Due to escalating pressures from domestic and global competitors, and changes in so cietal norms, laws, and the economy during the past decade, it has become clear to many executives that people are increasingly important to the success and survival of their companies, but also increasingly more complex to manage. Moreover, it is likely that the complexity will increase even further in the Nineties as global and regional econ omies continue to emerge. In Europe, entirely new political entities will contribute to complexity and pose difficult problems in a multi-ethnic society. While creating many challenges, these pressures are also creating excellent opportunities for human resource (HR) executives to make substantial contributions to their organiza tions. Whether such opportunities are realized, however, will depend upon how well these executives develop, refme, and leverage both their business and human resource management skills. This book, which is a collaborative effort on the part of the editors of the Human Re source Planning journal and Gabler Publishing, is intended for both line and HR ex ecutives interested in more effectively managing their employees. It is a compilation of selected cutting-edge articles published in the journal during the past five years. It is di vided into the following seven sections which represent important HR issues facing ex ecutives today (and in the near future): Section 1. The Human Resource Function in Transition Section 2. Strategic Human Resource Planning Section 3. Mergers and AcquiSitions Section 4. Performance Appraisal and Performance Management Section 5.