The idea of human resource management has become topical and controversial. The term suggests that people in any organization are an asset to be upgraded and fully utilized rather than merely a variable cost to be minimized. This in turn implies that the way in which people are managed is a matter of crucial strategic concern.

Increased international competition has produced various initiatives world-wide for new approaches to management, in particular human resource management. This searching set of interpretations, first published in 1983, will be of interest to serious practitioners and students alike.