The relationship between employer and employee is, from a judicial point of view, governed primarily by economic and employment contracts. However, a significant part of the dynamic is also dictated by tacit expectations and promises (so called psychological contracts). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived organizational support (POS) and psychological contract violation. Primary hypothesis assumed that there was a correlation between higher perceived organizational support and a reduction of feelings of violation from psychological contract breach. It was also assumed that employment time, sex and past breach experiences correlated with feelings of violation. Surveys were used to gather empirical data. Respondents consisted of 62 municipal employees, mainly in the education sector. Results showed a moderate relationship between POS and feelings of violation. No other significant correlations were found. This paper therefore argues for the importance of promoting good organizational support to its employees, which ultimately also improves organizational well-being and efficiency. Keywords: Work, organizational, psychology, human resource management, HR, psychological contract, organizational support, emotions, affects.

Antalet äldre i Sverige har ökat och det tillsammans med omorganisationer inom sjukvården har skapat ett större tryck på äldreomsorgen. Hemtjänsten är en stor del utav äldreomsorgen och eftersom många äldre vill bo kvar hemma, fastän de inte klarar sig självständigt, har hemtjänsten fått stor betydelse. För att klara av det ökade trycket ersätter många hemtjänstgrupper den manuella planeringen med en IT-baserad planering. Lapscare är ett IT-baserat planeringssystem som införts i Varbergs kommun för att ta fram den optimala planeringen för hemtjänstinsatser. Studiens syfte är att belysa hur de Lapscareansvariga i den offentliga hemtjänsten uppfattar att Lapscare fungerar. För att kunna genomföra studien utfördes kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med de två Lapscareansvariga i fem hemtjänstgrupper. Vi har använt oss av en kombination av New Public Management, Human Resource och omsorgsrationalitet för att analysera det empiriska materialet. Vi fann att de Lapscareansvariga har både positiva och negativa åsikter om Lapscare. De anser att planeringen är enklare och smidigare men de upplever sig även kontrollerade på så sätt att cheferna lättare kan se hur effektivt de använder sin arbetsdag.

With the intention to investigate the role of HR practices and the Perceived Organization Support (POS) in the process of key employee retention, this study developed a model that was empirically explored through the case studies of Secoroc and ABBCR in order to have such process examined in the managerial context of Swedish organizations. Results indicate that in these companies the employees' perceptions of support from the selected HR practices contribute to the development of POS and job satisfaction. The practices of growth opportunity and challenging work were indicated to be more significant for the retention of key employees in these companies. Interestingly, pay and the relationship between R&D managers and employees indicated to be of also crucial relevance in the process of retaining key employees. Furthermore, there are indications that the Swedish management style signalled to be a facilitator element for the efficiency of such practices in generating job satisfaction for retaining employees. However, the surfaced data from this study indicated that employees of these companies are affectively committed to their managers and to their work rather than to the organization as a whole.

Studien ämnar till att skapa en profil för tre olika empirinära perspektiv, vilka alla spelar en roll före, under och efter en nedskärningsprocess. Dessa tre perspektiv är: ledningsperspektivet, perspektivet för kvarvarande anställda och uppsagda arbetare. Författaren lägger tyngd på den tidigare vetenskapliga forskningen som får agera likt en mall för hur en optimal hantering ska ske under en nedskärningsprocess. Syftet med studien är att detektera bristande överrensstämmelser mellan perspektiven som förhindrar att hanteringen blir optimal för alla parter, samt kunna se om teorin används i det praktiska utövandet.Ledarskapsperspektivet är representerat i två underkategorier: sekundärintervjuer och expertintervjuer. I sekundärintervjuerna så presenteras svar från auktoriteter inom området som förmedlar den erfarenhetsbaserade kunskapen; medan i expertintervjuerna presenteras svar från fyra olika, representerade, företag inom olika branscher i Borlänge. Perspektivet för kvarvarande anställda representeras av en enkätundersökning och en djupare intervju med en kvarvarande anställd. Det tredje empirinära perspektivet, för uppsagda arbetare, representeras av en enkätundersökning och en djupare intervju med en uppsagd arbetare.I resultatet så visar det sig att författaren har kunnat detektera bristande överrensstämmelser på flera punkter, främst inom den uppfattade kommunikationen, mellan perspektiven. Detta tolkas som att de framlagda teorierna inte följs av praktiken och därför råder det ingen optimal situation för något av de representerade perspektiven.

Abstract This research attempted to explain the relationship among HR investment, organizational human capital and firm performance. A positive link between a firm¡¦s HR investment and its performance through the mediating effect of overall human capital was proposed. Alternative hypotheses were presented to test the effect of different HR investment portfolios on various human capital dimensions, as well as the link between these human capital dimensions and firm performance outcomes. A review on the concept of human capital revealed several problems in the research of human capital at organizational level. Four new latent constructs (quantity of human capital, human capital-organization fit, complementarity of human capital, and specificity of human capital) were extracted from the literature to form a new paradigm in the measurement of organizational level human capital. This new paradigm represented a resource-based perspective. Data were collected from top executives of 105 companies located in the US and in Taiwan in the knowledge-intensive industry segments such as professional service, financial service, R&D, and hi-tech manufacturing, etc. Survey questionnaires were used as data collection instrument. Confirmatory factor analysis using LISREL was performed to test validity and reliability of new measurement scales. Hierarchical regression statistics were used to test the hypotheses. The results showed that HR investment had significant positive impact on firm performance and was significantly related to higher level of human capital in a firm as measured by the quantity of human capital, human capital-organization fit, complementarity of human capital, and specificity of human capital. Further, the mediating effect of firm-level human capital between HR investment and firm performance was substantiated. This study also tested a more complex model linking two HR investment portfolios to four dimensions of human capital and firm performance outcomes. The findings showed that higher level of acquisition investment was linked to higher level of human capital-organization fit, complementarity of human capital, and specificity of human capital. More significantly, a higher level of development investment was linked to higher levels of all four dimensions of human capital. In addition, each individual dimension of human capital, except the quantity of it, was found to positively predict firm performance outcomes.

As the rise of tourism industry, and the rapid development of hotel industry in China, we are eager to learn how different hotel brands operate there. This research focus on the study of top management team leaders and service brand value in hotels, where we also discuss the issues such as institutional context, human resource practices, service culture, and employee service behaviour. The research was conducted using a qualitative approach, and samples are selected from international brands, regional brands, and local brands. The purpose of this research is to investigate how different hotel service branding will be influential on top management team leadership and how it eventually leads to employee service behaviour. Results reveal that different service brand value has huge impact on top management team leadership, human resource practices, service culture, and promoting employee service behaviour, and moreover, institutional context also act as an important role in this research.

Data from 255 employees who were members of 33 companies were tested with hierarchical linear modeling analyses. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships among employees¡¦ intrinsic motivation, job involvement, commitment -based HR practices, institutional organizational trust and layoff. Results from the individual-level analyses indicated that intrinsic motivation has a positive effect on job involvement. Institutional organizational trust, in terms of benevolence and reliability and structural assurance, has a positive effect on intrinsic motivation. While concerning factors at the organizational level, results showed that commitment-based HR practices have a positive effect on institutional organizational trust. Layoff has a negative effect on job involvement. However, the hypothesis that layoff has significant effect on intrinsic motivation and job involvement was not supported.Contributions to both the literature and organizational practices are discussed.

<p><strong>Background: </strong>It is important to develop and execute human resource practices that generate employee competencies and behaviours the company needs to achieve its strategic goals. SHRM is about how to align HR strategies with corporate strategies, and implemented in a correct way SHRM can be an efficient tool to use for enhancing organisational performance.</p><p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of the thesis is to evaluate the alignment between EWES Stålfjäder AB´s corporate strategies and its HR strategies.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>To study this we believe it was accurate to use a qualitative method approach. The empirical study consists of semi-structured interviews as well as written documents.</p><p><strong>Analysis: </strong>The structure of the analysis follows the theoretical framework. We have used the model developed by Dessler (2008, p. 95), “How to Align HR Strategy and Actions with Business Strategy”.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong> We found that EWES Stålfjäder AB need to clarify their corporate strategies throughout the whole organisation. This will help them to identify and implement HR strategies that are in line with them. Working in this manner, we believe it will help EWES to conceptualize and execute accurate changes the organisation needs to accomplish their corporate strategies. Furthermore, we found that most of EWES’ HR practices become more like add-ons than strategic activities that are aligned with their corporate strategies.</p>

<p>Antalet äldre i Sverige har ökat och det tillsammans med omorganisationer inom sjukvården har skapat ett större tryck på äldreomsorgen. Hemtjänsten är en stor del utav äldreomsorgen och eftersom många äldre vill bo kvar hemma, fastän de inte klarar sig självständigt, har hemtjänsten fått stor betydelse. För att klara av det ökade trycket ersätter många hemtjänstgrupper den manuella planeringen med en IT-baserad planering. Lapscare är ett IT-baserat planeringssystem som införts i Varbergs kommun för att ta fram den optimala planeringen för hemtjänstinsatser. Studiens syfte är att belysa hur de Lapscareansvariga i den offentliga hemtjänsten uppfattar att Lapscare fungerar. För att kunna genomföra studien utfördes kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med de två Lapscareansvariga i fem hemtjänstgrupper. Vi har använt oss av en kombination av New Public Management, Human Resource och omsorgsrationalitet för att analysera det empiriska materialet. Vi fann att de Lapscareansvariga har både positiva och negativa åsikter om Lapscare. De anser att planeringen är enklare och smidigare men de upplever sig även kontrollerade på så sätt att cheferna lättare kan se hur effektivt de använder sin arbetsdag.</p>

In spite of the fact that Western companies have been actively developing the Russian market over the last twenty years, they are still faced with the Soviet-era heritage in human resource management. This paper gives an overview of the common Soviet human resource practices of the past. Understanding traditional human resource practices in the Soviet Union prior to the end of communism will help practitioners to design human resource management systems for Russia more efficiently today. Moreover, this article makes recommendations for HR professionals on some unwritten rules of human resource management, summarizes current best practices for the recruitment, selection and retention of employees and helps to reduce potential cultural misunderstandings and conflicts between the two different systems: market and planned economies.(author's abstract) / Series: WU Online Papers in International Business Communication / Series One: Intercultural Communication and Language Learning