Human Resources Management Course Human resource management (HRM) is regarded by Porter (1985) in his value Chain as one of the primary activities in an organisation. It is responsible for one of the key inputs of the transformation process & it is also involved in all other functions & activities as they all have a human element. HRM is concerned with all aspects of people management in organisations, from the initial contact through to termination of employment (and beyond in some cases). The management of people in organisations is becoming more widely recognised as a factor critical to organisational success (Storey, 1992, p. 46). The workforce can be regarded as an organisation's greatest asset & is crucial in achieving & sustaining competitive advantage. In this course, we consider the background to & philosophy of HRM & will concentrate on some of the tasks carried out that can influence the effectiveness of people within the work environment. After Participating in this course, you should be able to: distinguish between the concepts of personnel management & HRM explain how the function has developed & the influences upon it outline the range of tasks carried out within people management describe the factors which impact on manpower & human resource planning outline recruitment & selection processes & methods describe the stages in the training cycle explain the role of assessment & appraisal define appraisal methods & their usage outline the main factors in employer/employee relations & the role of unions identify the value of HRM procedures that are grounded in a legislative framework.