The study investigated the methods used by small businesses to select people under the age of 20. While over 88 per cent of all businesses employ fewer than 25 people (about a third of the total workforce), very little is known about how they recruit and select their staff. A national sample of498 small businesses, employing a total of 5612 people, were interviewed by a team of about 50 interviewers. A structured face-to-face interview was used to explore each organization's most recent selection of one or more young people. The recruitment and selection procedures they followed and techniques they used were probed in detail. Data were analysed in terms of general trends and differences relating to four main variables: size of business; geographical location; industry sector; and type of occupation. The results raise questions about 'good' and 'fair' practice and are discussed in terms of difference in selection practice between small and larger businesses.The selection and recruitment procedures used by small businesses, especially those employing 10 or fewer people, differ markedly from those of large organizations, being far more informal and unstructured. Among the major findings was a strong emphasis by employers on the importance of personality characteristics-such as honesty and integrity-and of interest in the job. All were rated as far more important than ability, aptitude or attainment.Over 88 per cent of businesses employ fewer than 25 people, with 73.2 per cent of all employers employing 10 or fewer (NOMIS analysis of employment statistics, 1989). The sheer number of such businesses means that they account for nearly one-third (29.8 per cent) of the total workforce. Despite this very high proportion, very little is known about how businesses of this size recruit and select their staff.Previous studies have tended to concentrate on management selection practices-in particular, selection in the recruitment of graduates for management training schemes (e.g. Mabey, 1989; Robertson & Makin, 1986;Shackleton & Newell, 1991). This trend has been continued by more recent surveys which have provided comparison between the approaches adopted by different countries (DiMilia, Smith & Brown, 1994;Shackleton & Newell, 1994). Other research has looked at selection more broadly-across all areas of work. The Institute of Manpower Studies (IMS) survey (Bevan & Fryatt, 1988) looked at *Requests for reprints 340Dave Bartram et al. 320 companies in the UK and the Industrial Relations Services (IRS) reported an analysis of data from 17 3 companies (IRS, 199 1).Particular interest has focused on the developing use of psychological tests in selection, for assessing both ability and personality. In addition to the above surveys, which discuss the use of tests together with other assessment techniques, the Banking Insurance and Finance Union (BIFU, 1991) has reported on the use of tests in the finance sector and the Local Government Training Board (Hughes, 1990) has produced a guide to the tests in use in management selectio...

Guidance for breaking bad news should encompass the whole process of doing this and acknowledge the challenges nurses face in the inpatient clinical area. Developments in education and support are required that reflect the challenges that nurses encounter in the inpatient care setting.

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