Human Resource Management: HRM (Human Resource Management) is the process that involves planning, executing, recruitment and management of the development measures within an organization. These development initiatives within an organization also entail selection, training and profession. The primary aim of human resource management is to exploit an organization's productivity by optimizing the efficiency of the employees. The exploitation of the organization's productivity takes place while improving employees work life and treating these employees as valuable resources. Generally, HRM includes the attempts to foster personal development and employee satisfaction while adhering to the employment-related regulations (Mote & Heil, n.d.).

Important Tasks and Activities in HRM:

As a function that is aimed at exploiting organizational productivity and guaranteeing employee satisfaction and development, human resource management consists of various activities and tasks. These activities include selection, recruitment and training as well as management in order for the organization to perform at its level best and in a satisfying manner. The selection and recruitment activities or functions play an important role in the management of human resources in addition to the role of management. Selection determines the staffing needs within an organization and whether independent contractors or hired employees are the suitable personnel for the staffing needs (McNamara, n.d.). Recruitment ensures that the organization hires the appropriate employees or contractors to fill their staffing needs and that these personnel deliver high performance.

The focus of the hard model of human resource management is on the resource aspect with an emphasis on the significance of integrating human resource systems, policies and activities with the organizational strategy. This model of human resource management is also considered as a calculative and tough-minded branch of management and reduces employees to submissive objects that are not valued while been examined depending on their skills.
On the contrary, the soft model of human resource management stresses an importance on human or employees and is also considered as developmental humanism. This model stresses the importance of treating employees as valuable resources for competitive advantage through skills, flexibility, commitment and performance. While the model also emphasizes on the integration of policies and organizational productivity, it treats employees as proactive assets rather than passive inputs in the production process. This model is considered as a means through which unexploited reserves of human creativity are released through the increase in commitment and involvement by employees (Gill, 1999).

HRM and Solutions to Handle Competitive Pressures:

Human resource management provides managers and the leadership team of an organization with solutions that enable them to handle competitive pressures in both private and public firms. For many private firms or small businesses the…