Undersökningens fokus är att belysa upplevelser av just förstalinjechefer inom kommunal verksamhet då vi önskar söka en bättre förståelse för hur cheferna upplever HRs stöd för att eventuellt kunna förbättra HR som servicefunktion. Studien riktar in sig på kommunal verksamhet då mycket av de befintliga teorier och modeller som finns är baserade vinstdrivande företag och vi anser att det finns en kunskapsbrist inom området. Studien är främst riktad som ett verktyg till HR men skildrar också kunskap som cheferna också kan ha användning av för att förstärka sitt samarbete med HR.Undersökningen är av kvalitativ ansats och genomfördes som djupintervju. Målstyrt- och snöbollsurval låg till grund för att komma i kontakt och välja respondenter. Intervjuguiden som är semistrukturerad består av frågor anpassade efter litteratur och teoriavsnitt enligt teorier som bland annat HRs värde, profession, hur HR får engagemang samt rollmodeller som beskriver HRs olika förhållningssätt gentemot cheferna.Resultatet visar bland annat på att cheferna uppfattar HR som diffust. Det finns brister vad gäller chefernas uppfattning av HRs syfte, arbetsbeskrivning och mandat. Det framkommer också att flertal chefer inte vet var man ska vända sig och med vilka frågor. Undersökningen visar också att förstalinjechefer endast ser roller som berör deras eget område och att viss förståelse saknas för HRs resterande arbetsuppgifter. Detta kan i sin tur leda till missnöje och missförstånd mellan parterna. Slutligen finns det områden i samarbetet mellan parterna som kan förbättras för att stärka ett samarbete. Däribland förbättra och tydliggöra kommunikation, främja relationen parterna emellan samt se över att HR har de resurser som krävs för att möta chefernas förväntningar och önskemål. Till exempel genom att anställa fler HR personal för att kunna fördela och prioritera arbetet bättre.

Researchers in human resource management (HRM) have long been concerned with the attraction and retention of organizational members (Breaugh, 1992; Rynes, 1991; Vroom, 1966). However, as the U.S. work force has become more diverse (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000), the need to consider how issues of cultural diversity are related to the recruitment process has become increasingly important. For example, although past research has investigated relations among individuals' values, personality, and job choice preferences, no research has examined the job choice trade-off preferences of culturally diverse individuals. Moreover, researchers have not examined explicit job choice trade-off preferences involving job and organizational factors, even though expectancy theory-based models of recruitment implicitly suggest that individuals make trade-offs among valent job and organizational factors. Therefore, the purpose of the current research was to examine the relations among individuals' (a) cultural values (power distance, Protestant Ethic-earnings, Protestant Ethic-upward striving), (b) ethnicity (European-American, Hispanic-American), and (c) their job choice trade-off preferences for organizational prestige over pay using Thurstone's (1927, 1931) law of comparative judgment method. Study 1 served as a pilot of the procedure and measures. Based on the results of Study 1, changes were made to improve reliability of measures prior to Study 2. Study 2 tested hypothesized relations among cultural values, ethnicity, and job choice trade-off preferences for organizational prestige over pay. Results from Study 2 showed that power distance cultural values were related positively to job choice trade-off preferences for organizational prestige over pay and that Protestant Ethic-earnings cultural values were related negatively to job choice trade-off preferences for organizational prestige over pay. In addition, Hispanic-Americans were more likely than European-Americans to prefer job choice trade-offs for organizational prestige over pay. However, Protestant Ethic-upward striving cultural values were unrelated to job choice trade-off preferences for organizational prestige over pay. Moreover, ethnicity was unrelated to power distance cultural values, Protestant Ethic-earning cultural values, or Protestant Ethic-upward striving cultural values. Study results suggest that including cultural values and ethnicity in future recruitment research can enhance the understanding of individuals' job choice preferences and provide practitioners with information to attract multicultural job applicants.

The intense competition arising from globalisation requires MNCs to manage their HRs globally and strategically to become a source of competitive advantage. Hence, SIHRM acknowledges the need to balance global integration and local responsiveness, together with emphasising the importance of seeking strategic fit between HR policies and business strategy, which in turn leads to superior firm performance. Furthermore, this development also increased awareness and recognition of the role of senior managers and cultural traditions. Therefore, the primary purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between SIHRM effectiveness and firm performance as perceived by senior management coupled with the influence from MNCs' headquarters and Chinese cultural values. Consequently, the researcher selected a case study approach with a triangulation data collection method through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews undertaken in four selected subsidiaries of MNCs. The research findings strengthened the theoretical foundations of several HRM models, together with supporting Analoui's eight-parameter approach (1999) as a functional, coherent and interlinked framework regarding the effectiveness of senior managers. In particular, this research found that quality enhancement of products and service was the preferred and adopted key business strategy amongst the studied MNCs. Whilst they are also seeking to balance globalisation and localisation through reconciling control and adaptation rather than satisfying one at the expense of the other, such that the trend is for Western HR policies to be gradually accepted and internalised by the younger generation of the Chinese managers. Finally, this research made several recommendations to foreign MNCs operating in China.

Syfte: Studiens syfte är att öka förståelsen för HR-arbetet i små företag utifrån antagandet att de ofta har resursbrist, vilket skapar begränsningar. Detta för att se hur resursbristen påverkar deras HR-arbete och vad det kan leda till. Metod: Studien har använt en kvalitativ forskningsmetod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. Empirin från intervjuerna analyserades sedan med hjälp av en tematisk analys och det teoretiska ramverket för att svara på forskningsfrågorna.  Slutsats: I studien framkom det att små företag ofta får anpassa sig efter resursbrist och att detta även genomsyras i deras HR-arbete. Företagen tvingas välja vilka delar som ska prioriteras då de inte har resurser till att utföra allt HR-arbete. Det största fokuset läggs på arbetsmiljön och medarbetarnas välmående, samtidigt som det långsiktiga och strategiska arbetet hamnar helt i skymundan. Det visar slutligen på att tidigare teorier och modeller inte är anpassade efter små företag där det råder resursbrist, eftersom dessa inte är tillräckligt dynamiska. / Purpose: The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of the HR work in small enterprises based on the assumption that they often lack resources, which creates limitations. This is to see how the lack of resources affect their HR work and what that can lead to. Method: In the study, a qualitative research method was used through nine semi-structured interviews. The empirical evidence from the interviews was analyzed using a thematic analysis and the theoretical framework to answer the research questions. Conclusion: In the study, it emerged that small enterprises often have to adapt to their lack of resources which characterize their HR work. The enterprises are forced to choose which parts they prioritize since they do not have enough resources to do all the HR work. Their biggest focus is the work environment and the well-being of the employees, while the long-term and the strategic work is deprioritized. This shows that previous theories and models are not customized to fit small enterprises with lack of resources, because these are not dynamic enough.

Abstract Introduction: Knowledge is the most crucial aspect to gain a competitive advantage in today's world. However, to gain H.R., the effective knowledge is the most challenging part of modern society. The creation, management and usage of information is straightforwardly influenced by a few practices and methodologies of Human Resource Management (HRM). Knowledge management and Human resource management, both disciplines, has a great effect on information financial aspects. Research Problem and Questions: This study is done with the intention to gauge the impact of Knowledge management practices on H.R. performances and to check that how cultural dynamics affect the performance of the family businesses. Theoretic Area of the Study The theoretic area of the study deals with knowledge management and human resource management output/performance along with cultural dynamic moderating impacts. Research Methodology: It is a cross-sectional comparative study, and data is collected usingquestionnaires. The cultural dynamics were compared from Sweden and Pakistan. The tool was adapted from already existing studies, and the reliability and validity were checked beforehand. Conclusion: From the study, it is seen that Cultural dynamics act as a moderator amongst the HRM performance and Knowledge Management, and there is a strong relationship between knowledge management practices and HRM performance. The results also show that the correlation between K.M. and H.R. performance is relatively stronger in Sweden while it is moderate in Pakistan.

No / This paper reports on empirical work recently conducted about the use and effectiveness of HRM practices in small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). A telephone survey was conducted with 100 senior managers of SMEs to ascertain their use of a range of human resource practices and the extent to which they had found those practices successful in aiding the achievement of company objectives. Additionally in-depth interviews were conducted with senior managers from a further 22 SMEs. Findings suggest that there is considerable diversity amongst SMEs in relation to their use of HR practices. A model is provided that identifies the key criteria that underlie the adoption of HRM practices, and the implications of the model are discussed.

Yes / The academic literature widely acknowledges changes and variation in the practices of small firms but only a small amount of empirical work has explored the processes through which HRM practices undergo change. Research has tended, instead, to examine the presence and effectiveness of HRM in small firms and has often viewed this in terms of a deficit model relating such practices to an understanding of HRM derived from larger firms. This chapter focuses on the recruitment and selection and staff payment practices in use in three small services firms to explore the everyday, ongoing detail of their HRM processes and practices. Identifying the different processes through which recruitment and selection and staff payment practices changed in the participant firms provides a base for discussing persistent forms of informality and the lack of stability that reflects the everyday realities of the firms, not only in contrast to their formalized policies but in engagement with them. This chapter advances understanding of selected HRM practices in small services firms after periods of formalization and adoption of HRM policies and practices. The chapter also discusses how developing knowledge of small firms’ HRM practices in this way has implications for researchers and practitioners.

This research investigates the impact of attributes of line managers based on the Abilities, Motivation, and Opportunity (AMO) model in relation to effective HRM implementation. Conducted within an organization in the battery industry, the study measures HRM implementation through a performance appraisal system called Leapsome. A self-administered questionnaire, informed by previous literature on AMO and HRM implementation effectiveness factors derived from interviews with three HR department employees involved in developing Leapsome, was utilized. The questionnaire was distributed as per census data collection method, to 258 line managers via Google Forms, yielding 103 complete responses for analysis. Regression and correlation analyses were performed, focusing on three main dependent variables: effort, frequency of use, and alignment with deadlines. The results indicated positive relationships between all independent variables and the dependent variables, except for the relationship between ability and effort, which was not supported. Consequently, the hypotheses were accepted, except for the hypothesis stating that ability positively correlates with effort. The study concludes with managerial and theoretical implications and provides recommendations for future research.

The aim of this thesis is to identify the key roles of expatriates in a major Japanese MNE and factors influencing formation of their roles. It also examines to what extent expatriates have discretion in forming their roles. The thesis uses empirical data from 109 interviews and 5 years of action research (44 advisory board meetings and 144 Human Resource Management (HRM) workshops, 19 research sites in 9 countries and 17 additional meetings on specific topics) that enabled the researcher to carry out insightful and in-depth analysis with cross-national and multi-layer perspectives. The study applies organisational design theory to unveil the mechanisms of role formation, significantly expanding the understanding of these issues in Japanese business and the international business literature. The findings suggest that the process of role formation of expatriates can be explained by combining contingency theory and strategic choice theory in a framework that argues that the roles of expatriates are the result of a political process of organisational design (Child, 1997). This includes adaptation to the environment (Lawrence and Lorsch, 1967) but also the relationship between organisational agents and the environment in the process of strategic choice (Child, 1997). The major contribution of this study is to provide evidence that expatriates are not merely agents of HQs in international business as traditionally understood, but that their role is more complex and multifaceted. The study empirically identifies five key roles of expatriates – two more than previously identified in the literature – and unveils six contingency factors and two strategic choice factors influencing role formation. The thesis demonstrates that expatriates strategically select their roles, although internal and external factors can act either as enhancers or obstacles to their making of choices and role formation.

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