Human resource management and organizational performance of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria

The link between human resource management (HRM) and firm performance of organizations has received significant research attention, generally focused on large firms from developed countries to the omission of studies focused on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and those from developing countries. This study partially addresses this gap in the literature. We investigated the relationship between HRM practices and the financial (FIN) and non-financial performance (NONFIN) of SMEs in Nigeria. A survey design with 236 respondents was used to test the hypotheses. Multiple regression results showed that human capital development and occupational health and safety had a direct relationship with NONFIN, and employee performance management and NONFIN on FIN performance. HRM practices as a group accounted for 16% of the variance in NONFIN and 12% of the variance in FIN. Regression analyses controlled for size and age of the firm. This study partially supports a model of positive relationships between certain HRM practices and firm performance.     

Human resource management and industrial relations in Italy

Evolution of industrial relations and human resource management in Italy in the last decade is analysed through qualitative case studies, quantitative surveys and a combination of qualitative/quantitative data originating from network researches.

In the 1980s, complementary industrial relations/human resource management in Italy were based on the trade-off between employment security, work flexibility and industrial adjustment. In the 1990s this complementarity is under pressure from a second restructuring process (and privatization) of Italian enterprises.

The last surveys underline that the basic features of industrial relations were not altered, but the data confirm the critical importance of the relationship between industrial relations and human resource management and also the fragility of this balance.     

The prevention of workplace bullying as a question of human resource management: Measures adopted and underlying organizational factors

The aim of this study was to analyse measures adopted to counteract workplace bullying from the perspective of human resource management. First, the kind of measures that are adopted to prevent bullying were examined. Second, factors affecting the extent of such measures were explored. The introduction of written anti-bullying policies and the provision of information were found to be the most common measures adopted. The policies strongly emphasized the role of supervisors and the immediate superior. Measures to counteract bullying were positively related to the adoption of ‘sophisticated’ human resource practices, negative publicity concerning bullying and the presence of a young human resource manager. The results, however, also indicated that imitation seemed to provide an important impetus behind anti-bullying efforts.     

Human resource management and industrial relations in European companies

The paper explores the different patterns of labour relations in European companies. It is based on comparative research carried out in fifteen companies in Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain. ^{1 1}This paper is based on a comparative research study conducted in 1991 in fififteen industrial companies in Italy, France, Germany, Great Britain and Spain. The research team consisted of Paolo Perulli and Ida Regalia (Italy), Alain Lipietz (France), Bruno Cattero (Germany), Paul Marignson (Great Britain) and Fausto Miguelez (Spain). In each country, three case studies were made of companies in thse chemical, food-procesing and engineering industries. Interviews were conducted with the company management as well as with workers' representatives and trade unionists. Of course, this methodology does not allow us to gen eralize our findings, even less to compare national or sectoral patterns. What it does allow us to do, however, is, first, to sugest hypotheses on common trends and major differnces by using the cases studied as anecdotal evidence; second, it allows us to show how apparently similar patterns of personnel management and of labour relations display different features im different cases; third, it enables us to see whether some of these features are systematically asociateed with other variables. View all notesIn each country, three companies in the chemical, food-processing and engineering industries have been studied, through interviews with the company management as well as with workers' representatives.

The starting point is the observation that employers' policies of Jabour relations are today more differentiated than in the recent past: while many employers tend to involve unions in the re-organization of work, have frequent meetings with them and grant them full recognition, others pursue more unilateral paths to industrial adjustment and others still adopt a mixed policy of union involvement on some issues or for some categories of workers and of individual bargaining on others.

An analysis of the major differences among the companies studied is then developed by illustrating three types of choices that managers have to make. The first concerns the extension of the involvement of workers' representatives in decisions. The second has to do with the use of direct relationships with individual workers, as an attempt to bypass the unions or simply as a new method to increase the overall information and communication. The third alternative regards the degree of homogeneity in the management of human resources, in which some rules and advantages may apply to either the whole labour force or some professional (and possibly age or gender) groups only.

In the final section, some possible determinants of the differences in employers' strategies of labour regulation between firms and countries are examined. Special attention is paid to two institutional factors: the role of legal rights to information, consultation and negotiation in different national contexts, and the type of workers' representatives which are present in the companies.     

Extending strategic international human resource management research and pedagogy to the non-profit multinational

This article calls for the inclusion of multinational non-profit organizations in the research and pedagogy of strategic international human resource management. Multinational non-profit enterprise is increasingly influential, both economically and philosophically, as economic and socio-cultural boundaries become more interdependent. Yet the multinational non-profit sector has been ignored by international human resource management scholars. When research and pedagogy overlook practice, a concern exists with regard to their relevance. By outlining the international development of multinational non-profit enterprise, the article contextualizes strategic international human resource management in multinational intermediate private aid and development agencies. Analysis of a particular example, World Vision Australia, illustrates the discussion.     

Human resource management strategies in declining industries

The conceptualization presented in this article suggests that top management should take into account the role of the human resource function in formulating and implementing strategic responses to decline. Such responses must be formulated within the context of the skills and knowledge available to the organization and according to the type of environmental conditions encountered. These influences will force the human resource manager to focus on sharpening competencies existing within the organization, consolidating competencies so that only those currently required by the organization are retained, adding new competencies, or replacing existing competencies so that the organization can move to a new domain activity. The emphasis on human resource processes such as recruitment and termination, training and development, and evaluation, reward, and retention for purposes of development and maintenance of the competencies needed to implement strategic responses to decline will vary according to the nature of the environmental conditions encountered.     

The role of human resource management in cross-border mergers and acquisitions

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have become the dominant mode of growth for firms seeking competitive advantage in an increasingly complex and global business economy. Although human resource management (HRM) can play a value-adding role in the merger process, existing research and evidence does not clearly demonstrate how it can do so. This paper addresses the neglected human side of M&As by providing a strategic fit framework to assess the link between M&A strategy and HRM strategy. Because cross-border M&As are of an order of magnitude more complex than domestic mergers, we examine contingencies in national contexts that influence outcomes in the merger process. We draw on recent empirical evidence to highlight HRM roles in terms of resources, processes and values that reflect the influence of both strategic fit and national context in the integration stage of cross-border M&A.     

The adoption,character and impact of strategic human resource management: a case study of two large metropolitan Vietnamese public hospitals

In this paper the researchers set out to explore the adoption, character and impact of strategic human resource management (SHRM) in two large metropolitan Vietnamese public hospitals using a multi-level qualitative research design. Data are analyzed from 21 interviews and 5 focus groups with key players from the hospitals and government authorities. Findings show that the State controls many of the core day-to-day HR functions of public hospitals, curtailing local autonomy and management innovation. This is compacted by inadequate government funding, poor training of medical staff, and inadequate management and business skills of hospital managers. Inhibiting greater experimentation with SHRM is the fear of developing management initiatives out of sync with the State. Consequently, many managers and clinicians held negative views of the HR department and their relevance for the day-to-day management of healthcare services. Respondents reported that they perceived these factors had a negative impact on the well-being of medical staff and the quality of patient care. The paper concludes with a discussion on the necessity for continued State reforms that can enable greater autonomy of the hospitals' HRM functions and greater investment in local HR capabilities to materialize the link between SHRM, employee well-being and quality of patient care.     

Human resource management in the public sector

This article charts the currents in public sector reform and examines how contemporary HRM articulates to the change agenda pursued in the public sector. It notes the differences between the traditional bureaucratic model and the new management approach of public sector operation and activity. It explores how the institutional, policy and organizational changes delivered a new paradigm of managing members of public service organizations.     

Evolution of organizational governance and human resource management in China's township and village enterprises

This study reviews the evolution of organizational governance and human resource management practices in China's non-state sector, with a focus on China's township and village enterprises (TVEs). The empirical investigation on twenty TVEs located in Southern China provided the evidence that, as enterprises move towards a more formal corporate governance structure with clearer property rights relations, their human resource management practices tend to become more marketized, in order to meet the challenge of increased competition in the highly dynamic, transitional Chinese economy.     

Beyond traditional paternalistic and developmental approaches to organizational change and human resource strategies

This paper assumes that a critical determinant of success in the repositioning of an organization's corporate and business strategies is the internal capability of the organization to implement change through an effective management process. To overcome entrenched interest groups, tender-minded, incremental approaches may be contrasted with the tough-minded strategic orientation of those who advocate radical change. The argument of this paper is that contingent rather than universalistic approaches are required. ‘Soft’ and ‘hard’ approaches are not irreconcilable but are rather parts of a broad set of contingent choices available to decision makers.     

Human resource management in China revisited: introduction

This introduction attempts to provide an overview of the Special Issue of the IJHRM on ‘Human Resource Management in China Revisited’. It deals first with the economic background of the recent changes in the PRC from 1978 to the present day, exploring the change from a command economy to a more market-led one, as well as the demise of ‘iron rice bowl’ policy dominated by a model to Soviet-inspired personnel management in favour of one gradually being characterized by possibly Japanese-/Western-influenced human resource management (HRM), albeit with ‘Chinese characteristics’. It then introduces the main debates in the field before summing up, at some length, the empirical contributions based on ‘state of the art’ field research contained in the papers submitted. Last, it deals with the comparative setting of the contributions on China vis-à-vis the national HRM systems of Japan and South Korea.     

The impact of socially responsible human resource management on employees' organizational citizenship behaviour: the mediating role of organizational identification

Based on insights from social exchange and social identity theories, this paper examines the influence of three dimensions of socially responsible human resource management (SR-HRM), namely legal compliance HRM, employee-oriented HRM and general CSR facilitation HRM, on employees' organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). Structural equation modelling of dyadic data collected from Chinese employees and their direct supervisors in three phases revealed that whilst organizational identification fully mediated the relationship between employee-oriented HRM and employee OCB, general CSR facilitation HRM had a direct effect on employee OCB. In contrast, legal compliance HRM neither influenced employee OCB directly, nor indirectly through organizational identification. The findings highlight the important but complex role played by SR-HRM in eliciting positive employee work outcomes, and contribute to our knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this relationship.     

Human resource management in developing economies: a comparison of India and Thailand

This paper reports the results of surveys of firms that were conducted both in India and Thailand. The surveys centred on a wide range of human resource management practices (staffing, training, compensation and evaluation). The sample consisted of both the subsidiaries of multinational corporations and locally owned companies. Statistical analysis suggests pronounced differences in employment practices between India and Thailand in some areas, while considerable similarities in other areas. The study controls for a variety of organizational factors (e.g., firm size, ownership (foreign versus domestic), union status).     

Is Strategic Human Resource Management Socially Responsible? The Case of Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.

In 2005, Wegmans Food Markets Inc., the family-owned supermarket chain, was awarded the number one spot on the Fortune “100 Best Companies To Work For.” Wegmans’ recognition illustrates an exemplary case of strategic human resource management embedded in an overall culture of social responsibility, amidst a highly competitive and low margin industry. We detail Wegmans’ human resource practices and its overall stakeholder orientation, arguing that the treatment of employees as strategic assets constitutes an effective approach to social responsibility. In other words, strategic human resource management can help organizations reconcile the often cited conflict between profits and principles. We therefore begin with an overview of the contemporary supermarket industry, provide a brief history of Wegmans, and showcase the supermarket chain’s human resource practices. In closing, we discuss Wegmans’ stakeholder orientation and comment on the divide between strategic human resource management and social responsibility research.     

在华跨国公司人力资源本土化分析

随着跨国公司加大在华研发投入力度,跨国公司人才本土化已成必然趋势。文中从多个视角分析了跨国公司人力资源本土化的动因以及我国具有的综合区位优势,提出了我国企业应对策略：应高度重视国内人力资源的开发,加大研发投入力度,通过与跨国公司展开合作竞争,不断学习、吸收其先进技术与管理方式,从而提高本土企业的竞争力。     

新木桶原理与人力资源管理

文章介绍了新木桶原理及在人力资源管理方面的应用,分析了该原理运用于人力资源管理过程中存在的典型误区,并指出应该将提升人力资源管理水平视为一项系统工程,执行中要主要操作的艺术性,并灵活地与新木桶原理相结合。     

会计师事务所战略人力资源管理探讨

会计师事务所是典型的人力资源密集型企业,其战略人力资源管理的重点是核心员工,核心员工的战略人力资源管理要求制定战略规划、实施规划、战略制衡和调整评价四项工作并重。     

战略人力资源管理与跨国公司在中国的绩效

通过比较跨国公司在中国两个行业中的人力资源管理实践与相关绩效,本研究验证战略人力资源管理的不同理论观点。笔者分析了取自中国的软饮料产业与电子产业的实证数据,研究的结果验证了一系列有关战略人力资源管理的基本假设,如企业环境、企业战略、企业人力资源实践与企业绩效之间的关系。     

Strategic human resource management and inertia in the corporate entrepreneurship of a multinational enterprise

Abstract

Corporate entrepreneurship (CE) supports sustained competitive advantage through the continuous exploration and exploitation of new sources of knowledge. With an emphasis on combining knowledge in new configurations, strategic human resource management (HRM) activities are core to these entrepreneurial endeavours. We explore how strategic HRM activities may facilitate and impede CE through a rich, qualitative case study of three local entities within a business unit of a large multinational enterprise facing business stagnation and low levels of corporate entrepreneurship. Responding to a call for more empirical research that probes the subtle and complex interactions between HRM activities and other organisational factors affecting CE, we identify a configuration of inter-dependent factors that mutually reinforce each other and sustain inertia in corporate entrepreneurship. We also make two novel contributions to theory by (1) elaborating the links between organisational process-orientation, strategic HRM and CE; and (2) refining to our current understanding of human competencies for CE.