International Human Resource Management Term Paper

International Human Resource Management - Term Paper Example HR has come a long way from its traditional role of personnel management to being considered the strategic partner of the organization. Today HR plays a proactive role in taking the initiatives and concentrating on the deliverables. HR is involved not only in the implementation of strategy but also in strategy formulation. HR is now considered one of the sources of competitive advantage for the company. Although the role and importance of HR is not debatable any more but in practice its role varies not only from company to company but also from country to country. This paper will discuss international human resource management and its various approaches with special reference to Spain. The aim of this paper is to study the institutional context that shapes and influences HRM in Spain. Different laws related to HRM, education and training system, employer organizations, trade union organization, collective bargaining structures, company governance arrangements and its impacts on HRM w ill be discussed here. A case study of a Spanish organization will also be discussed to study various practices and activities of HR. Historical Background of HRM in Spain Although human capital has always been important but recently the importance of human capital with comparison to capital, raw material, land and even technology has increased a lot. It is believed now that in this global world the key to success is having a better human capital than your competitors. It is difficult to obtain and control positive contributions from the employees hence efforts are made to make an environment that ensures voluntary flow of such employee behavior. The concept of Human resource management (HRM) has followed the same path which international HRM has followed moving from personnel management to strategic HRM. The development of HRM in Spain can be better understood if the developments are studied in the chronological order. The history of Spanish HRM can be divided into five periods. HR M during the Franco regime, (1950-9) marked by clerk autarchy The economic crises and political transition, Human Relations (1960-76) Development planning From the economic crises to economic recovery, labor relations (1977-85) conflicts and agreements HRM in today’s Spain In the period of clerk autarchy the main focus was on bureaucracy. HR was restricted to the daily management of data and ensuring working according to the pre-established rules and regulations. It was the era of personnel management. The purpose of the personnel management was to make employee’s comply with the rules and regulations of the business. Spain has seen different labor conditions during its development. The first form was the personnel management where foreman was assigned the role of personnel manager but in a very restricted form. The second phase was of the economic crises and political transition. It is marked by human resource development planning. In this phase the shift was towards technocracy. The qualified employees were given importance through various incentives for enhancing performance, training and development programs, appropriate selection process accompanied by adequate salary scales classified according to the service. Here the personnel management role of HR was to ensure that employees adapt according