COLLEGE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION

(CBE-MWANZA)
HUMAN RESOURCE INFORMATION SYSTEM
COURSE CODE: BAU 07318
LECTURE-1
What is Human Resource Management (HRM)?
Human Resource Management (HRM) is an operation in companies designed to
maximize employee performance in order to meet the employer's strategic goals and
objectives. More precisely, HRM focuses on management of people within companies,
emphasizing on policies and systems.
In short, HRM is the process of recruiting, selecting employees, providing proper
orientation and induction, imparting proper training and developing skills, performance
appraisal, facilitating proper compensation and benefits, encouragement, maintaining
proper relations with labor and with trade unions, and taking care of employee safety,
welfare and health by complying with labor laws of the state or country concerned.

What is Information System (IS)?

An Information system is defined as a set of interrelated components working together
to collect, process, store, and disseminate information that support decision making; like
coordination, control, analysis, and visualization in an organization.

Page 1|4
Components of Information System
1. Computer Hardware: are physical equipment or tangible tools that performs
information system functions such as accept, process, disseminate, output and
store information.
2. Computer Software: are set of instructions that provides instructions to hardware
on what and how to do its functions.
3. Data and Databases: Data are the raw facts and figures that are unorganized that
are later processed to generate information. Software are used for organizing and
serving data to the user, managing physical storage of media and virtual
resources. As the hardware can’t work without software the same as software
needs data for processing. Data are managed using Database management
system.
4. Telecommunications and Network: Networks resources refer to the
telecommunication networks like the intranet, extranet and the internet. These
resources facilitate the flow of information in the organization.
5. Human Resources and procedures: It is associated with the manpower required
to run and manage the system. People are the end user of the information system,
end-user use information produced for their own purpose, the main purpose of the
information system is to benefit the end user.

What is Human Resources Information System (HRIS)?

Human Resources Information System (HRIS) is a set of interrelated components
working together to collect, process, store, and disseminate information that support
Human Resource functions such as recruiting, applicant tracking, time and attendance
management, performance appraisals and benefits administration.

The Major Scope of HRIS

The scope of HRIS is very wide. It consists of all the functions that come under the banner
of human resource management. The different functions are as follows −
❖ Human Resources Planning - It is the process by which a company identifies
how many positions are vacant and whether the company has excess staff or
shortage of staff and subsequently deals with this need of excess or shortage.
❖ Job Analysis Design - Job analysis design is a process of designing jobs where
evaluations are made regarding the data collected on a job. It gives an elaborate
description about each and every job in the company.
❖ Recruitment and Selection - With respect to the information collected from job
analysis, the company prepares advertisements and publishes them on various
social media platforms. This is known as recruitment. A number of applications
are received after the advertisement is presented, interviews are conducted and
the deserving employees are selected. Thus, recruitment and selection is yet
another essential area of HRM.
❖ Orientation and Induction - After the employees are selected,
an induction or orientation program is organized. The employees are updated

Page 2|4
 about the background of the company as well as culture, values, and work ethics
of the company and they are also introduced to the other employees.
❖ Training and Development - Employees have to undergo a training program,
which assists them to put up a better performance on the job. Sometimes, training
is also conducted for currently working experienced staff so as to help them
improve their skills further. This is known as refresher training.
❖ Performance Appraisal - After the employees have put in around 1 year of
service, performance appraisal is organized in order to check their performance.
On the basis of these appraisals, future promotions, incentives, and increments in
salary are decided.
❖ Compensation Planning and Remuneration - Under compensation planning
and remuneration, various rules and regulations regarding compensation and
related aspects are taken care of. It is the duty of the HR department to look into
remuneration and compensation planning.
❖ Time and Absence Management - Managing employee timesheets, schedules,
and tracking attendance manually involves an immense amount of HR labor.
Keeping up with leave request emails and tracking employee absence while
sketching out a schedule to manage the changing workload is a huge ordeal.
❖ Talent management - Employees are the most valuable resources in any
organization. However, the process of talent management, i.e, attracting,
recruiting, engaging, developing, and retaining employees is a complicated
process.
❖ Payroll functions - Payroll is one of HR's most significant features. The number
crunch can be made much easier with a lean human resource information system
that allows easy downloading or uploading of employee hours and attendance
data, and deposits to employees are made more seamless
Where can HRIS be managed from?
There are two primary areas where you can manage an HRIS. They are:
1. Cloud-based
Everything operates online in a portal that’s accessible by any user from anywhere. This
is ideal for businesses that do much of their work online and asynchronously across
locations.
2. On-premise based
Everything is stored on site in local computers. This is best for single-location businesses
that do much of their work in a physical environment without a strong requirement for
online access, such as restaurants, services, garages and gas stations, and so on.
Assignment 1
Question 1: Differentiate the following:
❖ HRIS and HCM
❖ HCM and HRMS

Page 3|4
Question 2: Explain five factors that hinders the adoption of HRIS to most of the Small
and Medium Enterprises
Question 3: Explain five things to consider for a successful installation and run of a HRIS
Question 4: Explain five criteria to considered while sourcing HRMS
Question 5: Explain five reasons as to why should you Invest in an HRIS
Features of HRM
Human Resource Management as a discipline includes the following features −
❖ It is pervasive in nature, as it is present in all industries.
❖ It focuses on outcomes and not on rules.
❖ It helps employees develop and groom their potential completely.
❖ It motivates employees to give their best to the company.
❖ It is all about people at work, as individuals as well as in groups.
❖ It tries to put people on assigned tasks in order to have good production or results.
❖ It helps a company achieve its goals in the future by facilitating work for competent
and well-motivated employees.
❖ It approaches to build and maintain cordial relationship among people working at
various levels in the company.
❖ Basically, we can say that HRM is a multi-disciplinary activity, utilizing knowledge
and inputs drawn from psychology, economics, etc.

Page 4|4