1. Twenty five years ago the Adminalty Board approved recommendations for a radically new procedure for selection of officer cadets for the Royal Navy. 2. Under the new procedure candidates were ranked using a judgmental measure of personality and their performance in educational examinations. The former was an interpretation of candidates' behaviour in individual and group tasks and interview, performance in psychological tests, and headmasters' reports, and has remained essentially unchanged to the present day. 3. Selected candidates were given extensive training initially in general naval matters, later in specialist subjects, to prepare them for service in Seaman, Supply and Secretariat, Engineer and Electrical branches. 4. The first 300 officers selected have not passed through the zone of promotion to Commander. Records of their performance in selection, training and subsequent career have been analysed to, identify the abilities associated with success and the effectiveness of selection and training criteria for determination of these abilities. 5. Investigations of data structure using Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis have revealed the inter-relationship of examination and test scores, interview board marks, biographical items, training course results, superiors' assessments, and a synthetic variable denoting career success. Vectors representing these variables have been located in a three-dimensional framework with axes defined as personality, verbal-educational ability and spatial-mechanical ability. Comparative analyses of more recent samples show that the basic structure of this framework is stable. 6. The relation is depict in the-'-three-dimensional model, together, with results of predictive studies using Discriminatory Analysis and Multiple Regression Analysis, show that success up to Commander's rank is associated with markedly different abilities in the various branches of the service and that short-term and long-tern, success are also distinct. 7. The conclusion is reached that discriminatory techniques could make a powerful contribution to present-day selection by facilitating optimum selection and placement of candidates in terms of relevant abilities.

China's rapid economic development and the emergence of its large firms have had much attention and commentary, but the important role of small businesses has received less focus. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is to explore small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in China, with specific attention to people management. It examines the nature of people management in SMEs in China by assessing the extent to which human resource management (HRM) practices are appIfed in the organisations, and by evaluating the cultural and institutional impacts on human resource '{HR) practices adopted in these firms. Using a survey questionnaire and an in-depth semi-structured interview, an investigation of people management in SMEs was carried out centred on three main research questions: what is the role of the HR/personnel function in SMEs?; to what extent are HRM practices applied to SMEs?; and what are institutional and cultural factors that affect HRM take-up in SMEs? Several key findings are derived from this study. First, people management in SMEs is different from the traditional Chinese personnel administration system in the following ways: the terminology; the role of HR manager; the importance of the personnel function in the . ~-, organisation; the range of powers of the HR department; and the position of the personnel department in the company. Second, the extent of current HRfpractices in SMEs in China shows a slow convergence to Western HRM practices while the transferability is affected by cultural and institutional factors. Third, there are some similarities between people management in SMEs in China and management practices in SMEs in the West. These resemblances include the vulnerability ofSMEs in a changing environment; the difficulties in finding and retaining highly qualified employees; and an informal approach to key HR practices, namely, employee resourcing, training, and relations. Overall, the nature of people management in SMEs in China displays transitional features. In addition, this thesis suggests that current HR practices in SMEs could be improved and/or adjusted so as to support SMEs' future development in China.

Libya traditionally suffers from a shortage of skilled manpower. A network of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions were introduced in Libya, for the purpose of enhancing the supply of skilled manpower needed for the manufacturing industry and the national socio-economic development plans. The shortage of qualified manpower, such as engineers and technicians, skilled workers, is largely attributable to the failure of TVET to supply the country with its requirements of trained manpower in scope of manufacturing industry. The assumption behind this research is that Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in general and TVET in particular suffer from a lack of appropriate planning mechanisms and procedures for the linking TVET with manufacturing industry. This study was exploratory and descriptive in nature and used a quantitative research method. This study presents initial results from a survey of students at HEIs; and engineers and technicians at a manufacturing industry. It investigates their perception regarding TVET programmes as well as work-related issues in Libya. Some of the research key findings are: there is a substantial mismatch between the outcome of TVET and the exact requirements of the Libyan manufacturing industry; most of the TVET suffer from limited human and physical resources, and the unavailability of a framework for the development of TVET and to assist in organising the link and narrow the gap between Libyan TVET institutions and chemical manufacturing industry. On the bases of the data analysis and the findings, recommendations for a framework to strengthen the link between TVET providers and manufacturing sector has been put forward to be used by educational planners in Libya in establishing or improving existing TVET. Some suggestions are also made for further research to address the issue of acceptance of industrial and vocational work and related influencing factors.

The development of competent technicians for the oil and gas industries is vital for a sustainable economy in Libya. One of the major factors that brought about modernisation in the country is the export of oil and gas. This has allowed Libya to embark on profound growth and expansion in all sectors, including health and education. Technical education is one of the most significant components of Human Resources Development (HRD). Therefore, the government has embarked on establishing the Technical Education and Training (TET) programme for preparing and developing technicians to work in the oil and gas industries. This thesis focuses on an assessment of the TET programme. It is important to note that to the knowledge of the researcher, there has been no research conducted to assess TET programme in Libya. Therefore, this study can be considered as an initial source of information that is aimed to contribute to the knowledge in this field. In order to understand the nature of the TET programme and how it is perceived by the respondents, two research approaches were adopted, namely quantitative and qualitative. The results suggest that the respondents are positive about issues relating to the process of the TET programme and the relationship between the Petroleum Training and Qualifying Institute (PTQI) and the oil and gas industries in conducting this programme. To establish this, 3 questionnaires were used to collect data from the teaching staff, students and technicians who attended the TET programme. Results of the quantitative analysis suggest that respondents mostly agreed on issues related to the quality of the TET programme, the curricula, teaching and learning, educational resources and educational planning and assessment. However, although these results show a positive perception towards the TET programme, up to 38.5% of the respondents were negative on issues related to the quality of the TET programme, curricula, teaching and learning, educational resources and educational planning and assessment. In addition, results indicated that the managers at the PTQI and oil industries were working in partnership to organise and manage the TET programme. These results appear to suggest that although the majority of the respondents were happy with the TET programme further studies may be required to understand the effectiveness of the TET programme

Performance appraisal is an important element of Human Resource Management and one which can directly contribute to the achieving of organizational goals. The process of performance appraisal can also result in employee development, enhanced communication and a strengthening of a feeling of belonging. The central conceptual framework for the study embraced performance appraisal within the wider framework of performance management, stakeholder theory and the diversity of national culture. Much of the previous research into performance appraisal has predominantly focused on Western organizations, with limited attention being paid to its practice in developing economies. The entry, in 2001, of the People's Republic of China to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), provided an opportunity for foreign banks to operate in China which, in turn, increased competition for Chinese banks. As the banking sector, particularly the state-owned banks, is an extremely sensitive area for the nation's economy, the contribution that performance appraisal can make to a bank's success is important and thus provided a natural setting for the research. Adopting an exploratory approach, a specifically-designed questionnaire was used to gather data from salient stakeholders in Chinese state-owned banks between 2006 and 2007. Over 700 questionnaires were returned and analysed using parametric statistics to determine how stakeholders perceived performance appraisal within their bank. Biographic data provided independent variables which were evaluated against the areas of satisfaction, loyalty and the perception of an 'ideal' performance appraisal system. Levels of employee satisfaction provided a strong cultural perspective on the appraisal process, with this being contrasted at different levels within the banks and between each bank. The findings suggest a relationship between salient stakeholders' positive perceptions of procedural and distributive justice and levels of satisfaction. Findings from stakeholder perceptions of an 'ideal' appraisal process were used to provide recommendations as to how performance appraisal can be intertwined within a national culture. The unique setting provided direct contributions of knowledge with respect to developing the conceptual framework of performance appraisal from a stakeholder perspective. The associated areas of performance management and evaluation of performance appraisal in a developing economy extended the literature with respect to international HRM. From an organizational perspective, the empirical study provided recommendations that contributed to the development of employees in Chinese state-owned banks, which would enhance their strategic aims, in the new post-WTO competitive environment.

This thesis investigates the public sector wage premium in the UK over the last decade using both econometric and economic modelling methods. A comprehensive literature review is conducted to summarise the four popular types of methods adopted by the existing microeconomics studies, which are weakly derived from some labour economic theories. A common problem of the economic methods is the difficulty in dealing with selection bias when valid instruments are not available. All four types of econometric methods are then applied to estimating the public sector wage premium, resulting in an overall average of 6.5% when a relatively higher female's premium. In particular, propensity score matching method provides the most robust estimate against mis-specification. As a bridge between microdata and macrodata in the labour market, the wage premium is shown to be counter-cyclical. Indirect inference is then introduced as a new method of testing and estimating a micro-founded economic model in the microdata analysis context. All four types of econometric methods are used as auxiliary models to summarise the data features, based on which the distance between the actual data and the model-simulated data is assessed. A calibrated model passes the test only when the propensity score matching method is used as the comparison criterion. To focus on the key properties of the model, the OLS coefficients are grouped into a smaller dimension, and the estimated model can also pass the test. The selection bias can be tested in a straightforward way under indirect inference, and we find no evidence for selection in the data. A Monte Carlo experiment is designed to verify the high statistical power of indirect inference test. Finally, a normative analysis is carried out and there is no evidence of unjust factors behind the observed public sector wage premium.

This thesis addresses an existing gap in the workplace bullying literature: how Human Resource Practitioners (HRPs) construct, interpret and respond to workplace bullying. Semistructured interviews were conducted with individual HRPs and a small focus group using two forms of data collection: HRPs’ unprompted interpretations of a vignette depicting a bullying situation and HRPs’ own experiential accounts of handling bullying claims. The HRPs were from private and public sector organisations, and all occupied roles that involved dealing with bullying claims. The interviews were analysed using Critical Discourse Analysis, and Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice provided the framework for interpreting the multilevel individual, organisational and social factors influencing HRPs’ bullying-related practice. The findings suggest that bullying is a complex and difficult issue for HRPs due to a combination of organisational pressure to protect managers, management-centric antibullying policies and the relative powerlessness of Human Resource Management and HRPs in organisations. HRPs applied a range of interpretive mechanisms that served to attribute blame to the target and legitimise the manager’s behaviour, even when the behaviour described met academic definitions of bullying. The way the HRPs constructed, interpreted and responded to bullying claims depended on whether the alleged bully was the target’s peer or manager. The HRPs consistently constructed peer-to-peer claims as interpersonal conflict and manager-to-employee claims as the target’s reaction to performance-management practices. The HRPs’ construct of ‘genuine bullying’ appeared to comprise four essential criteria: intentional and person-related behaviour between peers, which has significant negative impact on a trustworthy target. These findings have significant implications for research and practice. Firstly, HRPs’ construct of ‘genuine bullying’ is fundamentally different to academic and organisational definitions of bullying. Secondly, as a result of these constructs and interpretive mechanisms it appears very unlikely that any management behaviour in manager-to-employee claims would be constructed as bullying by HRPs.

Although there is consensus that national Human Resource Development policy is important, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) the ways in which strategic human resources development (SHRD) is undertaken by employing organisations remains under-researched. The study investigated the value attached to learning in multinational private and also public organisations in Saudi Arabia. The three research objectives were to: examine the strategic value of learning from CEO managers‟ and HRD practitioners‟ perceptions in multinational private and public organisations in Saudi Arabia; establish the extent to which the value attached to learning in the public sector is different from that in the multinational private sector in Saudi Arabia and, to examine any differences in the value attached to learning by HRD specialists and senior managers of organisations in KSA. Making use of a constructionist ontology the thesis explores how these senior staff value and evaluate strategic learning and its contribution to their organisations. An inductive approach is taken with elements of both comparative and cross sectional design. This thesis builds on O‟Driscoll et al. (2005) in the USA and Anderson (2007) in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken in twenty organisations, with thirty-seven senior participants. Findings were analysed through thematic analysis. The data suggest that respondents in many KSA organisations evaluate learning through individual performance measured by trainees‟ satisfaction and changes in employee capability, focusing more on short term operational issues rather than organisation strategy. Although the context for HRD in Saudi Arabia is different to that of Western developed economies there are similarities between the finding from this thesis and O‟Driscoll et al, (2005) and Anderson (2007) which suggest that there is a range of challenges associated with putting strategic HRD into practice in employing organisation.

This thesis addresses an existing gap in the academic and practitioner knowledge of the repatriation process of international assignees. The study highlights the disparity between intended HR policy and implemented HR practices within the banking sector across Europe, USA and Asia. Repatriates are defined as an employee who has returned home after spending more than six months abroad (Linehan & Scullion, 2002: 650). The major contribution of this research is developing existing theory; previous research has focused upon readjustment and knowledge transfer of repatriates (Black et al, 1991; Bossard & Peterson, 2005; Brewster & Suutari, 2003; Sanchez Vidal et al, 2007). This study contributes to academic knowledge through an enhanced understanding and identification of how the repatriation process works and is perceived by the various stakeholders including repatriates, Human Resource Business Partners, International Human Resources and line managers. The methods utilised generated data via in-depth semi-structured interviews in order to gain insights into how the repatriates perceived the process as well as interviews with HRBPs, IHR function and line managers. The data was then analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The findings highlight that the objectives for an assignment are not evaluated. Thus currently there is no provision to define success from the organisation‟s point of view. Additionally, the research indicates that there are numerous lost opportunities to gather information about the newly acquired skills and knowledge of the repatriate. The poor repatriation process and implementation of policy clearly impact upon the perception from each of the stakeholders‟ view of whether an assignment has been successful. Consequently the research strives to present a more inclusive look at the effect of the company‟s HR policy and practices and how this impacts upon the repatriation process. The results of the study highlight the opportunity for HR to add transformational practices to facilitate an improved repatriation experience for not only the repatriates but also in identifying the additional stakeholders‟ experience. The contribution to existing knowledge provides additional opportunities for further research to investigate variables beyond the traditional organisation and repatriate perspective highlighting further areas for future research into multiple stakeholders.

The growth in the global call centre industry over the last twenty years has been huge. The main motivating factor for businesses to introduce call centres as their main vehicle for handling customer contacts has been that call centres are inherently efficient. Since the mid-1980's, UK businesses have sought to establish competitive advantage by using call centres to reduce the cost of managing their customer contacts. Over the last decade or so, however, an alternative strategy has emerged based not on cost-reduction and efficiency, but on revenue generation and service quality. This new strategy places high value on customer and staff retention. This thesis is concerned with the operations management task of employee rostering. We argue that traditional models for producing rosters for call centre employees are designed to support the older efficiency-based culture, and are inappropriate for call centres adopting the more recent quality-based culture. We show how the use of methods and models drawn from conflicting management philosophies contributes to the high level of employee turnover, and inhibits the drive for service quality. Our primary contributions are to identify a set of rostering goals which reflect the interests of the employees, and to quantitatively represent these goals in a system of mathematical rostering models designed to support the revenue generation strategy. Our models are implemented using the robust Mixed Integer Programming methodology. In addition, we adapt our model to address the related problem of nurse rostering, and solve two benchmark problems to optimality. We demonstrate that our model generates rosters of a higher quality than the alternatives, at no additional cost.