Research on transfer of training highlights the importance of implementing a set of cognitive-based strategies after training, i.e., post-training transfer interventions, to help trainees achieve positive transfer. In this respect, prior research has considered two types of post-training transfer interventions: relapse prevention and proximal plus distal goal setting. However, despite the advances in recent research linking post-training transfer interventions and transfer of training, there are several key problems that remain under-explored, including the lack of agreement about which post-training transfer intervention types are more efficient to improve transfer performance, the inconclusiveness of the impact of post-training transfer interventions on transfer of training, and the lack of clarity on the process through which post-training transfer interventions affect trainee attitudes and transfer of training (i.e., the mechanism issue). This thesis is attempting to address these problems by investigating the effects of two post-training transfer interventions (i.e., relapse prevention and proximal plus distal goal setting) on trainees' readiness to change, autonomous motivation to transfer, and transfer of training. The data were collected using a sequential mixed method approach involving experimental design and semi-structured interviews. In total, there were 378 employees from two organisational sectors (i.e., public and private sector) in Indonesia participated in the study. The data were analysed using split-plot analysis of variance, partial least square analysis, and content analysis. The findings show that both relapse prevention and proximal plus distal goal setting influence trainees' readiness to change, autonomous motivation to transfer and transfer of training. This study also reveals several complex interactions involving trainees' creativity and initiative that may explain the mechanism linking post-training transfer interventions, trainee attitudes, and transfer of training. By elucidating this mechanism, this thesis helps scholars to organise the large and diverse body of mechanisms on the post-training transfer interventions and transfer of training literature.

This study aims at investigating the alignment between human resource management (HRM) and knowledge management (KM). The research was motivated by the increasing trend towards highlighting the role of HRM practices in supporting KM and its activities. Effective and efficient KM is claimed to only be possible if firms address its human dimension in addition to its information technology (IT) one. The review of relevant literature showed that there was a lack of sufficient empirical research to support the theoretical claims linking HRM to KM. Available empirical studies are rare and subject to criticism that question the validity of the studies. Two empirical research questions are adopted for this study: (1) How is KM perceived and implemented within the management consulting sector in the UK? (2) What is the role of HRM in supporting KM within the management consulting sector in the UK? The context of this study is the 'management consulting sector in the UK. This sector was thought optimal for uncovering links between HRM and KM, mainly due to the nature of this sector; it is arguably knowledge-intensive and is a major employer of a highly skilled workforce. The study utilised mixed methods to address the research questions, which were investigated in both an intensive and an extensive manner. Several methods were utilised as well to ensure replication, complementation and triangulation. The first method is a descriptive survey to assess extensively HRM, KM and their interrelations in the UK management consulting sector. A total of 52 participants replied to the survey, out of a sample of 323 organisations, achieving a response rate of 16.1 %. The second method comprises semi-structured qualitative interviews covering a representative sample of the survey sample. A total of 15 interviews were conducted at this research stage. The third method includes two mini case studies that were chosen based on the companies having a developed KM initiatives arid HRM practices. A total of five interviews were conducted; several relevant documents were also collected from each of the two organisations. The thesis generated several major findings that impact on the relevant literature. There is little evidence of formal holistic KM initiatives in the management consulting sector. KM is chiefly addressed through IT management. At the informal level, KM is viewed as a set of activities where the most cited activity is knowledge-sharing. Therefore, this study found that research is more useful, if it focuses on where knowledge resides and what are the contextual characteristics under each KM orientation. The study identified four KM strategies that organisations might adopt. The combination strategy is found to be the most adopted by consultancies followed by the codification, personalisation and laissez faire strategies. The study focused on the following contextual characteristics under each strategy: culture type, leadership style, IT, knowledge types, knowledge sources, KM responsibility and dominant KM activities. Each KM strategy has a distinctive set of contextual characteristics. Afterwards, the HRM function was found to have a limited role in supporting KM - and when some roles are claimed, they are identified as indirect and reactive, As for the HRM practices, practitioners viewed them as natural contributors to KM at various intensities, although they have not designed them with the intention to do so. Above all, participants perceived PA, R&S and T &D as significant contributors to KM. The thesis then moves on to allocate the contextual characteristics of the HRM practices under each KM strategy, which further illustrates the implicit role of those practices In supporting K.M. The case studies have added some depth to our understanding of this research branch. Firstly, they highlighted the internal politics and power struggles caused by introducing KM initiatives. Secondly, they illustrated how various KM strategies exist within the same organisation.

The aim of this thesis is to discover how novice Human Resource (HR) professionals learn to practice. In addressing this aim, the thesis evaluated what processes supported and hindered the development of HR professional practice and explored if there was a relationship between the methods experienced while learning and, subsequent, professional development. The grounded theory method with a longitudinal, relativism, case study approach was adopted for the research. The research design involved a comprehensive review of the literature on professional practice and knowledge. The study followed the careers of five novice HR professionals which involved annual meetings with them and their manager over a period of three years, thus resulting in 30 in-depth interviews. The literature demonstrated the tensions for HR generally and, particularly, in terms of its status as a profession, with it being deemed by some to be an occupation (Caldwell 2003) or semi-profession (Hodson and Sullivan 2012). Furthermore, a critical feature of professions is the development of both explicit and tacit knowledge owing to them being what Eraut (2003:61) term an "applied field". A conceptual model was developed by the author to capture these points in the context of professional development for the novice. This research found a difference in professional development of novice HR professionals who were fully supported. Of the five participants in the research, two of them achieved greater professional development. This appeared to be attributable to five factors (role, management, organisation, personal and professionalism). The author has used these factors to build a professional development framework that may be helpful in cultivating HR practice. The research makes an important contribution in understanding the nature of tacit and explicit knowledge plus professional development within the context of a profession. Furthermore, contributions are made for the development of novice HR practitioners by developing a unifying, practical professional development framework. The fram,ework has been specifically designed as a 'practical tool to be utilised by managers and/or novice HR professionals. The study also highlights avenues for future research and suggests practical implications for both the HR professional body and Higher Education.

Outsourcing is a growing phenomenon and the human resource (HR) function is not immune to its tentacle reach. HR outsourcing is driven by a continual push for those working within the HR function to prove their worth and demonstrate their added- value. Proponents of outsourcing HR provision believe it enables the HR function to focus on delivery improvement, enhancing its role within the business and increasing the credibility of the HR function overall. This thesis tests these assumptions. Through a survey of 315 respondents, semi-structured interviews and access to three case study organisations examining responses from multiple constituents, the thesis examines the impact of HR outsourcing on the HR function. In addition, it contrasts HR outsourcers with those working in fully internalised HR teams in order to better understand outsourcing impacts and provide explanation for these effects. The argument of the thesis is that HR outsourcing weakens the HR function through a diminution of its overall core competence. It becomes unable to cope with organisational demands, ceases to develop further HR skill and increasingly relies on the expertise of third party providers. The reasons offered for these detrimental effects include the prior experience and expectations of senior managers and their requirements of an HR function, the inability of those engaged in HRO to manage impressions effectively and showcase HR function successes, and more importantly, a lack of competence within the HR function to assume an enhanced strategic position and thus exert greater influence within the business as a whole. The evidence of increasing skill depletion amongst HR professionals engaged in HRO poses a serious threat to the HR function and perceptions of its organisational importance, and has stark implications for both the future of the HR professionals working within outsourced provision, and those considering its use.

This study empirically tests the universal thesis which proposes that 'best practice' HRM leads to enhanced individual and organisational performance. Research on the relationship between 'best practice' HRM and organisational performance has been of increasing interest over the last few decades. Findings from these studies have reported positive relationships between 'best practice' HRM and organisational performance however the majority of studies have used company-dominated performance measures. Few have considered the effects of HRM practices on worker outcomes - a significant omission in the extant literature. Moreover, most of the studies conducted in this area are based on research emerging from the US and UK private sector organisations. Whether the universal thesis has similar performance effects across national contexts and sectors (public/private) has largely been untested. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to test the universal thesis in a non-Westernised country and to compare the effects of 'best practice' HRM on workers' performance outcomes in public sector organisations in England and Malaysia. A self-administered questionnaire survey of 569 (England) and 453 (Malaysia) frontline workers, supervisors and middle managers working in England and Malaysia local government organisations was undertaken. The findings show that 'best practice' HRM explained workers' motivation, organisational citizenship behaviour and perceived organisational performance to a greater extent in Malaysia than in England local government organisations. Workers in Malaysia were found to be more motivated and more willing to help others with no additional pay in comparison to their England counterparts. However, even though 'best practice' HRM affected job satisfaction and intention to quit in both countries, the effect was greater for England workers. Furthermore, of the six HRM practices examined in this study, team working consistently had the most powerful effects on worker outcomes in both England and Malaysia local government organisations. Therefore, it appears that team working is an important predictor for achieving desirable worker outcomes in both countries. The findings also show that organisational climate explained job satisfaction more so in Malaysia than in England local government organisations. Also, organisational climate predicted workers' motivation and organisational citizenship behaviour in Malaysia but not in England. Concerning the relationship between worker outcomes and perceived organisational performance, the findings show that different outcomes predicted organisational performance. For instance in England job satisfaction predicted perceived organisational performance whereas, in Malaysia motivation and intention to quit predicted perceived organisational performance. In conclusion, this study has addressed the significant gaps in the extant literature and has presented empirical evidence in support of the universal thesis, in that the evidence presented reports statistically significant relationships between 'best practice' HRM and worker outcomes in public sector organisations in both Westernised and non-Westernised countries.

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This study set out to contribute to the literature on international human resource management (IHRM) strategies of multinational corporations (MNCs) and the factors that influence them. In doing so it sought to address a number of weaknesses in the existing literature, notably a marked lack of research into the strategies adopted by MNCs in developing economies, particularly when they become involved under the auspices of privatisation programmes. More specifically, the study sought to investigate the human resource management (HRM) reforms introduced by three French MNCs in privatised Jordanian companies and the factors that influenced them. The research utilised a longitudinal multiple-case design to achieve the study's aim and objectives, and was conducted in three phases over three years. More specifically, the study was based upon a sample of three case studies of privatised Jordanian companies that had recently come under the control of French MNCs operating in different sectors. Primary data was gathered through 67 in-depth semi-structured interviews with company directors, senior line and finance managers, and HR staff, including senior personnel based at headquarters in France. In addition, 14 interviews were conducted with government officials in Jordan and a range of supplementary documentary evidence was examined. In general, the findings from the case study companies revealed that in each of the Jordanian subsidiaries a wide range of changes had been made to the previously existing HRM policies. These encompassed the making of reforms in each of the specific areas of HR activity investigated: the people management responsibilities of line managers; staffing, recruitment and selection; training and development; performance appraisal; rewards; and communication and consultation. Taken together, the case studies highlighted similarities in terms of the objectives and broad thrust of the structural, policy and cultural reforms that were introduced. However, they also showed the companies to differ in terms of the way in which the reforms were centrally authored, the extent to which they were implemented in a participative way, the types of control mechanisms that were used to support the reform process, and the pace with which the reforms were introduced. The above similarities and differences appeared to nave been influenced by a number of interrelated factors. Most important was the beliefs that senior management held of what constituted 'good and appropriate' human resource practice. Others related to the characteristics of the industries in which the MNCs operated and the implications these had for company business strategies and structures; the parent company's country of origin and experience in managing international operations; the strategic role of the subsidiaries and their mode of establishment; and a number of host country effects. Overall, it is argued, that the study's findings contribute to existing knowledge in a number of ways. First, the findings lend some further support to the validity of Perlmutter's typology of the IHRM strategies that are adopted by MNCs, while also raising doubts about its future usefulness. They also add weight to the view that a process of convergence is occurring in respect of the HRM policies utilised by MNCs, and that this convergence is centred around an Anglo-Saxon conceptualisation of HRM best practice. At the same time, they also lend weight to the argument that this process of Anglo-Saxonisation is occurring in the context of national specific frameworks. As a result, the study suggests that there remains some country of origin influence over the way MNCs mange their human resources. More generally, the study's findings tend to suggest, contrary to some arguments in the literature, that MNCs do not apply different IHRM strategies and practices to their subsidiaries in developing economies. They also suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the way in which government policies and wider political pressures, surrounding the privatisation programmes of such countries act to influence the way in which MNCs approach the process of reform in subsidiaries acquired as a result of privatisation. More generally, the study's findings tend to suggest, contrary to some arguments in the literature, that MNCs do not apply different IHRM strategies and practices to their subsidiaries in developing economies. They also suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the way in which government policies and wider political pressures, surrounding the privatisation programmes of such countries act to influence the way in which MNCs approach the process of reform in subsidiaries acquired as a result of privatisation. More generally, the study's findings tend to suggest, contrary to some arguments in the literature, that MNCs do not apply different IHRM strategies and practices to their subsidiaries in developing economies. They also suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the way in which government policies and wider political pressures, surrounding the privatisation programmes of such countries act to influence the way in which MNCs approach the process of reform in subsidiaries acquired as a result of privatisation. More generally, the study's findings tend to suggest, contrary to some arguments in the literature, that MNCs do not apply different IHRM strategies and practices to their subsidiaries in developing economies. They also suggest that more attention needs to be paid to the way in which government policies and wider political pressures, surrounding the privatisation programmes of such countries act to influence the way in which MNCs approach the process of reform in subsidiaries acquired as a result of privatisation.

The objective of this thesis is to develop a conceptual model that determines how employee perceptions of their work environments are related to their wellbeing and behaviour. This thesis replicates and extends job demands-control-support (JDCS) theory by integrating variables associated with perceived work environment characteristics (job demands, autonomy, managerial support, and family support), general wellbeing (anxiety), job-related wellbeing (job satisfaction and organization commitment), behaviour (turnover), personal characteristics (male versus female employees), and organizational characteristics (public versus private sectors) into a coherent model. The structural equation modelling technique is used to validate of the measurement model and for examining the inter-relationships among these variables at both the individual and workplace level. For the purpose of analysis, data has been taken from 2004 Workplace Employment Relations Survey (VVERS 2004). At individual level, the findings suggest that employee perceptions of their work environment are associated with their general and job-related wellbeing. The empirical findings show that (1) higher job demands placed on employees and perceived lack of family support influence job attitudes through their effect on anxiety, (2) high job control and managerial support reduces work related anxiety and increases job satisfaction and organization commitment, and (3) male and female employees do not perceive their work environments differently. At workplace level, the findings suggest that employee shared perceptions of their work environment are associated with their wellbeing and behaviour. The empirical findings show that: (1) higher job demands placed on employees increases their work related anxiety and reduces their job satisfaction in private workplaces, (2) high job control and managerial support increases job satisfaction and organization commitment, (3) perceived lack of family support reduces organization commitment in private sector, (4) job satisfaction is the only direct antecedent of turnover, (5) of work environment characteristics, autonomy and managerial support are indirect antecedents of turnover, (6) lack of family support reduces organization commitment in private sector. Overall, the thesis indicates that while JDCS theory is useful in explaining employees psychological and health related wellbeing, extending theory to include family support and using extended theory to predict job-related wellbeing and turnover increases our understanding of the underlying phenomena.