Explain the importance of human resource management and describe current issues in managing human resources. There is a major shift from traditional manufacturing industries to service industries that require more technical job skills. A major problem is retraining workers for new, more challenging jobs. This resource has always been plentiful, so there was little need to nurture and develop it.
Qualified labor is more scarce today.
The goal of human resource management is to develop this powerful resource to its full potential. Historically, most firms assigned the job of recruiting, selecting, training, motivating, and firing people to functional departments. Today's human resource departments go beyond the clerical functions of the old personnel departments. Most human resource functions are shared between the human resource manager and other managers. Changes in the labor force has created problems in the human resource area.