This paper examines the findings of a large‐scale postal survey based on an adaptation of the Cranfield Network (CRANET) Survey of International Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) to facilitate the analysis of HRM practices in the SME business environment. These findings are considered in light of a review of HRM literature. The survey utilised a sample of 1,369 organisations representing every company employing between 20‐100 people in Northern Ireland. This paper analyses key issues emerging from the 219 (16 per cent) responses received and provides a comparison of HRM practices in family and non‐family businesses. Overall, the findings suggest that family business practices within HRM are different than their non‐family counterparts.
The rapid development of technology and the consequent change in working practices require a dramatically different approach towards training and development in organisations than has traditionally been the case. A review of the literature reveals a negative attitude towards training and development in SMEs, with long-term strategy being substituted for short-term financial gain. Our results confirm this conjecture that the same holds true in Northern Ireland, which is witnessing rapid technological advancement. This article lays the foundations for a body of work which will provide greater insights into training and development needs in SMEs.
With the emergence of human resource management models and literature came a realisation that in many cases personnel specialists were faced with many new opportunities and challenges. There was a perception that a number of the key functions of the specialism had been underdeveloped or even ignored. This article presents a quantitative analysis of human resource management practices in the Northern Ireland clothing industry. The findings are derived from a survey sample of 90 organisations and the data analysed is based on the 69 company responses representing a 76 per cent response rate. The article focuses on one area of the personnel function, which it was considered would be dramatically changed by the implementation of a new approach to managing people; namely, training and development. The article presents a positive view of human resource interventions in the surveyed industry and of the progress specialists within the industry have made.
This paper raises the question whether or not a social and economic dimension exists (community and social involvement, career service intervention/assistance, employer requirements, qualification building) within the Jobskills Training Programme in Northern Ireland. For many young school leavers it has undoubtedly assisted them in the transition from school to the world of work. In addition, many of the cohort study gained an accredited qualification for the first time. All of this, of course, has the aim of making them more employable within the labour market. However, with the local economy becoming stronger and skills shortages rising quickly we have to ask what real contribution does a training intervention like Jobskills really make. In order to determine the effectiveness and contribution to the local labour market, a comparison is made to the Danish vocational and education training model, which highlights significant fundamental differences. The paper concludes by demonstrating the key policy differences and thus presents a new vocational model for youth training in Northern Ireland.
Wallis' thorough survey suggests otherwise. As she bluntly concludes, 'privatisation has had negative implications for organised labour within the coal industry' (page 236). . Second edition, Ashgate, Aldershot, 2001, ix + 158 pp., £39.95 (hardback) This is an impressively researched, well written book based on an excellent industry analysis. It fills an important void in the relatively sparse literature on Human Resource Management (HRM) in the airline industry. Eaton's book is all the more impressive because not only does it focus on HRM, it also offers a comprehensive review of the concept of globalisation. The focus on the airline industry gives this book depth and offers the reader the opportunity to balance a sound theoretical understanding of the key theories of HRM with an in-depth practical knowledge of an industry which has witnessed huge upheaval in the last decade. The book is aimed at managers in all areas of the airline industry and students of air transport or human resource management/personnel management.The book is divided into four parts, with part one focusing on the organisation of airlines as businesses. The major theme emerging from part one is that a key driving force of HRM is the need to be market driven rather than operations driven. A particular strength of this section is the understanding that Eaton displays with regard to the role of managers in the airline industry. The focus of chapter 1 on the customer is an area all too often overlooked in HRM texts. The overview of Total Quality Management is rigorous but keeps the reader's full attention by remaining relatively descriptive and not being overly analytical. The role of the state in the airline industry appears to be one which is constantly debated. Eaton's review of the industry's relationship with the state and the impact of HRM offer a sound historical overview of key developments and gives the reader an insight into current and future state and corporate strategies. Chapters 3 and 4 consider the key relationships in the airline industry, with the underpinning of the chapters being the impact of these various relationships on the management of human resources. A popular misconception among HR academics and practitioners is that boards of directors drive corporate strategy and that the level of HR specialist involvement at board level will determine HR strategy. Eaton's alternative approach is validated by bringing together a range of stakeholders and interested parties including investors, suppliers, competitors and the general public and not just placing sole emphasis on the board of directors. A major strength of Eaton's approach is that HRM policy and practices are considered in relation to each of the aforementioned.This reader found part two of the book, which focuses on internal relations in the airline industry, overly theoretical. However, the reviews of the theory of
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