Human Capital as a Strategic Imperative for Organizational Performance: How Relevant is Human Resource Contribution in Today’s Digital Economy

Volume 1, Issue 1, October 2016     |     PP. 31-42      |     PDF (276 K)    |     Pub. Date: December 20, 2016
DOI:    398 Downloads     4829 Views  

Author(s)

Sabarudin Zakaria, Multimedia University, Malaysia
Wan Fadzilah Wan Yusoff, Multimedia University, Malaysia

Abstract
Human resource refers to the stock of productive skills and technical knowledge embodied in labor. It is tangible in nature. Many early economic theories refer to it simply as labor, one of the three factors of production, and consider it to be a fungible resource -- homogeneous and easily interchangeable. The goal of human resource management is to help an organization to meet strategic goals by attracting, and maintaining employees and also to manage them effectively. The key word here perhaps is "fit", i.e. a HRM approach seeks to ensure a fit between the management of an organization’s employees, and the overall strategic direction of the company. Human capital, instead, refers to the intangible aspect of human resources. It enhances the value of employees by striking a win-win goal for employers and employees. It focuses on the intrinsic value of each employee, where any expenditure on employees is regarded as an investment rather than an expense. The varying talents and motivations of employees are given cognizance so that incentives and working arrangements can be created to enhance each employee's contributions to organizational performance. The main objective of this study is to assess and evaluate how organizations treat and understand the role and contributions of their human resources in this era of digital economy

Keywords
Organization, Production, Human Resource, Organizational behavior

Cite this paper
Sabarudin Zakaria, Wan Fadzilah Wan Yusoff, Human Capital as a Strategic Imperative for Organizational Performance: How Relevant is Human Resource Contribution in Today’s Digital Economy , SCIREA Journal of Management. Volume 1, Issue 1, October 2016 | PP. 31-42.

References

[ 1 ] Barney, J. (1995). Looking inside for competitive advantage. Academy of Management Executive, 9, 4, p 49 61.
[ 2 ] Barney, J. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17, p 99-120.
[ 3 ] Becker, G. S. (1975). Human capital. New York. Columbia University Press
[ 4 ] Collier, A.T. (1968) Business Leadership and a Creative Society, Harvard Business Review Classic, Jan-Feb.
[ 5 ] Cook, M 1995, Personnel Selection and Productivity, John Wiley & Sons.
[ 6 ] Demings, F. (1986) 0ut of Crisis, Massachusets Institute of Technology for Advanced Engineering Study.
[ 7 ] Devanna, MA, Fombrum, C, Tichy, N and Warren, L. (1982). Strategic Planning and Human Resource, Human Resource Management, Vol. 21/1
[ 8 ] Drummond, H. (1996) Effective Decisions Making, Kogan Page
[ 9 ] Edvinsson, L. & Malone, M. (1997). Intellectual capital: Realising Your Company’s True Value by Finding its Hidden Brain Power. New York: Harper Collins.
[ 10 ] Edward, C. (1985). The Fragmented World Competency Perspective on Trade, Money and Crisis, Methuan, London, NewYork.
[ 11 ] Finkelstein, S. & Humbrick, D. (1996). Strategic Leadership. St Paul: West
[ 12 ] Hamel, G. & Prahalad, C. K. (1990). The core competence of the corporation, Harvard Business Review, May-June, p 79-91.
[ 13 ] Hiltrop, J.M. (1996). The Impact of Human Resource Management on Organisation Performance: Theory and Research, European Management Journal, Vol. 14/6. P 628.
[ 14 ] Kreitner, R. (2009), Management, Houghton Mifflin
[ 15 ] Legge, K. (1995). Human Resource Management: Rhetoric Reality and Hidden Agendas in Human Resource Management: A Critical Text edited. by John Storey,Routledge.
[ 16 ] Lepak, D. P. & Snell, S. A. (1999). The human resource architecture: Toward a theory of human capital allocation and development. Academy of Management Review, 24, 1, p 31-48.
[ 17 ] Luthans, F. (2010). Organizational Behaviour, McGraw-Hill.
[ 18 ] Pennings, J. M., Lee, K., & Witteloostuijn, A. (1998). Human capital, social capital, and firm dissolution, Academy of Management Journal, 41, 4, p 425-440.
[ 19 ] Porter, M & Jenkins, G. (1996). Competitiveness and Human Resource, Management Policies, Journal of General Management, Vol. 22/2
[ 20 ] Robbins, S. (1978). ‘Personnel ' The Management of Human Resources, Prentice-Hall Inc.
[ 21 ] Rao, TV. (1996) Human Resource Development-Experiences, Intervention, Strategies, SAGE Publications.
[ 22 ] Sayles, L R and Strauss, G. (1968). Human Behaviour Organisation, Prentice Halls
[ 23 ] Storey, J. (2007). Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, Thomson Delmar Learning
[ 24 ] Sweetland, S. R. (1996). Human Capital Theory: Foundations of a Field of Inquiry. Review of Educational Research, Fall, Vol 66 No. 3, p 341-359.
[ 25 ] Teece, D. J. (1998). Capturing value from knowledge assets: The new economy, markets for know-how, and intangible assets, California Management Review, 40, 3, p 55-79.
[ 26 ] Ulrich, D. & Lake, D. (1991). Organisational capability: Creating competitive advantage. Academy of Management Executive, 5, 1, p 77-92.
[ 27 ] Wallerstein, I. (1997). The Capitalist Economy, Cambridge University Press.
[ 28 ] Wright, P. M., & McMahon, G. C. (1992). Theoretical perspectives for strategic human resource management. Journal of Management, 18, 2, p 295-320.
[ 29 ] Youndt, M. A., Snell, S. A., Dean J. W. & Lepak, D. P. (1996). Human resource management, manufacturing strategy, and firm performance, Academy of Management Journal 39, 4, p 836-866.