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Human Resource Management And Business Objectives And Strategies In Small And Medium Sized Business

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  • Frank Wilkinson

Abstract

There is growing evidence of the importance of co-operation between managers and workers for improving industrial performance. One manifestation of this is the growing use of human resource management (HRM) strategies to increase the involvement of employees. The survey of small and medium sized businesses revealed that a substantial majority of small and medium sized firms used HRM methods and many more than one. The employment of HRM was positively associated with a commitment to non-price competition, longer term business objectives, the intensity of training, innovation, external collaboration and partnerships and the use and effectiveness of externally provided business services and advice. Whilst no causal relation can be necessarily implied from these statistical associations, it is instructive that a significant larger proportion of firms that used HRM practices, particularly in combination and together with training, innovation and external partnership and collaboration, traded in the more fiercely competitive overseas markets and were growing.

Suggested Citation

  • Frank Wilkinson, 2000. "Human Resource Management And Business Objectives And Strategies In Small And Medium Sized Business," Working Papers wp184, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    • Handle: RePEc:cbr:cbrwps:wp184
    Note: PRO-1
    as

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    File URL: https://www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/cbrwp184/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edward Lorenz, 1988. "Neither Friends nor Strangers," Post-Print halshs-00483728, HAL.
    2. Wilkinson, Frank, 1983. "Productive Systems," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 7(3-4), pages 413-429, September.
    3. Nooteboom, Bart, 1999. "Innovation, Learning and Industrial Organisation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 23(2), pages 127-150, March.
    4. Amin, Ash & Wilkinson, Frank, 1999. "Learning, Proximity and Industrial Performance: An Introduction," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 23(2), pages 121-125, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Mazzanti, Massimiliano & Pini, Paolo & Tortia, Ermanno, 2006. "Organizational innovations, human resources and firm performance: The Emilia-Romagna food sector," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 123-141, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Small and medium sized business; human resource management; training and business strategies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • L1 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance
    • L2 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior

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