上海大学管理学英语unit 5A.ppt

Unit Five The Strategic Role of HRM Text A Pre-reading Task Read the following questions first, which will help you understand the text below better, and then answer the questions after reading the text carefully. 1. What is the significance of staffing in the human resource management? 2. What is the meaning of human resource accounting? 3. What is the Peter Principle? 4. Concerning staffing, what is an open-system approach? 5. Why does the author say that staffing is a mixed blessing? Staffing 1 Nowadays, few executives would argue with each other on the fact that people are vital for the effective operation of a company. Managers often say that people are their most important asset. Yet the “human assets” are virtually never shown on the balance sheet as a distinct category, although a great deal of money is invested in the recruitment, selection, and training of people. It is for this reason that the late Rensis Likert and his colleagues suggested maintaining accounts of the valuable human assets. They refer to this process as “human resource accounting.” This approach is not without its problems, and there is even conflict among management experts, between the proponents of human resource accounting and the financial people who have to develop the system for measuring human assets. What is important here is the recognition that staffing is a crucial function of managers, one that may well determine the success or failure of an enterprise. 2 To make staff work effective, it is important to clarify authority relationship, to make line listen to staff, and to keep staff informed. Furthermore, effectiveness demands that staff prepare complete recommendations and that the utilization of staff becomes a way of organizational life. 3 Staffing means filling positions in the organization structure, which not only involves identifying work-force requirements, inventorying the people available, but also recruiting, selecting, placing, promoting,