it must be deWned in a broad, generic, and value-free way. Representative is the
statement by Boxall and Purcell ( 2003 : 1 ) that HRM represents ‘all those activities
associated with the management of the employment relationship.’ Illustrative of
HRM’s rising fortunes, Britain is home to two well-recognized scholarly journals,
Human Resource Management JournalandInternational Journal of Human Resource
Management, a number of British universities have established departments and
chairs of HRM, numerous HRM textbooks are available, and most universities
oVer HRM courses.
In the 1990 s HRM also spread rapidly to continental Europe, Asia, Latin America,
and Africa. As was true in the British case, in each of these regions the concept of
HRM and the mode of teaching and research reXects diVerences in university
systems and economic and political environments (Lawrence 1992 ). Also arising
out of the globalization of HRM is a new subWeld of research on international and
comparative HRM. Numerous articles and books have appeared in recent years, for
example, on the practice and structure of HRM in Europe (e.g. Brewster 1995 ),
comparative diVerences in the HRM systems and practices in American, British,
German, and Japanese companies (e.g. French 1995 ), and strategic HRM from an
international perspective (e.g. Schuler et al. 2002 ).
2.5 Conclusion
.........................................................................................................................................................................................
The practice and academic study of HRM has made huge progress over the last
century. At the turn of the twentieth century the concept of human resource
management had not yet been invented, its practice in industry was highly infor-
mal and often grossly ineYcient and inequitable, and no organized research or
teaching on HRM existed. At the beginning of the twenty-Wrst century, the
situation is transformed. Not only has the idea of HRM spread across the world,
it is now recognized and practiced as a fundamental part of business, is the subject
of a voluminous academic and practitioner research literature, and has greatly
promoted eYcient enterprise and more equitable and harmonious employee
relations. This is surely quite a positive record.
But the evolution of HRM is not without problem areas and shortcomings.
Some of these remain today. Compared to some other areas of business manage-
ment, such asWnance, marketing, and accounting, HRM has often ranked lower in
strategic importance, corporate investment, and professional status. Likewise,
while some companies ‘walk the talk’, view employees as organizational assets,
and make HRM a strategic driver of competitive advantage, many others
have either signiWcantly scaled back their investment in employees and HRM or
the development of hrm 41