English for Academic Purposes: HR Department's Impact on Business

This essay explores the essential role of the Human Resources (HR) department in business, emphasizing its contribution to employee engagement, strategic planning, and overall business growth. It analyzes the objectives of HR, the changing role of HRM from traditional perspectives to modern soft management approaches, and discusses the Michigan and Harvard models of HRM. The essay also addresses arguments against the necessity of an HR department, such as the belief that flat structures and technological support diminish its need. Ultimately, it concludes that HR plays a vital role in developing strategies, managing employee needs, and fostering competitive advantage, although challenges like role duplication and increased work pressure need to be addressed. The essay references academic sources to support its claims, highlighting the importance of HRM practices for business sustainability. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments.

ENGLISH FOR ACADMIC
PURPOSE
HR department is the essential need of business

Contents
 Introduction
 Objectives of HR department
 Changing role of HRM
 Michigan model of HRM
 Harvard Model of HRM
 Contribution of HR department
 Conclusion

INTRODUTION
Human resource management is the process of managing employee’s needs
and demands to attain business goals in an effective manner. It has been
researched by Storey, 2007 that, HR department is one of the significant parts of
business operations which develops employee’s engagement and growth
strategies in the present competitive era. Present study focuses on analysing the
arguments regarding need of HR department in business.

Objectives of HR department
Goals of HR department involve:
 Attaining business objectives while optimizing business cost and manage health.
 Managing welfare and safety of staff members.
 Protecting resources (employees) of company to attain competitive edge.
Traditional HR perspective:
 Managing employee’s records
 Play aloof role in company
 Non involvement in business operations
 Separate department in business
 Cost factor for the firm

Changing role of HRM
The modern concept of human resource management can be analysed by soft
management approach which states that:
 Employees are important assets of businesses.
 Strategic planning should be done for employee’s engagement.
 Moreover, it also focuses on planning, organizing and controlling
employee’s functions.
 Targets for attaining high employee’s accountability towards business
operations.
 However, some professionals have also argued that implementation of HR
practices and policies will increase the cost and create many issues. In
contracting to this, some other experts have stated that it just required
initial costing, further it will be very beneficial for the business
enterprises.

Michigan model of HRM
The model helped in developing a new perspective
for HRM. The key outcomes of model are:
 Employees are the assets of business.
 Organizational strategies can be attained by
employees.
 Effective planning for employees can help in
attaining competitive edge.
 HR department plays a significant role in
planning for the success and growth of business.

Harvard model of HRM
The stated model effectively portrays the significance of HR
department in different aspects of planning.

Contribution of HR department
In the present realm of modernisation, there is great role of HRM as it contributes in planning,
developing and managing employee’s needs and demands. The major contribution of
HRM can be analysed as follows:
 Analyses business objectives
 Evaluates stake holder's needs and demands
 Develops HR policies and plans
 Evaluates HR outcomes for business
 Interlinks employee’s actions with long term business objectives
Companies abandoning HR department states that:
 Flat structure enhances the employee’s accountability.
 Innovative means of hiring and firing policies may improve business practices.
 Employee’s engagement is considered as effective approach for development of business.
 Technological support has diminished the need of HR department.

CONCLUSION
Thus, it can be stated by analysing the overall argument, that HR department plays an important
role in the growth and development of business. By effectively analysing the needs and demands of
employees, there can be various well defined strategies developed. It has been also argued regarding
modern practices of HRM and employee’s management that HRM has significantly contributed in the
development and growth of a business organisation.
However, the question regarding accountability of process and management of business
performance in terms of positive outcome is still an uncertainty. However, it has also stated that,
managing strategic HRM may create the issues of role duplication and work pressure on existing
leaders and employees within the workplace. But these issues can be effectively resolved with the
implications of strategies and tactics of HRM. So, all business organisations are required to adopt the
HRM strategies and practices, as it tend to increase the competitive advantage and sustainability of
business entities in a significant manner.

REFERENCES
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong's handbook of human
resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Decenzo, D. A. and Robbins, S. P., 2015. Fundamentals of human
resource management. John Wiley & Sons.
Schuler, R. S. and Jackson, S. E., 2008. Strategic human resource
management. John Wiley & Sons.
Storey, J., 2007. Human resource management: A critical text.
Cengage Learning EMEA.
Meager, N., 2009. The role of training and skills development in
Active Labour Market Policies. International Journal of Training
and Development. 13(1). pp.1-18.