Ideal for management majors who plan to become HRM professionals, this highly accessible text presents a conceptual model of the field, placing HRM in the overall context of business management. Students gain a broad, practical understanding of how HRM policies affect the workplace--from productivity, quality, and customer service to employee morale. French addresses timely issues changing the current role of HRM, including international topics, technology and the Internet, social responsibility, and performance appraisal. Several pedagogical features reinforce the author's conceptual approach to human resources management. Chapter-endingExperiential Exercisespromote group discussion and role playing through real-world challenges such as discrimination laws, safe/healthy work environments, and negotiation skills.Comprehensive Cases--taken from respected publications such asThe New York TimesandThe Wall Street Journal--explore contemporary issues in HRM like the new face of organized labor and the implications of an aging workforce. New!Ethical Perspectivesboxes expand on the ethical standards maintained by human resource managers today. Topics covered in this new feature include employee healthcare, executive incentives, and outsourcing. A Conceptual Model presents human resource management in the context of the overall management process. Students see the connections between HRM policies and organizational outcomes such as customer service, productivity, quality, and employee morale. Cartoons with content-based captions help students to interpret the concepts and real-world issues facing HRM managers. International Perspectiveboxes present current, timely issues: the pros and cons of outsourcing, U.S.-educated immigrants returning home to work, and employee involvement in foreign countries.Contemporary Perspectivesexplore HRM topics from managing change and hiring accountability to connecting pay to performance.