The human capital is a relatively new term, which is used both in the national economy (VWL) and in the management economics (BWL). It is however disputed and of many as Euphemismus is understood.

Synonymous terms are the human ability, which human resources and the Humanpotenzial, whereby the English terms human are also often used capital, human resources and/or human assets. An absolutely exact contentwise agreement of the terms is not present however: Thus human resources associate the "“dismantling"” of a limited raw material, human ability unconditional controlling of a fortune article. The euphemistische dimension of the term human capital results in particular from the fact that capital obligates to the care.

In the factor teachings (Erich good mountain) human capital is likewise a factor of production like physical Kapital.In of the newer management literature the human capital the intellectual capital (intellectual capital) is assigned.

To define is this term of the social capital.

Human capital in the VWL

The term human capital (and/or "„human capital "“) was coined/shaped relevant in the context (modern) of the macro-economic human capital theory. Years - as reaction to the "“Sputnik shock"” - the later Gary Becker (1964) and Theodore Schultz (1978) put end of the 1950er the bases to the human capital theory. This economicalally aligned, economic theory concentrates on different qualities of the work and places the income effects during the human life into the foreground.

Human capital in the VWL defined as the abilities and talents as well as the knowledge, which are embodied in persons and which can be acquired by training, further training and experience.

Human capital in the BWL

The economical human capital theory was the starting point and the foundation human resource of the Accounting (in the middle of the 1960er years in the USA) and/or the human fortune calculation (in the middle of the 1970er years in Germany), in which a transmission of ideas was made on the operational range.

The term operational human capital describes the great importance qualified and motivated coworkers for the competitive ability of the enterprises and is a substantial basis of modern enterprise and personnel policy to clarify: Coworkers are more than only pure production and cost factors. Thus readiness to perform and know-how of the coworkers as well as all means and efforts to receive these and strengthen, more than so far moved into the center enterprise and personnel-political objectives.

So far however still no uniform definition of the term exists. Thus its term contents in timing - as a function of the economic, political and social basic conditions - changed.

In the social motion from approximately 1850 to the turn of the century it applied partly than revolutionary to stress the Humanpotenziale in the economy. Only the Sozialenzykliken of the Popes and the Erstarken of social-democracy and/or Christian-social changed this estimate clearly.

Into the 1970er years primarily on the Potenziale, which by a work contract at the disposal are put to the enterprise, embodied in the coworkers, one focused. Background was a "“humanization of the working sphere"” advanced by society and politics, which demanded a more important role in economics and working sphere for the coworkers. Into the 1980er years stood before the background of an increasing meaning of the capital markets questions of the economy of business operations in the foreground. In the course of the development and establishment of the Personalcontrollings on effectiveness and efficiency questions of the operational personnel processes and coworkers one focused.

Starting from years - on the basis of the resources theory (resource based view OF the firm) - the concept of the Intellectual Capital was established the 1990er. The so-called "“immaterial values"” were identified as main drivers of operational success and recognized increasingly. In this concept the human capital is the central factor (in such a way the human capital in all categorizations of the Intellectual Capital is explicitly called as only category!) The emotional components of the economic life are promoted among other things by the Coaching and different efforts against the Mobbing. Also some aspects of the woman politics and the promotion of the family friendliness of enterprises work here positively.

If these new developments are considered, a definition of the operational human capital can read today:

The operational human capital is part of the operational immaterial fortune and contributes substantially to the long-term entrepreneurial success and thus to the lasting enterprise safety device. As operational human capital counts:

• • the individual human capital embodied in the coworkers: the abilities, talents and the knowledge of the coworkers, its experience, motivation, innovation ability, etc.
  • the personnel processes (= dynamic human capital), i.e. all procedures for the procurement, development, employment and release of the coworkers. With it the operational personnel management is essentially meant.
  • the personnel structures (= structural human capital), i.e. both structure and organization of the area of staff and the coworker structure resulting from the personnel management (after qualifications, age, sex etc.).

The planning, controlling and control of of the operational human capital are article of of the so-called human capital management (human Capital management (HCM) or also human one ate management). It represents an extension of the operational personnel management (human resource management) with the goal a positive contribution for creation of value and/or to the enterprise value to carry out and this value contribution plan of steering of controlling and of communicating (human capital reporting). An emphasis of this concept is the measurement and evaluation of the operational human capital with the existing contributions to the human capital management unisono is almost stressed that by dismissals and the reduction of personnel development (= the two main dimension-took VALUEs in the area of staff for the increase of the Shareholder) a positive value contribution can be obtained every now and then at short notice, however value is on a long-term basis destroyed and thus the existence of the enterprise is endangered.

Unfortunately it often comes to discrepancies between (more theoretically) realization and (practical) acting, why the term human capital is occupied frequently negatively (see below). Socially move the interpretation and consideration of the term of pure (fortune, investment, sunk costs) up to questions of the value system and the social politics.

Articles in category "Human capital"

We found here 11 articles.

Related Websites

We found here 3 related websites.

• Human capital - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  The term human capital was first discussed by Pigou: "There is such a ... In this view, human capital is similar to "physical means of production", eg, ...


• Human Capital Strategies & News Magazine
  Covers compensation, performance improvement, recruitment, technology, training, recognition, and...


• Human Capital, by Gary S. Becker: The Concise Encyclopedia of ...
  Human Capital, by Gary S. Becker: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics.