This website should be useful to anyone interested in HRM but it is also
an electronic companion to the book: Human Resource Management in a Business Context.
The book is used as a basic textbook for part-time and distance-learning courses in a
number of countries throughout the world. Pages 142-143 (page 63 in the 1st edition) of
the book include 6 review questions focusing on the issues discussed in this section. The
questions are not shown here (you need the book) The following hints and signposts are
provided to help readers without regular tutor contact answer the questions for themselves.
General notes One of the best ways of starting any answer is to
define the key terms in the question. This is helpful to you and to anyone who reads your
answer. It is worth remembering also that - legislative aspects excepted - HRM is very much
a matter of opinion. It is often useful to deal with questions by forming an argument which
presents two or more contrasting viewpoints. You could do this by investigating the views
of different theorists, comparing alternative models, or contrasting practice in one
organization (or country) with another.
Try to avoid a one-sided answer, even if it draws on your own experience
and you are totally convinced that you are right. Finish off your answer by summarizing
the keypoints of each point of view and give your balanced opinion. This should be based
clearly on the weight of evidence. Be sure to ground your answer in research evidence or
views expressed in the literature (books, journals, etc.).
Dealing with individual questions on pages 142-143 (63 in the 1st edition)
1. Review the earlier parts of this chapter. This is a good opportunity to test your ability to argue one side of the case
and then the other. Finish with your reasoned conclusions. It allows you to review some of
the answers you provided for the discussion about hard and soft HRM in the light of the material
you have just read on the business environment. Remember that even if you have strong views one
way or the other, you need to provide a balanced treatment.
Firstly, you can debate the degree of control (or ability to predict) which organizations can
have regarding environmental factors. They are not totally at the mercy of the or and the biggest have
considerable influence within their market sectors. Secondly, tend to be cyclical so there is merit in sitting out the bad times and continuing with plans for the future. On the other hand, organizations need to be alert because market
conditions, consumer demand and technology change quickly. So long-term strategies (and employees)
need to be flexible and constantly reviewed. These issues are further debated in the section on
.
2. is defined on page 122 (page 56 in the 1st edition) . The question asks you to give a short
definition in your own words. Read the section and pick out the main points as
you see them. Then try to present these in a paragraph of just a few sentences.
The second part of the question partly requires speculation and partly research. Try to find
information on relevant components of human capital such as training figures. You can find several government sources on
the pages which provide this kind of
information.
3. The background material for this question is found on pages
94 (page 37, 1st edition) onwards. There is a specific reference on page 96 (page 41, 1st edition) under . The question is a 'scene-setter' for the remainder of the course. In other
words you can approach this question in a variety of ways which anticipate many issues which are
tackled in later parts of the book. You might start by brainstorming possible consequences and
problems of setting up branches of an organization in 3 different cultura, geographic or economic
areas of the world.
So, for example, you might think of recruitment and selection problems, such as availability
of skills and other employability aspects. Organizational issues include: communicating and
controlling at a distance, power relations - where and how is control located and applied -
the organization of the HR function. Cultural aspects include: relationships between managers
and subordinates, 'in-groups' that may expect an unfair degree of representation and authority,
national industrial traditions. There are legal aspects which may vary dramatically between
different countries - this may govern the choice of the countries within each group which are
most compatible. Very much an open-ended question which helps you think about the complex
inter-relationships within which HRM operates.
4. These terms are discussed on page 133 (48-51 in the first
edition) and also under . Read these pages carefully and make notes
of the key points. They include a discussion on the paradoxical situation in which we find that
HRM has emerged from free market countries which have been heavily criticised for short-term
thinking. Yet the philosophy of HRM is based on notions of developing and valuing employees in
the long term. (Remember that we are using the term HRM to signify a distinct set of ideas -
rather than an alternative label for personnel management). Yet, at face value we might have
expected HRM to come from the social market concept with which it shares so many values. Why is
this so? Perhaps HRM has emerged as a counter to the deficiencies of the free market approach?
You might have observed that HRM arrived on the scene when were trying to understand why Japanese firms had become so competitive
(1970s/1980s). The traditional Japanese approach to people management also has a long-term
orientation.
In terms of , you may have concluded that hard HRM is closer in its
philosophy to free market thinking - more hiring and firing, cost-cutting, etc; soft HRM can be
related to social market attitudes - long-term thinking, consultation, development within
organizations in preference to importing talent from outside.
5. You could treat this question in a number of ways. One
approach would be to compare what we can learn by studying different countries' people
management methods with what that which can be achieved by focusing on just our own country.
It is obvious that studying different countries is more difficult, because of language and
cultural differences, lack of familiarity with them, access to information and so on.
International HRM is a specific topic of study with an increasing range of research and
literature available but it remains easier to concentrate on one's own country. So, comparative
HRM is likely to be unbalanced in coverage and may perpetuate inherent misunderstandings
whereas one-country studies can be more systematic and detailed.
However, on the other side of the equation, International HRM can bring more surprises,
offer a wider framework of understanding, and give insights into the management systems of
overseas competitors. We are in a global market and the outside world can not be ignored.
6. Question number 6 is different in the two editions. The basic material
for the question can be found in pages 133 and onwards in the 2nd edition. See pages 51-54 and 60-62
for the question in the 1st edition. Also see for both.
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HRM Guide Network