Garavan, T. N., & McGuire, D. (2010). Human resource development and society: Human resource development’s role in embedding corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and ethics in organizations. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 12(5), 487-507.
The article, written by Thomas N. Garavan and David McGuire, is available from the Journal of Advances in Developing Human Resources. Garavan is a lecturer from the University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland while McGuire is a lecturer at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK. The article demonstrates the relationship between HR development and responsibility in an organization. The function of HR development has been changing as more expectations are placed on institutions, the government, and corporations. Previously, HR development mainly focused on humanistic values of organizations, primarily on the employees. Over the years, its role has evolved to sustainability, ethics, and corporate social responsibility.
According to Garavan and McGuire (2010), based on its function to enhance a company’s performance and efficiency, HR development can play a crucial role and leave a long lasting contribution to corporate social responsibility, ethics, and sustainability. As such, HR development has a significant task of ensuring that company management plays its CSR role. In addition to pursuing profits, organizations are expected to consider economic, environmental, and social issues in their operations. Corporations are now projected to offer back services to the community they operate in, and hence, they are presumed to engage in charitable activities that would assist in building communities (Garavan & McGuire, 2010). CSR activities may involve championing climate change, environmental protection, or human rights. Such activities help in developing the brand name of the organization and further promoting their market.
The key participants in the issue are the HR department, the management, and other stakeholders. Garavan and McGuire (2010) emphasize on ways that organization can develop their HRs department in order to move in the right business direction. Similarly, Garavan and McGuire (2010) measure several factors such as employee participation in CSR, worker’s integrity, competitive outcomes, among others. The article also addresses issues surrounding ethics and the environment and how organizations have tackled such. The authors relate how HR can assist corporations in achieving their CSR goals. In their findings, Garavan and McGuire (2010) agree that organizations need the contribution of HR development in order to perform their CRS.
Human resource development is also significant in addressing concerns relating to societal issues. Garavan and McGuire (2010) establish the usefulness of HR development tools in achieving social and economic policies of businesses. It is apparent that HR development tools help in detailing the greater role of organizations, which is CSR. Additionally, Garavan and McGuire (2010) demonstrate the new role of HR in setting up systems that would support companies in achieving CSR. In their view, the HR should not only help a business in maintaining profits but also in realizing its CSR. Evidently, organizations should involve HR development in the pursuit of CSR. In such cases, HR development will act as monitoring avenues in the quest for CSR. [“Write my essay for me?” Get help here.]
There are calls for greater research on the implications and consequences of the changing global perspective on CSR. Human resource is meant to assist organizations in maintaining humanistic values; however, focusing on issues affecting the external environment may lead to operational conflicts. In the long run, a company’s quest for CSR may negatively impact HRD operations, and this requires further research.[Need an essay writing service? Find help here.]
References
Garavan, T. N., & McGuire, D. (2010). Human resource development and society: Human resource development’s role in embedding corporate social responsibility, sustainability, and ethics in organizations. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 12(5), 487-507.
