Despite common perceptions about the informality of human resource management (HRM) practices within small firms, few studies have considered how HRM practices change with firm size. This paper explores how HRM practices of small firms change as the size of the firm increases. Using data from micro, small and medium firms in Queensland, Australia, the paper reviews the recruitment and selection practices, training methods, performance appraisal and the maintenance of HR records and policies in these firms. The findings indicate a move towards hierarchical structures, increased documentation and more administrative processes as the number of employees increases. The increase is rapid initially and then occurs at a slower pace thereafter. Such changes have implications for the management of the employment relationship. The paper concludes that HRM practices in small firms cannot be portrayed by a standardised description and that management training and advice for small firms must recognise the diversity associated with this important sector of the Australian economy.

While there is considerable debate in the popular press about the changing roles of men and women, labour force statistics suggest that there has been little change in the work patterns of men and women. Despite the increasing availability of part‐time work, men in professional and managerial roles are not considering part‐time as an option for them. Rather, there are increasing organizational pressures for men to be working long hours in the paid workforce. In this paper, men's absence from part‐time work is considered from a multidisciplinary perspective. Factors operating at the individual, social and organizational levels are identified and explored in terms of their impact on men's working patterns. A model is presented that characterizes men's absence from part‐time work as a result of the mutually reinforcing nature of these factors.

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -While most studies concerning gender differences in small business performance have emerged from developed countries, how applicable the results are to transitional economies, where there still exist significant differences in the socialisation of men and women, is not clear. The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of gender on the performance of small businesses in Ghana by exploring the impact of personal values on business owners' choice of strategies, specifically asking, do women and men pursue different business strategies, how do personal values influence their strategies and how do their strategies affect performance? Design/methodology/approach -A total of 600 owner-managers of small retail shops in the Greater Accra Region were surveyed. Results were analysed using the partial least squares approach to structural equation modelling. Findings -The results suggest that there are gender differences in personal values, which lead to different strategies adopted by women and men, which in turn influence performance; specifically Ghanaian women owner-managers are more risk-averse than Ghanaian men, and this affects their pursuit of specific functional strategies and ultimately their performance in varied ways. Research limitations/implications -Further studies will need to replicate these findings with other types of businesses, in other locations. Practical implications -The results suggest that closer attention should be given to developing the entrepreneurial values of women if the goal of greater economic development is to be achieved in transitional economies. Originality/value -Limited research has been conducted on women and men small business owners in transitional economies such as Ghana. This empirical research provides important insights into this field.

A glass ceiling for women still exists in academia after two decades of equal employment opportunity (EEO) legislation in Australia. There are complex factors that when combined make gender inequity in the higher education sector highly resistant to change. Using personal histories as a reflexive device, the paper makes explicit the embedded male patterns of behaviour in academia that operate beneath the façade of policies and rules put into place to counter inequity. In particular, the paper focuses on the cognitive dissonance individuals experience due to the disparity between formal organizational policies promoting equity, such as workload allocations, and perceptions of the unequal opportunities for women and men. Using social identity theory and the leader member exchange (LMX) framework, the daily experiences of three academic women are interpreted, the impediments to equality identified, and suggestions made for more fundamental change to gendered organizational structures within academia. The analysis of such behaviours shows that the traditional emphasis of EEO legislation on formal policies and procedures to bring about gender equity in academia needs to be accompanied by cultural change programs that make explicit and challenge behaviours that reproduce and reinforce male hegemony in academia.

The results showed a strong support system within the participant group, despite evidence in the literature that nurses, generally, are not supportive of each other. The results of this study may be used in the development of more effective support mechanisms for nurse managers.