A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice ^{8^th Ed.}

Publisher: Kogan Page, 2003, 981 pages

ISBN: 0-7494-3393-0

Keywords: Knowledge Management, Human Resources

Last modified: Nov. 3, 2009, 5:50 p.m.

Synopsis

This eight edition of the best-selling Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice has been fully updated to take acount of the latest developments in HRM.

Detailing every aspect of human resource management, this comprehensive handbook considers the function in relation to the needs of the business as a whole. Recognizing HRM as a strategic process, Michael Armstrong offers clear, practical advice on how companies can maximize the effectiveness of the HRM function and ensure that it makes a major contribution to organizational success.

Covering a wide range of topics, this new edition is packed with all the essential information on HRM theory and best practice, and offers a fresh view of areas such as:

strategic HRM
the role of the HR function and practitioner
international HRM
the employment relationship
motivation and culture
organizational culture and development
recruitment and selection
psychological testing
learning and development
performance management
reward management
health, safety and welfare
employment and HR services

The Handbook is an essential guide for students taking a Master's degree in HRM as well as CIPD students. This edition features considerable revisions to areas such as:

intellectual capital theory
recruitment on the Internet
computerized HR data systems
emotional intelligence
contingent pay and pay structure (including the CIPD research)

Part I: The Foundations of Human Resource Management
1. Human resource management
  - Human resource management defined
  - Aims of HRM
  - Versions of HRM
  - The development of the HRM concept
  - Models of HRM
  - Further development in the concept of HRM
  - Assimilation of HRM
  - reservations about HRM
  - HRM and personnel management
  - Reactions to HRM
  - Key HRM activities
  - HRM in context
  - Conclusions
2. Strategic human resource management
  - Strategic HRM defined
  - Aims of strategic HRM
  - The rationale for strategic HRM
  - Resource-based strategic HRM
  - Approaches to strategic HRM
  - Limitations to the concept of strategic HRM
  - Formulating HR strategies
  - Implementing HR strategies
3. Intellectual capital: the theory and its practical implications
  - Intellectual capital defined
  - The significance of intellectual capital
  - Human capital
  - Social capital
  - Organizational capital
  - Practical implications of intellectual capital theory
  - Human capital theory and HR practices
  - Practical implications of social capital theory
  - Practical implications of organizational capital theory
  - Conclusions
Part II: The Practice of Human Resource Management
1. Role of the HR function
  - Overall role of the HR function
  - Variations in the role of the HR function
  - Changes in the scope of the function
  - Integrating the HR contribution
  - Organizing the HR function
  - Shared HR services
  - The respective roles of HR and line management
  - Marketing the HR function
  - Preparing, justifying and protecting the HR budget
  - Outsourcing HR work
  - Using management consultants
2. Role of the HR practitioner
  - What is expected from HR professionals
  - Activities
  - Gaining support and commitment
  - Roles
  - Models of HR management roles
  - Ambiguities in the role of HR practitioners
  - Conflict in the HR contribution
  - Ethical considerations
  - Professionalism in the human resource management
  - Competence in HR management
  - HR professionals as 'thinking performers'
3. The contribution of the HR function
  - Contribution to added value
  - Contribution to competitive advantage
  - The impact of HRM on business performance
4. Evaluating the HR function
  - Approaches to evaluation
  - Overall methods of evaluation
  - Types of performance measures
  - Evaluation criteria
  - Practical methods of evaluation
  - Preferred approach
  - Auditing the HR function
5. International human resource management
  - International human resource management defined
  - The challenge of international human resource management
  - Characteristics of international human resource management
  - The context of international human resource management
  - HR policies
  - Employment policies
  - Recruitment and selection
  - Career planning
  - International employee development
  - Managing expatriates
  - Realistic previews
Part III: Organizational Behaviour
1. Characteristics of people
  - Individual differences
  - Attitudes
  - Influences on behaviour at work
  - Attribution theory — how we make judgements about people
  - Orientation to work
  - Roles
  - Implications for HR specialists
2. Motivation
  - The process of motivation
  - Types of motivation
  - Motivation theory
  - Instrumentality theory
  - Content (needs) theory
  - Process theory
  - Herzberg's two-factor model
  - Summary of motivation theories
  - The relationship between motivation and performance
  - Motivation and money
  - Motivation strategies
3. Commitment
  - The meaning of commitment
  - The significance of commitment
  - Problems with the concept of commitment
  - Commitment and mutuality
  - Developing a commitment strategy
  - The contribution of HR to developing commitment
4. How organizations function
  - Basic considerations
  - Organization theories
  - Organization structure
  - Types of organization
  - Organizational processes
5. Organizational culture
  - Definitions
  - The significance of culture
  - How organizational culture develops
  - The diversity of culture
  - The components of culture
  - Classifying organizational culture
  - Assessing organizational culture
  - Measuring organizational climate
  - Appropriate cultures
  - Supporting and changing cultures
Part IV: Work and Employment
1. The nature of work
  - What is work?
  - Theories about work
  - Organizational factors affecting work
  - Changing patterns of work
  - Unemployement
  - Career expectations
  - Attitudes to work
2. The employment relationship
  - The employment relationship defined
  - Nature of the employment relationship
  - Basis of the employment relationship
  - Defining the employment relationship
  - Significance of the employment relationship concept
  - Changes in the employment relationship
  - Managing the employment relationship
  - Trust and the employment relationship
3. The psychological contract
  - The psychological contract defined
  - The significance of the psychological contract
  - The nature of the psychological contract
  - The changing nature of the psychological contract
  - The state of the psychological contract
  - How psychological contracts develop
  - Developing and maintaining a positive psychological contract
Part V: Organization, Jobs and Roles
1. Organization design
  - The process of organizing
  - Aim
  - Conducting organization reviews
  - Organization analysis
  - Organization diagnosis
  - Organization planning
  - Who does the work?
2. Organizational development, change and transformation
  - What is organizational development?
  - Organizational development
  - Change management
  - Organizational transformation
  - Development and change process
3. Job and role design
  - Jobs and roles
  - Factors affecting job design
  - Job design
  - Job enrichment
  - Self-managing teams
  - High-performance work design
  - Role building
Part VI: Human Resource Management Processes
1. HRM policies
  - What are HR policies?
  - Why have HR policies?
  - Do policies need to be formalized?
  - HR policy areas
  - Formulating or revising policies
2. Competency-related human resource management
  - The concepts of competency and competence
  - The constituents of competency
  - Types of competencies
  - Describing competencies
  - Using the concept
  - Emotional intelligence
3. Knowledge management
  - Knowledge management defined
  - The concept of knowledge
  - Types of knowledge
  - The purpose and significance of knowledge management
  - Approaches to knowledge management
  - Knowledge management issues
  - The contribution of HR to knowledge management
4. Analysing and describing jobs and roles
  - Definitions
  - Job analysis
  - Role analysis
  - Skills analysis
  - Competence analysis
  - Job descriptions
  - Role profiles
Part VII: Employee Resourcing
- Employee resourcing defined
- Employee resourcing and HRM
- Plan
1. Human resource planning
  - The role of human resource planning
  - Aims of human resource planning
  - The process of human resource planning
  - Resourcing strategy
  - Scenario planning
  - Estimating future human resource requirements
  - Labour turnover
  - Action planning
  - The contribution of HR to human resource planning
2. Recruitment and selection
  - The recruitment and selection process
  - Defining requirements
  - Attracting candidates
  - Advertising
  - Internet recruiting
  - Outsourcing recruitment
  - Educational and training establishments
  - Sifting applications
  - Selection methods
  - Types of interviews
  - Assessment centres
  - Graphology
  - Choice of selection methods
  - Improving the effectiveness of recruitment and selection
  - References, qualifications and offers
  - Final stages
3. Selection interviewing
  - Purpose
  - Advantages and disadvantages of interviews
  - The nature of an interview
  - Interviewing arrangements
  - Preparation
  - Timing
  - Planning and structuring interviews
  - Interviewing approaches
  - Interview techniques — starting and finishing
  - Interview techniques — asking questions
  - Selection interviewing skills
  - Coming to a conclusion
  - Dos and Don'ts of selection interviewing
4. Selection tests
  - Psychological tests: definition
  - Purpose of psychological tests
  - Characteristics of a good test
  - Types of test
  - Interpreting test results
  - Choosing tests
  - The use of tests in a selection procedure
5. Introduction to the organization
  - Induction defined
  - Why talking about induction is important
  - Reception
  - Documentation
  - Company induction — initial briefing
  - Introduction to the workplace
  - Formal induction courses
  - On-the-job induction training
6. Release from the organization
  - General considerations
  - Redundancy
  - Outplacement
  - Dismissal
  - Voluntary leavers
  - Retirement
Part VIII: Performance Management
1. The basis of performance management
  - Performance management defined
  - Purpose of performance management
  - Principles of performance management
  - Concerns of performance management
  - Ethical considerations
  - The scope of performance management
  - Background to performance management
  - The process of performance management
  - Conclusion
2. Performance management processes
  - Key activities
  - Role profile
  - Performance agreements
  - Managing performance throughout the year
  - Performance reviews
  - Guidelines for the meeting
  - Performance rating
  - Documentation
  - Introducing performance management
  - Monitoring and evaluating performance management
3. 360-degree feedback
  - 360-degree feedback defined
  - Use of 360-degree feedback
  - Rationale for 360-degree feedback
  - 360-degree feedback — methodology
  - Development and implementation
  - 360-degree feedback — advantages and disadvantages
  - 360-degree feedback — criteria for success
Part IX: Human Resource Development
1. Strategic human resource development
  - Strategic HRD defined
  - Strategic HRD aims
  - HRD and HRM
  - Elements of HRD
  - Human resource development philosophy
2. Organizational learning and the learning organization
  - Organizational learning
  - The learning organization
3. How people learn
  - The nature of learning
  - How learning takes place
  - Requirements for effective learning
  - Informal learning
  - Workplace learning
  - Continuous learning and development
  - Self-managed learning
4. Training
  - Definition
  - Aim
  - Benefits
  - Understanding training
  - Training philosophy
  - The process of training
  - Identifying learning and training needs
  - Planning training programmes
  - Training techniques
  - Conducting training programmes
  - Meeting the training needs of special groups
  - Responsibility for training
  - Evaluating training
5. Personal development planning
  - Defined
  - Purpose
  - Focus
  - Personal development planning — the overall process
  - Identifying development needs and wants
  - Identifying the means of satisfying needs
  - Action planning
  - Responsibility for personal development planning
  - Introducing personal development planning
6. Management development
  - Aims of management development
  - Impact of management development
  - The nature and elements of management development
  - Management development activities
  - Approaches to management development
  - Emotional intelligence and leadership qualities
  - Responsibility for management development
7. Career management: management succession and career planning
  - Definitions
  - Overall aims
  - The process of career management
  - Career management policies
  - Demand and supply forecasts
  - Succession planning
  - Performance and potential assessment
  - Recruitment
  - Career planning
Part X: Reward Management
1. Reward management systems
  - Introduction
  - The reward management system
  - Components of a reward system
  - The elements of reward management
  - General factors determining pay levels
  - Economic factors affecting pay levels
  - Aims of reward management — the organization's requirements
  - Reward aims from the employee's point of view
  - Achieving the aims
  - Reward strategy
  - Reward policy
  - Developments in reward management
2. Job evaluation
  - Job evaluation — definition and purpose
  - The key features of job evaluation
  - Basic methodology
  - Job evaluation schemes
  - Job ranking
  - Job classification
  - Internal benchmarking
  - Point-factor rating
  - Skill-based evaluation
  - Competence-based evaluation
  - Market pricing
  - Pros and cons of formal job-centered evaluation
  - Is job evaluation necessary?
  - Introducing job evaluation
  - Developing a point-factor scheme
  - Conducting the job evaluation exercise
  - Equal value
3. Market rate analysis
  - Purpose
  - The concept of the market rate
  - The information required
  - Job matching
  - Presentation of data
  - Sources of information
4. Pay structures
  - Definition
  - Rationale for pay structures
  - Criteria for pay structures
  - Types of pay structures
  - Choice of structure
  - Pay structures for manual workers
  - Integrated pay structures
  - Rate for age scales
5. Contingent pay: paying for performance, competence, skill and contribution
  - Contingent pay defined
  - The rationale for contingent pay
  - Contingent pay strategy
  - Criteria for contingent pay
  - Performance-related pay
  - Competence-related pay
  - Skill-based pay
  - Contribution-related pay
  - Team-based pay
  - Shop-floor incentive schemes
  - Organization-wide schemes
  - Choice of approach
6. Rewarding special groups: directors, expatriates and sales representatives
  - Rewarding directors and senior executives
  - Expatriate pay
  - Sales staff
7. Employee benefits, pensions and allowances
  - Employee benefits
  - Occupational pension schemes
  - Allowances and other payments to employees
8. Managing reward systems
  - Reward budgets and forecasts
  - Evaluating the reward system
  - Pay reviews
  - Control
  - Reward procedures
  - Responsibility for reward
  - Communicating to employees
Part XI: Employee Relations
- Employee relations defined
- Plan
1. The framework of employee relations
  - The elements of employee relations
  - Industrial relations as a system of rules
  - Types of regulations and rules
  - Collective bargaining
  - The unitary and pluralist views
  - The reconciliation of interests
  - Individualism and collectivism
  - Voluntarism and its decline
  - The HRM approach to employee relations
  - The context of industrial relations
  - Developments in industrial relations
  - The parties to industrial relations
  - Role of the HR function in employee relations
2. Employee relations processes
  - Employee relations policies
  - Employee relations strategies
  - Employee relations climate
  - Union recognition and derecognition
  - Collective bargaining arrangements
  - Informal employee relations processes
  - Other features of the industrial relations scene
  - Managing with trade unions
  - Managing without trade unions
3. Negotiating and bargaining
  - The nature of negotiating and bargaining
  - Negotiations
  - Negotiating and bargaining skills
4. Involvement and participation
  - Definitions
  - Aims of employee involvement and participation
  - Forms of employee involvement and participation
  - Varieties of employee involvement and participation
  - Attitude surveys
  - Quality circles
  - Suggestion schemes
  - Joint consultation
  - Works council
  - Worker directors
  - Incidence of involvement and participation
  - Requirements for successful employee involvement and participation
  - Planning for involvement and participation
5. Communications
  - Communication areas and objectives
  - Communications stragey
  - Communications systems
Part XII: Health, Safety and Welfare
1. Health and safety
  - Managing health and safety at work
  - The importancee of health and safety in the workplace
  - Health and safety policies
  - Conducting risk assessments
  - Health and safety audits
  - Safety inspections
  - Occupational health programmes
  - Managing stress
  - Accident prevention
  - Measuring health and safety performance
  - Communicating the need for better health and safety practices
  - Health and safety training
  - Organizing health and safety
2. Welfare services
  - Why provide welfare services?
  - What sort of welfare services?
  - Individual services
  - Group welfare services
  - Provision of employee welfare services
  - Internal counselling services
  - Employee assistance programmes
Part XIII: Employment and HR Services
1. Employment practices
  - Terms and conditions and contracts of employment
  - Mobility clauses
  - Transfer practices
  - Promotion practices
  - Attendance management
  - Equal opportunity
  - Ethic monitoring
  - Managing diversity
  - The Data Protection Act
  - Age and employment
  - Sexual harassment
  - Smoking
  - Substance abuse at work
  - Bullying
  - AIDS
  - Dress codes
  - E-mails
2. HRM procedures
  - Grievance procedure
  - Disciplinary procedure
  - Capability procedure
  - Redundancy procedure
3. Computerized human resource information systems
  - What do computers do?
  - Benefits of a computerized human resource information system
  - HR information strategy
  - The functions of a computerized HR system
  - Rating of system features
  - An effective system
  - Problems and how to deal with them
  - Developing an information system
  - Examples of applications
  - Auditing the system
Appendices
- Appendix A: Training techniques
- Appendix B: Example of an attitude survey

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