“Human resource management includes recruitment and selection of appropriate staff and management of the employment relationship, which includes contracts, collective bargaining, reward systems and employee involvement, and considers the strategic and operational view of human resource requirements.”

The word human resource is used for ‘people’ or ‘personnel’ working together in an organization to achieve the desired results. The human resources department inside the organization is called the ‘personnel department’ or ‘human resource department’ who looks after the organizational aspects of the staff. Managing all these human resources is termed as human resource management.

The human resource includes recruitment, selection, training, job evaluation, performance appraisal, remunerations, and all other things that provide job satisfaction to the applicants or employees working in the organization. Human resources plays a crucial role that assist companies to cope with an ever-changing, bloodthirsty surroundings. The main objectives of human resource management are as follows:

- Efficiently utilizing and managing people.
- Performance assessment and reward to proficiencies.
- Developing competencies that enhance individual as well as organizational performance.
- Escalating the modernism, originality and tractability required to improve rivalry.
- Implementing novel approaches to work process, career growth and inter-organizational mobility.
- Managing the execution and integration of technology through superior staffing, training and communication.

You all know the concept of an organization, that why it exists, what are its requirements, plans, procedures and policies. In addition to all these, it is also very important to know the managerial functions that help a business firm in achieving its set targets.

“To manage is to forecast and plan, to organize, to command and to control.” This definition by Henry Fayol has named the managerial functions in their alignment. It is the duty of every manager to execute these vital functions properly to attain the desired results.

Business manager is only responsible for planning, organizing, directing, and controlling all the organizational resources so that they give their best to reach the desired peak. The different organizational resources include people, their positions, funds, data, technology, facilities, materials and supplies.

Managers work in an active environment, and look forward and always ready to accept challenges. The success of organization depends upon the seniority of all these essential functions. These functions are goal-oriented, interconnected and mutually supporting.

Planning is thinking before starting a particular task. It involves formulation of a methodical process for accomplishing the organizational goals. It prepares the organization to accept future challenges. Organizing means assembling the essential resources to execute the developed plan. It is the process of creating structure, building relations, assigning tasks and resources to achieve the aims of the organization. Directing involves the guiding, leading, and supervision of employees to for the achievement of organizational goals. Controlling means checking the actual performance. If there are any discrepancies, then taking the remedial action.

Planning is a vital managerial function that helps in ascertaining the actions to be followed for accomplishing an assortment of organizational goals. It is an assessment in advance. It is a process, which means ‘thinking before doing.’ Planning function focuses on what to do, where to do, how to do, who is to do. It is associated with the mental state of a manager who thinks ahead of undertaking a particular task. Other functions of management such as organizing, staffing, directing, coordination and controlling are also carried out after planning.

Planning can be defined as, “The process of anticipating future occurrences and problems, exploring their probable impact, and detailing policies, goals, objectives, and strategies to solve the problems. This often includes preparing options documents, considering alternatives, and issuing final plans.”

Planning is the process of looking forward. The primary objective of planning is to accomplish better results. It involves the selection of organizational aims and formulating strategies, plans, procedures, programmes, budgets and other related actions.

Planning is an ongoing process that occurs at all managerial levels. It is done in the beginning but the performance is assessed and suitable adjustments are made in plans when definite implementation is done. Plans may be of various types such as short-term plans, medium term plans, long term plans, standing plans, single use plans, managerial plans, and functional plans.

The process of planning involves a number of steps; gathering info, laying down objectives, developing planning premises, examining alternative courses of action, evaluation of action patterns, reviewing limitations and implementation of plans.

Management aspires to attain financial as well as social targets. It survives to accomplish some specific goals or objectives. Group efforts in management are always directed towards the attainment of some prearranged goals. It is related with the constitution and execution of all these objectives. The primary objective of management is to run the enterprise smoothly. The profit-making goal of a business is also to be considered while undertaking different functions. The management also helps an organization in the following: -

- Optimum utilization of available resources.
- Ameliorating performance and ability.
- Mobilizing best talent.
- Making plan for time to come.

It is a dynamical function, and it has to be executed constantly. It is frequently engaged in the moulding of the enterprise in changing business environment. It is a distinctive process performed to establish, and achieve the stated objective by making the use of human beings along with other resources. It is different from the activities, techniques and procedures.

Management is applicable in all types of organizations. The basic principles of management are of universal application, and can be applied in all types of organizations whether they are business, sports, social, cultural, politics, and educational or military. It is needed at all levels of the organization, i.e. top level, middle level and supervisory level. Thus, managerial levels signify the arranged managerial locations in an organization. The number of levels of management hinges upon its volume, expertise and the series of production. The main significance of levels is that they determine authority relationships in an organization.

Management by Objectives, MBO is a process to get agree upon the objectives within an organization, so that the management and employees agree to those objectives and understand what they really are. Management focuses on the goals with this systematic and organized approach, to achieve the best possible results from the resources that are available. By aligning the targets and subordinate objectives throughout the organization, MBO aims to increase the performance of the organization.

Getting powerful input allows the employees to identify their goals, and time period for the completion. MBO includes in progress tracking and feedback in the process to achieve those objectives. Peter Drucker outlined the MBO in 1954 in his book named as “The Practice of Management’. In the 90s, Peter Drucker decreases the importance of the MBO method, he said, “It’s just another tool. It is not the great cure for management inefficiency... Management by Objectives works if you know the objectives, ninety percent of the time you don’t”.

Managers easily fail to outline, and get agree with their employees on what everyone is trying to accomplish. MBO substitutes for the good intentions, it requires rather accurate written description of the objectives for the period ahead and timelines for their monitoring and accomplishment. MBO requires that the management and the employees agree to what the employee will try to achieve in the period ahead, and the employee accept and agree to the objectives, otherwise the commitment will be lacking.

Management is the art of assuring maximal successfulness with a minimal attempt. Wherever there is a structured group functioning together in the direction of a common goal, some type of management becomes necessary.

“Management is the process of getting activities completed efficiently and effectively with and through other people.”

It is the management, which makes the people, actualizes the aims of the particular group, and guides their efforts for the accomplishment of these objectives. No business activity can be carried out without the five factors of production, viz. the land, labor, capital, enterprise and the management. The four factors may prove unproductive in the nonexistence of the fifth one i.e. management. Management also provides novel ideas, thoughts and imaginations to the organization.

Management also helps in efficient and smooth running of business through better planning, benevolent administration, and successful control through its various tools. Profits can be increased in any organization either by escalating the sales revenue or plummeting costs. To increase the sales revenue is beyond the control of an organization. Management by abbreviating costs raises its profits and offers opportunities for future development and improvement.

In the present days of rising competition, only those business enterprises can survive which can manufacture quality goods at the lowest of costs. Through better planning, sound organization and effective control, management lets a business group to lessen costs, and allows it to face aggressive competition.