CHAPTER ONE1.0    INTRODUCTION 1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Strategic Human resources management(SHRM) is concerned with contributions human resource strategies make toorganizational effectiveness and the ways in which these contributions areachieved. (Jeff Erickson, Lee Dyer 2004) Therefore the aim of strategic Humanresources Management is to ensure that the culture, style and structure of theorganization and the quality, commitments and motivation of it employeescontribute fully to the achievement of business objectives. According toMichael Armstrong, 1992, a strategic Orientation is a vital ingredient in humanresource management. It provides the framework within which a coherent approachcan be developed to the creation and Installation of Human resources managementpolicies, systems, and practice. Strategic human resource means accepting theHR function as a strategic partner in the formulation of the company’sstrategies as well as in the implementation of those strategies through HRactivities, such as recruitments, selection, training and rewarding personnel.Where as strategic HR recognizes HR’s partnership role in the strategizingprocess, the term  HR  strategies refers to specific HR courses ofaction the company plans to pursue to achieve its aims (Siddhartha Chaturvedi ,2002)Managing the human resources in the organization is the traditionalresponsibility of the personnel manager, a precursor to human resourcemanagement (HRM). Some scholars however equate HRM with personnel management,concerned with providing staff support in the organization (e.g. Guest, 1989).Other scholars consider HRM as a natural development of personnelmanagement  practices in the face of changing economic and businessenvironment (Armstrong , 1989 & 2004, and Fajana 2002).The people–management discipline is undergoing continuous metamorphosis, with the recentemergence of strategic human resource management(SHRM)      in organization and management Literature.