Human Resources and Social Activity, As Engines of Social Development

Abstract

Key factor for socio-economic development are people. They are the foundation of social management as a separate managerial area, the goal of which is the management of the interaction between the subject and the object, (having their social character), occurring in a particular social environment. To what degree the actions of the subject and the object, as elements of social management are adequate to the changes in the environment, is determined by their activity. Moreover, the rationalization of social managerial decisions is directly dependent on the social policy carried out. The social policy as a set of principles, legal norms, institutions and activities, aimed at creating conditions ensuring the quality of life of the citizens of a country, is an expression of the social relations between the state and its citizens. The social policy determines the safety (social, health, economic) and security of the people in the socium. This is why it is defined as "philosophy, ideology, program for influence on the demographic situation, employment of the population, level, way and quality of living of the population, its income level and structure of consumption of material and cultural wealth,... forms of social security, social services to the population, ... providing targeted state aid to the most unprotected, the most vulnerable and poor layers of the population,… measures aimed at creating conditions for self-defense in order to maintain and improve the level of well-being...". It is noteworthy that within the scope of social policy is included a wide arsenal of concepts (social protection, social safety, social support, social self-protection, quality of life), defined in the quoted edition.From here, in the content of social policy are differentiated concrete actions of the state bodies, non-state institutions, public associations, related to the implementation of tactical and strategic objectives for the harmonization of public relations. Since the foundation of these relations are the people with their actions and skills, they are a crucial factor of social policy. Inside it are synthesized and multiplied the other components of a country's resources and thus they are transformed into a finished product in the planning of the goals for achieving socio-economic development, making it possible to carry out an effective social policy. Moreover, researches show that "70% of the world's wealth is in the form of human capital - the skills and knowledge of the people and not in physical or financial capital. The strategy of many companies today is clearly guided by the idea of human resources, stressing on individualization, service and innovation". Put another way, human resources are the people in an organization who, by their professional and personal qualities make it possible to achieve its strategic objectives. Together with rest of the resources, they should meet the needs of the organization, and the way they are transformed into abilities, predetermines the efficiency of their use. This means that they, human resources, together with others, become function, subsystem and object of management. Reason for this is the circumstance that in terms of goal setting, they are a function of management. The application of the accumulated scientific knowledge on the general theory of systems, basing on a system approach, interacting with other management subsystems, characterizes them as a management subsystem. They are subject to management because through the forward and backward informational feedback, they are subject to management, influence for the purpose of obtaining certain result.