must design jobs to give employees latitude for decision making and train employees to handle their broad responsibilities.
Feedback and rewards must be appropriate for the work of empowered employees.
HRM can also play a role in giving employees access to the information they need.
*Identification of ways HR professionals can support organizational strategies for quality, growth, and efficiency.
HR professionals should be familiar with the organization’s strategy and may even play a role
in developing the strategy.
Specific HR practices vary according to the type of strategy.
Job design is essential for empowering employees to practice total quality management.
In organizations planning major changes such as a merger or acquisition, downsizing, or reengineering, HRM must provide leadership for managing the change in a way that includes skillful employee relations and meaningful rewards.
HR professionals can bring “people issues” to the attention of the managers leading these changes. They can provide training in conflict-resolution skills, as well as knowledge of the other organization involved in a merger or acquisition.
HR professionals also must resolve differences between the companies’ HR systems, such as benefits packages and performance appraisals.
For a downsizing, the HR department can help to develop voluntary programs to reduce the workforce or can help identify the least valuable employees to lay off.
Employee relations can help maintain the morale of employees who remain after a downsizing.
In reengineering, the HR department can lead in communicating with employees and providing training.
It will also have to prepare new approaches for recruiting and appraising employees that are better
suited to the reengineered jobs.
Outsourcing presents similar issues related to job design and employee selection.
*Summary of ways in which human resource management can support organizations expanding internationally.
Organizations with international operations hire employees in foreign countries where they operate, so they need knowledge of differences in culture and business practices.
Even small businesses discover that qualified candidates include immigrants because they account for a significant and growing share of the U.S. labor market.
HRM needs to understand and train employees to deal with differences in cultures.
HRM also must be able to help organizations select and prepare employees for overseas assignments.
To support efficiency and growth, HR staff can prepare companies for offshoring, in which operations are moved to lower-wage countries.
HR experts can help organizations determine whether workers in offshore locations can provide
the same or better skills, how offshoring will affect motivation and recruitment of employees needed in the United States, and whether managers are prepared to manage offshore employees.
*Discussion on how technological developments are affecting human resource management.
Information systems have become a tool for more HR professionals, and often these systems are provided through the Internet.
The widespread use of the Internet includes HRM applications.
Organizations search for talent globally using online job postings and by screening candidates online.
Organizations’ Web sites feature information directed toward potential employees.
Employees may receive training online.
At many companies, online information sharing enables employee self-service for many HR
needs, from application forms to training modules to information about the details of company policies and benefits.
Organizations can now structure work that involves collaboration among employees at different times and places.
In such situations, HR professionals must ensure that communications remain effective enough to detect and correct problems when they arise.
*Explanation on how the nature of the employment relationship is changing.
The employment relationship takes the form of a “psychological contract” that describes what
employees and employers expect from the employment relationship. It includes unspoken expectations that are widely held. In the traditional version, organizations expected their employees to contribute time, effort, skills, abilities, and loyalty in exchange for job security and opportunities for promotion.
Today, modern organizations’ needs are constantly changing, so organizations are requiring
top performance and longer work hours but cannot provide job security. Instead, employees are looking for flexible work schedules, comfortable working conditions, greater autonomy, opportunities for training and development, and performance-related financial incentives.
For HRM, the changes require planning for flexible staffing levels.
*Discussion on how the need for flexibility affects human resource management.
Organizations seek flexibility in staffing levels through alternatives to the traditional employment
relationship.
They may use outsourcing as well as temporary and contract workers.
The use of such workers can affect job design and also the motivation of the organization’s permanent employees.
Organizations also may seek flexible work schedules, including shortened work weeks. They may
offer flexible schedules as a way for employees to adjust work hours to meet personal and family
needs.
Organizations also may move employees to different jobs to meet changes in demand.
Chapter 3: Providing Equal Employment Opportunity and a Safe Workplace
Chapter 4: Analyzing Work and Designing Jobs
Chapter 5: Planning for and Recruiting Human Resource
Chapter 6: Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs
Chapter 7: Training Employees
Chapter 8: Managing Employees’ Performance
Chapter 9: Developing Employees for Future Success
Chapter 10: Separating and Retaining Employees
Chapter 11: Establishing a Pay Structure
Chapter 12: Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay
Chapter 13: Providing Employee Benefits
Chapter 14: Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations
Chapter 15: Managing Human Resources Globally
Chapter 16: Creating and Maintaining High-Performance Organizations
Recommended Reading and Material for Studying ...
...so it could be applied and exercised anyplace around the Globe!
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/teaser...
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/teaser...
Read
June 17, 2014nice
April 19, 2020
An adequate and informative textbook about HRM. Helped me a lot for my Master's.
May 26, 2021
This was a really good overview of basic HR practices, and since I did not study HR in college, this was a great way to understand a lot of the basics. It *is* a textbook, but it was well-written and was chock-full of really good examples from companies across industries. If you are new to HR, this would be a great place to start.
January 5, 2019
It's definitely a text book kinda of book. However, as complicated as Human Resources terminology and phrases can be to understand - this book is an easy read. The sections explained the concepts of management in a relatable way and I really enjoyed it.
October 7, 2022
Really 3.5 stars but it doesn't let me do that. Fairly recent with talk about Covid and how that has been changing certain things but definitely written for those who wish to keep the system running as it is with workers being resources to be taken care of.
April 28, 2018
Read this textbook for my HR class. A good overview of the mechanics, duties and skills of HR professionals today.
December 15, 2020
The twists and turns of employee compensation, disciplinary procedures, and labor relations really kept me on the edge of my seat, but the ending was pretty predictable.
May 28, 2022
read about 60% then lost interest in class/topic
December 17, 2025
Skimmed, did not finish.
November 19, 2025
Pretty good textbook honestly.
My favorite quote: "Conditions that contribute to high performance: Ethical behavior is encouraged"
My favorite quote: "Conditions that contribute to high performance: Ethical behavior is encouraged"
December 13, 2016
If you want to know about HRM - this is your book. EVERYTHING you want to know about HRM is in it. However, the class was Personnel Psychology and Leadership - not what I was expecting or wanting to read about. FRUSTRATING!
September 22, 2011
One reference book in the course Psychology of Human Resources at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Indonesia
October 8, 2011
Salah satu buku rujukan dalam mata kuliah Psikologi Sumber Daya Manusia di Fakultas Psikologi Universitas Indonesia
Read
April 14, 2015college
Read
January 8, 2013Want to read
Read
January 5, 2018Very good read for Managing HR. Keeps you engaged and focused. Covers all functions of HR.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews