Human resource management and Personnel management

Essay by dlmlyUniversity, Master'sC+, April 2004

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PART I: Introduction

The relationship between human resource management and personnel management has been arguing for many years. The strongest argument among all the advocates is whether human resource management is the same as personnel management only with another name or it is different concept.

Some debates are as follow:

Approval perspectiveCritical perspective

Guest: its capacity to satisfy some key propositions such as 'strategy integration', 'high commitment', 'high quality' and 'flexibility'.

Pettigrew and Hendry: HRM is characterized by its close alignment elements with business strategy.

Storey: developed a model that set out four areas for analysis: belief and assumptions; strategic aspects; line management; key levers as major determinants of HRM practice. Legge: The underling value of personnel management and HRM differ little, and that organizational constrains may well make a truly integrated HRM approach highly impractical.

Armstrong: financial orientation may well clash with HRM prescription.

Keenoy: being constructed around the highly ambiguous nature of the term.

Source: Ian Beardwell and Len Holden (2001:27-28) from human resource management

This paper will introduce some concepts of personnel management and HRM, and then will analyze the difference between them. We define personnel management in 4 models from different aspects. While defining HRM, we consider much about strategic integration and strong cultures. And the nature of HRM was described by 'soft' and 'hard' vision. I will also analyze the case of 'Traders Hotel" in China to show the importance of introducing HRM in practice. In addition, a brief introduction of strategic HRM will be extended as well.

Part II: The differences between personnel management and HRM

1.The concepts of personnel management and HRM

A.What is personnel management?

There are four main models for defining personnel management.

Normative model

Since management aims at effective result with people, personnel administration is a basic management function...