Introduction

Thank you for using Human Resource Management! Whether you are an instructor or student, by using this book you are part of the revolution. As instructors, the ability to customize this book by changing, adding, deleting, and moving text around, we are leveraging technology while making it beneficial (and cheaper!) for our students. If you are a student, I think you will appreciate the conversational style and features designed to make reading the book engaging.

Competing books are focused on the academic part of HRM, which is necessary in a university or college setting. However, the goal with this book is not only to provide the necessary academic background information but also to present the material with a practitioner’s focus on both large and small businesses. While the writing style is clear and focused, we don’t feel jargon and ten-dollar words are necessary to making a good textbook. Clear and concise language makes the book interesting and understandable (not to mention more fun to read) to the future HRM professional and manager alike.

It is highly likely that anyone in business will have to take on an HRM role at some point in their careers. For example, should you decide to start your own business, many of the topics discussed will apply to your business. This is the goal of this book; it is useful enough for the HRM professional, but the information presented is also applicable to managers, supervisors, and entrepreneurs. Besides these differences, other key differences include the following: