Human-capital

Although it has a long and rich history, HRD has emerged only recently as a distinct discipline and field of practice. This book provides an review and synthesis of how many fields (psychology, economics, systems theory, and others) have contributed to the development of HRD. In so doing it details how these fields, along with a growing body of research, have contributed to the development of the theoretical and philosophical foundations and HRDs emergence as a unique discipline. This is not a quick "how-to" book but rather a scholarly examination of the core beliefs, values, worldview, and principles that are the framework for HRD. It will be of primary interest to academics, scholars, and researchers. It also offers reflective practitioners the opportunity to re-examine the beliefs, values, and approaches that guide their work. The book is logically organized, well written, and replete with diagrams, models, and graphics that illustrate and clarify key concepts. Sure to become a classic text and reference, I highly recommend it to anyone who seeks to develop a deeper understanding of Human Resource Development.

I've waited 15 years for a training/HRD text to do what this text does: Give a total comprehensive view of the practice of human resource development. It's a must-have for every training professional's library.

"Many business leaders are realizing that", Mone and London write in their Preface "HR practitioners can offer much more to the enterprise than maintaining personnel transactions such as payroll, benefits, and compensation. As important as these functions are, executives and HR practitioners alike increasingly recognize the transformational nature of human resource development functions. Human resource development is a key component of successful organizational transformation. For example, HR personnel get involved in determining job requirements to make the business successful, in recruiting and hiring people who match the new and emerging skill demands, and in training these new employees and managers, as well as existing personnel to ensure they have to required knowledge and skills. Significant changes in how business is conducted entail concomitant changes in how employees are attracted, developed, maintained, and rewarded."

Thus, emphasis of this book can be summarized as is demonstrating how human resource development principles, strategies, and programs can ensure the requisite business transformations to meet significant business challenges facing corporate leaders and human resources professionals.

Through case studies written by contributors, HR professionals learn some major lessons such as :

* work collaboratively with senior management during periods of strategically driven change.

* recognize transformational change and its impact on the organization.

* ensure leaders are visible and engaged.

* build commitment to the change in other parts of the organization.

* form partnership between business managers, HR, and external consultants.

* be flexible when introducing a new process.

* focus on the end result, not the survey.

* include a communication phase before launching each initiative.

* involve the people in the organization who are most critical to the operating success of the initiative.

* establish uniform criteria for identifying high-potential people.

* reward the high-performers in the organization.

* use technology to support HR efforts.

* help people overcome their resistance to learning and using new technology.

* help CEO become the HR leader.

* recognize that changes takes time.

I highly recommend this invaluable study to all HR professionals.

HR is too often viewed as playing a strictly support role, often that of the majordomo or naysayer, in the drama of business, strategy and organization. But the ten case studies presented in this intriguing volume demonstrate how crucial HR can be to enterprise success! In these pages you will learn how practitioners have had a profound impact on their organizations. The cases detail specific ways in which HR has played a vital, strategic role. The editors provide a helpful set of diagnostic questions to aid in fathoming each case. Additionally, the key features of each case are highlighted in one-page tables that make the content further accessible. This book can infuse an HR practitioner with a new sense of purpose and resolve, and a renewed realization of the pivotal value of human resource management. Reviewed by Gerry Stern, founder, hrconsultant.com and Stern & Associates.

This is a marvelously creative and innovative look at the management and motivational needs of Gen X and Gen Y knowledge workers. Dr. Amar proposes a surprizing symbiotic management approach to encourage fullest potential outcomes while contributing to innovation.

The assessments presented are unique and thought-provoking.

This book inspired me to rethink and to modify my approach to teaching/learning at the graduate business school level.

A very interesting and well-written book. As an employee of a leading technology company, I found a lot to identify with in this book. A very useful reference for both managers and workers.

Turgay gets it right.

A few other observations...

It is very well written. Terse, no padding, well structured. You can get through it in an hour, cover to cover.

It is actionable. Everything discussed is straightforward to execute.

It is realistic. Fritz-Heinz and Phillips embrace HR politics.

It is ambitious. If you're taking care of ordinary HR administrivia without a sweat, this is your roadmap, a framework for getting you to the next level.

I like their ten measures of effectiveness:

10. Healthcare cost per employee.

9. Pay and benefits as a percentage of operating expense.

8. Cost per hire.

7. Return on training.

6. Turnover rate.

5. Turnover cost.

4. Time to fill jobs.

3. Return on human capital invested.

2. Human value added.

1. The one that means the most to your boss.

It's a pearl.

"In business we've stopped talking about personnel administration or even human resources management. Now we are dealing with the management of human capital...and human resources is right in the middle of it. It is no longer a cliche to say that people are the most important asset of an organization. People are the only dynamic asset. People are the causal force. Nothing happens without people. The human resources department's role is to help people be more effective in their work, as well as more satisfied. This effectiveness imperative is not measured in a flurry of programs. It is found in business results" (pp.1-2).

In this context, in Chapter VII, Jac Fitz-enz and Jack Phillips write that "As companies adjust to the new forces of the twenty-first century, HR has to find a basic model for staying in alignment with its customers. In times of great flux and uncertainty, the best approach is usually the simplest and closest to bedrock management. Basically, the human resources function has five responsibilities: planning, staffing, paying, developing and retaining human capital." Thus, in order to reveal interdependence among these functions, they introduce the HR Star model as following:

1. Workforce Planning- WFP is making a comeback. No matter what size your organization is, you have to look ahead to your future skills profile. If you devote a reasonable amount of time to planning, you will have it returned in reduced hiring time and cost, lower training costs of new employees, and probably higher productivity through a more stable and motivated workforce.

2. Staffing- Hiring during periods of sustained high growth becomes an all-consuming task. The only thing that will make it easier is having good data on the results of your current practices. Doesn't it make sense that if you know how much it costs, how long it takes, and the quality and availability of each of your major sources, you can do a better job?

3. Paying- Pay covers wages, salaries and benefits-the total cash investment in human assets. We can do a better job of managing that investment if we look at it from a resource viewpoint.

4. Developing- Employee development is no longer an option. Basic skills, management competencies and executive development are all priorities. If we don't develop effective leaders, we won't have to worry about basic skills because we will be out of business.

5. Retaining- When the supply is limited, a wise strategy is to pay attention to keeping what you have. Consider what it costs to lose a skilled employee: the direct cost of termination, hiring a replacement, vacancy costs and learning curve loss. These add up to more than one year's pay and benefits for an exempt person. Add to that the external costs in unhappy and lost customers, and the number goes out of sight. One study claims that the cost of losing an effective salesperson can take up to three years to recover.

Highly recommended.

The swinging bohemian and multicultural spirit of the new global city is thriving, yet similarly marked by dangerousness in the form of nativism, homophobia, and incendiary explosions. As the September 11 incident has confirmed, global cities are both thriving edifices of transnationalism and potential targets for a new kind of warfare. Still I am lured by Eade's new manual to travel to London to sample samosas, discover provocative multicultural art and theater, and make nocturnal sorties for the hoisting of ales.

Jan Lin (Occidental College, California)

Placing London: From Imperial Capital To Global City by John Eade (Professor in the Faculty of Social and Life Sciences, Roehampton Institute, London, England) is an impressive and scholarly analysis of the question: what is London? Examining metropolitan London as a global city in the rapidly modernizing, post-colonial world, Placing London informatively scrutinizes the history, present, and envisioned future of this proud city, from the west end and Soho to the Palace to the east end. Placing London is a profound, college-level retrospective and highly recommended for academic reference collections in English history.

The book is an easy to follow guide to proposal writing. It's small and not intimidating. It's also easy to read. As a first time grant writer, I found it useful and plan on keeping it for future grants. Definitely recommend for first time grant writers.

This book helped me to write a federal grant application. I enjoyed the easy-to-read style! I expecially liked the sample goals and objectives and the evaluation section.

I am a researcher of Higher Educational Institute,Fudan University,Shanghai,P.R.China. And I am a vice-professor of ¡°the Economics of Education¡±in the Institute. I hope to buy this book as soon as possibly, what should I do for getting the book? I am looking forward to having your kind reply. Thinks! My address is : Dr. lin rongri Higher Educational Institute Fudan University,200433 Shanghai, P.R.China

Best Wishes. lin rongri Sept.13,1999

This brillant study is a new breath for the 21th century management. As stated by Thomson "in the next millennium, emotional capital will be an asset on the balance of sheet of any major business. Business leaders will be working to a blueprint for their organizations that will go well beyond the focus on traditional assets. They will be exploring new territory-how to build upon two critical and interrelated assets, knowledge(intellectual capital) and emotions(emotional capital)".

In this study, Thomson discusses and explains some vital issues :

* the difference between intellectual and emotional capital,

* elements of emotional capital, inside and out,

* how organizations are using personality as a sustainable competitive advantage,

* the past, present and future of emotional capital : a timeline,

* the emotional contract between organizations and employees,

* the different types of models involved in stakeholder relationship,

* the six stages of marketing and communication processes called "the six Is",

* the link between "the six Is" and emotional capital,

* how the culture of a business is created and sustained by process and language,

* the new financial model-from volume to value to vision.

This visionary approach is a must reading for all business leaders (in particularly for all HR managers who don't like to play "policy police" and "regulatory watchdog" role in the next millennium).

A brief critique of this study see "Delivering On the Promise/Brian Friedman".

Highly recommended.

Could not be improved.

From the most prominent author of Sustainable Development theory this book introduces innovative ideas that may just change the sociopolitical and economic systems throughout the world. Highly recommended!