Human Resource Management
The textbook is very comprehensive, covering various subjects adequately. Unlike most other HRM textbooks, some unique chapters (e.g., Chapter 3 and Chapter 9) are included. However, some areas can be improved by adding more explanations or detailed information. My overall impression about the contents is that they are short and simple. This is fine for a survey textbook, but can be too brief for students wanting to study the topics in depth. Furthermore, it would help to have an index or glossary at the end.
Overall, the content is conveyed accurately with a neutral tone.
Some of the HR content (e.g. laws and regulations) requires continuous updates due to constant changes. Considering that the textbook was written several years ago, an update is recommended in terms of the content and the supplementary materials.
The author did an excellent job on clarity of the content. The content was very straight-forward and well-guided for readers.
The textbook has a high-level of consistency in terms of terminologies, interfaces, and organizations.
The textbook's modularity is excellent. The content is adequately divided into smaller chunks.
The topics are arranged in a logical order. Also, chapters throughout the textbook did a great job on connecting different topics by referring to other chapters appropriately. This may help students understand the interconnectivity of contents.
There were no significant interface issues. The textbook's interface was easy to follow and consistent throughout the chapters. However, I recommend addressing an issue regarding page layout for tables or figures. Specifically, several pages do not present tables or figures despite showing only their titles. For example, the title of a table is placed on page 254, while the actual table is shown on page 255. Similar issues are found on pages 269-270 and pages 295-296.
I did not notice any grammatical errors.
I did not notice any cultural insensitivity or offensiveness in the content. Rather, the textbook puts the importance of cultural perspectives as one of the key fundamentals for good HR practice; this was done by placing the subject of diversity and multi-culturalism at the front of the textbook while other HR textbooks do not.
The author did an excellent job on making the content very practical and interesting. Each chapter has a good balance of containing both general information and the necessary how-to's for particular, real-world situations. Human Resources Recall, cases, and exercises at the end of each chapter are very critical and thought-evoking - one of the best that I have ever seen. Lastly, this book leaves a very positive impression in regards to the quality of open textbooks. This reviewer hopes the use of open textbooks becomes more mainstream throughout universities and other teaching institutions.