The seventh edition of South African Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice has been thoroughly revised and updated. Our broader African context is accentuated even further, making it very clear that we need to find, craft and execute HRM strategies that suit our unique circumstances in South Africa and Africa more broadly.

Africa is at an exciting yet critical juncture. This continent boasts almost a third of the world’s mineral wealth and two-thirds of its remaining arable land, and it is estimated that by the end of the current century about half of all young people on the planet will be in Africa. Our continent’s future success is therefore locked up in this yet-to-be-realised human resource dividend, and South African managers in our local organisations as well as elsewhere in Africa and the world must lead the charge in unlocking and fully developing it. This edition expands on the holistic approach to human resource management (HRM) that has been propagated since the first edition in 1998. The emphasis throughout the book is that specialist practitioners in HRM and all other managers need to partner in managing the complex challenges faced in relation to our human resources. Also included are the contemporary HR trends in the South African environment and the emerging unifying framework of the South African Board for People Practices’ (SABPP) National HR Management System Standard, developed in 2013. HRM is shown to extend beyond staff/personnel employed by organisations to include managing all aspects related to people doing work not only as employees, but in other capacities as well. Similarly, even though the most prominent organisational context can be regarded as business or private sector organisations, this new edition makes explicit and clear connections with HRM challenges and issues in public sector organisations.

The book has a companion website that provides access to additional information, resources, case studies, and various questions and activities to facilitate active learning. The website is designed for a dual purpose: to enhance the learning experience of those who have bought the book and to assist those responsible for helping learners digest the wealth of learning material contained in this compendium on South African HRM.