Taking a look at the world human beings is a rewarding experience.

Contrasts abound in this world Beauty is juxtaposed with ugliness, mercy with cruelty, compassion with indifference, health with disease, happiness with misery, industrious with laziness, affluence with poverty. These contrasts remain so, despite the passage of time, sweeping political and Economical changes, and cultural differences. Contrasts notwithstanding, one thing is certain, it is the people who make an organization a success, or allow it to be handed to the Board of directors for industrial and financial reconstruction. Various roles of Human Resource Management are aimed at enhancing the organizations productivity, the general quality of work life, complying with laws and regulations, gaining competitive advantage and attaining workforce adaptability. 1.1 MEANING AND DEFINITION. Simply put, Human Resource Management is the effective utilization of HUMAN ASSETS in order to achieve desired Corporate objectives Thus, Human Resource Management refers to asset of programmes, functions and activities designed and carried out in order to maximize both employee as well as Organisational effectiveness. 1.2 WHO IS A HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER? The scope of Human Resource Management is indeed vast. All major activities in the working life of a worker from the time of his/her entry into an organization until he/she leaves come under the purview Human Resource Management. Organisations are not mere bricks, mortar, machinery, or inventories. They are people. It is the people who staff and manage organizations. Human Resource Management decisions must influence the effectiveness of an organization. Effectiveness is attained through the effectiveness of the workforce, and this must result in betterment of services to customers in the form of high quality products supplied at reasonable costs. Human Resource Management is concerned with the people dimension in management. Since every organization is made up of people, acquiring their services , developing their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performernce and their commitment to the organization are essential to achieving desired objectives. This is true regardless of the type of organization-Government, Business, Recreation/social club etc.

Since Human resources are spread through out the organization, and that every Manager works with and through people, EVERY MANAGER IS A HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER. All Managers regardless of their functions, or levels of operations del with employees in work places, and there is need for them to have basic understanding of human behavior as well as personnel procedures and practices, as essential attributes for effective supervision. 1.3 HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT OBJECTIVES. The primary objective of Human Resource Management is to ensure the availability of a competent and willing work force to an organization. 1.4 QUALITIES OF A HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGER. (a)FAIRNESS & FIRMNESS This is a basic quality of a supervisor. He/she should be fair in dealing with surbodinateaffairs. (b)TACT & RESOURCEFULNESS. A supervisor must be tactful in dealing with difficulty situations. Tact implies determining what is good and fair in trying conditions, skill in dealing with the most demanding situations. (c) SYMPATHY & CONSIDERATION. It is important to be guided by sympathetic attitude toward employee demand. True, several of demands are unreasonable, but patient listening, open mind, and concern for employees welfare make recalcitrant workers relent. Similarly, intentions and actions of the supervisor must be tempered with consideration for ohers. 1.5 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE HUMAN ASSET. The Human Resources are the most important assets organizations today have. Human Resources provide the creative spark in any organisation. People design and produce the goods and services , control quality, market the products, allocate financial resources, and set overall strategies and objectives for an organization to achieve its goals. Employees-the human resources, are vital to any organizational success. Changing the organizations relationships should be managed with at least the same care and logic as financial, capital, and material resources.

1.6 IMPORTANCE OF EFFECTIVE HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITY. The Human Resource Management is a necessary activity in all organizations. Its focal is people. People are the life- blood of an organization, without them, theres no need for Human Resource Management systems, programs, or procedures. 1.7 WHO PERFORMS HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. In most organizations, if not in all organizations, two groups perform Human Resource management activities; Human Resource specialists and operating managers. Operating managers (supervisors, middle, and top mgers) are involved in Human Resource activities because they are responsible for effective utilization all the resources at their disposal. Operating managers spend most of their time managing people. In the same way, an operating managers is personally responsible if a machine breaks down and production drops, he/she must see to the training, performance, and satisfaction of employees.

CONCLUSION. In every working organization, much of the management of Human Resources is performed by supervisors and managers and indeed by employees or managers themselves. To consider only the activities and contributions of the Human Resource Manager and those in his Department would present only a partial inaccurate view of the total system of Human Resources Management. It is established that managers or supervisors are those whose occupation involves the provision of leadership in working groups and their crucial task is that of managing people. Thus, every manager retains personal responsibilities for managing Human Resources The managers job is one of getting things done through people or Human Resources. The manager is a leader , supervisor, and director. His crucial task is that of leading and mobilizing , and directing the energies and efforts of those he/she manages. Since the manager is a boss of people he/she has to be his/her own Human Resource practitioner in his/her own right , this is so because of being a manager. Some writers argue that basic policy on Human Resource Management is not made by the Human Resource department. Many, if not most of day-to- day decisions of important to the people of the organizations are made by line managers and supervisors. Treating people right is generally found to be the best way of winning co-operation and trust. PREPARED BY CHISENGA KALUNGA HYWEL.