The previous chapters described in detail the literature, theory and research on Co-alignment, RBV and SHRM that was the basis for the development of a construct for the conceptualization of HPWP in the casual theme restaurant sector of the US hospitality industry for management. Firms able to implement such HPWP systems possessing universality, i.e. complementary internal fit, have been shown to increase the intangible value of their human capital (employees) and create greater economic value (Delery, 1998). This study used the co-alignment principle in conjunction with concepts in SHRM and RBV to develop a theory for a HPWP system for casual theme restaurants in the US, which is named a High Performance People System (HPPS). The co-alignment model for hospitality organizations which is the foundation of the theoretical model for this research (Olsen, West, and Tse;1998) describes the relationship between four key constructs, i.e. the environment, strategy choice, firm structure, and firm performance. Briefly, the four constructs in the model must be in alignment with each other in order for the firm to produce the greatest value for its stakeholders. Co-alignment theory purports that, "if the firm is able to identify the opportunities that exist in the forces driving change, invest in competitive methods that take advantage of these opportunities, and allocate resources to those that create the greatest value, the financial results desired by owners and investors have a much better chance of being achieved" (Olsen et al. 1998, p.2). SHRM researchers have been advocates of the theory that supports the causal relationship between HRM practices, sustainable competitive advantage (SCA) and firm performance. Several strategic human resource management researchers such as, Cappelli & Singh (1992),Wright & McMahan (1992), Pfeffer (1994), Lado & Wison (1995), Huselid (1995), Jackson & Schuler (1995),Becker & Gerhart (1996), Delany & Huselid (1996), Boxall (1998), Pfeffer (1998), Schuler & Jackson (2000), Ulrich & Beatty (2001), Lepak & Snell (2002), Hartog (2004) and others have directly or indirectly made attempts to theorize the effects of single or multiple human resource management variables on firm performance. These efforts have led to the incremental development of the strategic human resource management literature that stresses the relationships between the HRM practices, SCA and firm performance. There is an emergent body of evidence demonstrating that "the methods used by an organization to manage its human resources can have a substantial impact on many organizationally relevant outcomes" (Delery, 1998, p. 1). Convoluting the research on HPWP is incongruity among researchers on the micro HRM practices which are included in the SHRM system; there is little concurrence among scholars with respect to specifically which human resource practices should be incorporated (Becker & Gerhart, 1996; Rogers & Wright, 1998; Chadwick & Cappelli, 1999). RBV is one of the ten schools of thought in the field of management theory (Mintzberg, 2000) and is predicated on the concept that in order to create a sustainable competitive advantage and produce value for the firm, individual policies or practices produce the greatest results when they operate in a complex system that is not easily imitated (Barney, 1995). Resources are the "physical things a firm buys, leases or produces for its own use or the people hired on terms that make them effectively part of the firm" (Penrose, 1959: 67). Wernerfelt (1984) defines a firm's resources as "tangible or intangible assets which are tied semi-permanently to the firm" (p. 172). Barney (1991) further suggested that resources which can be used to create a SCA must have value, rareness, inimitability and substitutability The research focused on the discovery of the components of a HPWP system construct in the US casual theme restaurant segment for operating managers and the performance metrics used to judge their effectiveness. An exploratory study, in part using the Delphi method, serves as the overall research approach. A cross section of restaurant industry experts including company executives, consultants, academics and investors/owners contributed to the study. The outcome is a list of HRM work practices that are common to the casual theme restaurant industry and performance metrics. Based on prior empirical work the study started with 14 HRM work practice dimensions (See Table 3.1) and 3 performance measurements of productivity, turnover and financial performance (Huselid, 1995; Huselid & Becker, 1995; Delery & Doty, 1996; Becker & Huselid, 1996; Huselid & Becker, 1997; Hartog, 2004). These dimensions and performance metrics were presented to the panel of expert's making up the pilot study group as a starting point in the development of the HPWP system construct for the casual themed restaurant industry. After compiling the results of the pilot study and pretesting the survey instrument, the first Delphi survey (see Appendix 3) and a subsequent reminder were sent out electronically to the preselected Delphi participants for the study. A consensus on the research questions was not reached from the first-round survey according to the protocol Therefore, the second round was administered which provide opportunity for participants to change their position to help the group reach a consensus. Since consensus was reached according to the protocol (see tables 4.9, 4.12 & 4.13), the Delphi was concluded at this point. In summary, figure 1.1 put forth a conceptual model to clarify the relationships between the above mentioned schools of thought and firm performance. Figure 1.2 presented a working theoretical model which expounds on the relationships between the key concepts in the conceptual model and firm performance. Finally, figure 5.1 displays the results and the relationships of the study which methodically confirms the components of a HPPS for unit level managers, and identifies appropriate evaluation criteria for determining the performance of HPPS in the US casual restaurant market. / Ph. D.

Hotel leaders face reduced profitability because of high employee turnover. Using Herzberg's 2-factor theory as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies that some hotel human resources managers used to reduce employee turnover. Data were collected from 5 hotel human resources managers in Massachusetts through face-to-face, semistructured interviews and a review of company documents. Data analysis using Yin's 5-step process of compiling, disassembling, reassembling, interpreting, and developing data-based conclusions resulted in 3 emergent themes: a retention strategy, a compensation strategy, and a training and development strategy. The findings indicated that the employee recruitment process, fair employee compensation and benefits, a focus on employee development, and recognition and appreciation of employees were pivotal strategies human resources managers used to reduce employee turnover. The findings may be valuable to hotel general managers, human resources managers, authors of training manuals, and hiring managers for creating strategies to reduce employee turnover. The implications for positive social change include the potential for hotel general managers to lower unemployment rates and improve the quality of life for the local community through lower employee turnover.

Background: Hiring the right people requires a well-executed recruitment process. How candidates choose a company is determined mainly by the company's reputation. To attract the best candidates, companies must work long-term with employer branding as well as to be aware of what attracts the prominent generation. This is especially important as competition for the best candidates increases. This study is based on a made up company where the challenge is to find and attract the right candidates. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to deepen the understanding of how recruiting and staffing companies can empower their brand in recruitment terms. Method: The study is formed from a qualitative method in which interviews, focus groups and a questionnaires have been conducted. The selection of interviews was conducted with two employees working on a recruiting and staffing company. The focus groups and questionnaire were conducted with the selection of students at the Linnaeus University. Empirical data was then collected, analyzed and split into different themes. Empirical data: The result from the interviews showed that the central part concerning recruitment channels is the layout of the job advertisement. The employees also mentioned social media as an important channel, where good and bad rumors are spread. The focus groups complemented the interviews with importance to the accuracy and clarity of job seeking. Their interests should match the company’s offerings and together with the survey respondents they represented the prominent generation. Conclusion: To attract candidates it is important to use the right recruitment channels. The design of the company ́s website is therefore crucial to attract new candidates. To strengthen brands, it is important to think from an outside- perspective, where the rumor plays a big role and an inward-perspective where the employees are the face of the company. The main areas of recruitment channels, employer branding and the prominent generation in the market have resulted in a concept that recruitment and staffing companies will have to be competitive. One of the conclusions is that companies need to think more human to human instead of business to business. / Bakgrund: Att anställa rätt personer förutsätter en väl genomförd rekryteringsprocess. Hur kandidater väljer ett företag avgörs av bland annat företagets rykte. För att attrahera de bästa kandidaterna måste företag arbeta långsiktigt med employer branding samt ha vetskap om vad som attraherar den framträdande generationen. Detta är extra viktigt då konkurrensen på arbetsmarknaden om de bästa kandidaterna ökar. Denna studie utgår från ett företag som benämns “Rekrytering och Bemanningen AB” vars utmaning är att hitta och locka rätt kandidater. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att fördjupa förståelsen för hur rekrytering- och bemanningsföretag kan stärka sitt varumärke i rekryteringsavseende. Detta ska uppnås med frågeställningarna; Hur kan rekrytering- och bemanningsföretag använda rekryteringskanaler för att nå ut till rätt kandidater? Hur kan rekryteringoch bemanningsföretag stärka varumärket för att attrahera kandidater? Vad attraheras den framträdande generationen av hos deras framtida arbetsgivare? Metod: Studien har tillämpat en kvalitativ metod där det har genomförts intervjuer, fokusgrupper och en enkät. Urvalet till intervjuerna bestod av två medarbetare som arbetar på Rekrytering och Bemanningen AB. Till fokusgrupperna och enkät bestod urvalet av studenter vid Linnéuniversitetet. Empiriinsamlingen analyserades sedan genom att identifiera teman. Empiri: Resultatet från intervjun visade att det centrala arbetet gällande rekryteringskanaler är jobbannonsens utformning och använder sociala medier som en rekryteringskanal där det även sprids bra och dåliga rykten. Fokusgrupperna lägger stor vikt vid precision och tydlighet vid jobbsökande. Deras intressen ska matcha företagens erbjudande och tillsammans med enkätens respondenter utgjorde de den framträdande generationen. Slutsats: För att locka kandidater är det viktigt att använda rätt rekryteringskanal, vad som kan vara avgörande är hur företagets hemsida är utformad. När det handlar om att stärka ett varumärke är det bland annat viktigt att tänka från ett utifrån-perspektiv, där ryktet spelar en stor roll och ett inifrån-perspektiv där medarbetarna är ansiktet utåt. Huvudområdena rekryteringskanaler, employer branding och den framträdande generationen på arbetsmarknaden har resulterat i ett koncept för att rekrytering- och bemanningsföretag ska vara konkurrenskraftiga. En av slutsatserna är att företagen behöver tänka mer human to human istället för business to business.

The presented Ph.D. thesis deals with the topic of Diversity management and its application into the area of Human Resourse Management. The main goal of the thesis is to survey the impact of diversity on the effective team operation in selected organizations in the Czech Republic. The aim of the thesis is thus to identify factors that influence the team effectiveness.The investigated teams operate in selected companies in the Czech Republic The Ph.D. thesis is divided into two parts: the theoretical part and the empirical part. The aim of the theoretical part is to provide a summary of personnel work in organizations with a focus on Human Resource Management at organizational and team´s level. Modern trends are also introduced: diversity management, talent management etc.The second part of the theoretical part is dedicated to diversity and diversity management, diversity classification, the structure of diversity management, functioning in teams, diverse teams and measuring the influence of diversity on team effectiveness. In the end of the theoretical part a summary of key research results is presented. A dictionary of key terms is also created as a part the presented thesis. In the empirical part an analysis of the research results gained by making pilot researches and main research are presented.The research was focused on studying the effectiveness of diverse teams in organizations mainly from the following sectors: Finance a Insurance, IT, Information and communication and Education. The research sample in the main research consisted of 98 team leaders.The gathered data were processed using descriptive and explorative statistics (nonparametric tests: Spearman's rank correlation coefficient, the Mann – Whitney U test and The Kruskal – Wallis Test). A qualitative analysis was used in the analysis of chosen items.The main results of the research is the following: 1.a slightly positive correlation was detected between gender diversity and handling project or work deadlines. 2.a positive correlation was found between informational diversity and goals or specific task/assignment achievement. 3. a slightly positive correlation was detected between the informational diversity and handling project or work deadlines. In teams with a focus on Human Resource Management a middle level of gender diversity was found, whereas in project teams the informational diversity is on a high level. Marketing teams have a lower level of information diversity. The same results is for teams with a focus on Management of academic projects/programs. No relationship was detected between the team effectiveness and the team size. The same negative results were found for the organizational size and the rate of occurence of age, gender or informational diversity.The qualitative analysis concluded that age diversity is linked with a situation of mixing different perspectives and experience in teams; gender diversity could have a positive influence on socio – psychological dynamics in a team and be efficient for client management. Informational diversity was mentioned as a factor of improving the problem-solving process and project effectiveness. Respondents were asked to define the traits/factors of a high – performing teams. Proportions in gender: 50:50, proportional representation of experienced and not so experienced peers in teams. The role of the manager is to unite the team, to support team members´potential, team cooperation with a goal to fulfil the task.

Workplace wellness programs (WWP) were developed to support employees’ health behaviors and well-being. Although physical activity is incorporated into the definition of wellness and is a modifiable behavior that can both reduce the risk for chronic disease and lifestyle-related diseases and enhance health and well-being, performance of physical activity is often overlooked within WWP and the workplace in general. Rather than investigating organizational aspects of the WWP, this grounded theory-based study explored employees’ perceptions concerning how their organization facilitated their participation in physical activity within WWP. To provide a theoretical framework, Self-Determination Theory (SDT) from Ryan and Deci (2000) offered the lens to understand the employees’ motivation to participate in physical activity and Social Ecological Model (SEM) by Bronfenbrenner (1977) described the multiple levels of interaction between the employee and their organizational environment. The employees’ perceptions elucidated their decision-making process. The emergent themes were time management, advantageousness, need for movement, supervisor ambivalence, social / “gregarious” connection, messages from leadership, limited awareness, culture of health, and incentives and reimbursements. Three levels (individual, relational, and organizational) and three facets (barriers, bolsters, and facilitators) illustrated the relationships among these themes. These themes, levels, and facets are exemplified in the grounded theory model. Consequently, six implications for practice were illuminated for organizations to employ for encouraging their employees to join and actively participate in physical activity in the WWP and in the workplace in general, providing better health outcomes for employees and improving the organizations’ bottom line. / Kinesiology

The diploma thesis deals with the adaptation process of new staff in the university hospital and in other two selected organizations. The aim of the diploma thesis is to evaluate the adaptation process within the university hospital and several other organizations based on an empirical research with the aim to propose changes to the process. The theoretical part deals with human resources management, legislative definitions related to the establishment of employment and a specific definition of the concept of adaptation, course and duration of adaptation, adaptation process, adaptation plan, work, social and cultural adaptation and employee education. The second chapter focuses on the corporate identity, the culture of the organization, including the vision, mission and code of ethics, with which the new employee must become acquainted and identify during the adaptation process. In the practical part, the specification of the university hospital and selected organizations is analyzed and evaluated the course of the adaptation process based on the results of a questionnaire survey and semi-structured interviews, which reflect the actual state and shortcomings of the adaptation process of new employees within the organization. The practical part seeks answers to three research questions: how does the...

<p>   </p> <p>M&A activity is significant in today’s economy, as well as the need for M&A deals to be successful. Human resourcing is a necessary component in executing M&A deals and without it, anticipated growth through expected synergies cannot be achieved. What was particularly sparse in the extant literature of human resources support for M&A was the research into developing a function supporting M&A activities. The purpose of this research was to gather data of previously completed M&A deals at a business to examine if a correlation exists between the available M&A deal data and the number of human resources that were hired for integration. This study used existing data from previous M&A deals to develop a model for predicting the ideal number of human resources required to complete integration activities for future M&A deals. In a case wise diagnostic of the resulting model, 28 of the 31 previous M&A deals were correctly predicted by the model for the needed number of contractors. These findings answered the research question posed by this study, and these resulted in the creation of a multiple regression model with statistically significant coefficients for future M&A deals. A process model was developed and may be useful for businesses, by providing a methodology to leverage its own historical data to predict human resource needs during M&A integrations. This study provided businesses pursuing M&A a quantitative process for intentional planning to ensure that there are dedicated human resources to support the business strategy and outcomes. </p> <p>  </p>

The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the relationship between human resource management (HRM) practices and innovation. This research responds to calls in the literature on HRM and innovation to consider a wider number of HRM practices that have previously been neglected and are likely to produce a positive impact on innovation awareness and commitment (Shipton et al., 2006; Zhao et al., 2012). Therefore, the research is concerned with a wide number of HRM practices and their impact on innovation awareness and commitment. The underpinning rationale is that while previous studies have revealed that HRM practices can be significant for innovation, these studies are not inclusive, and the research is still scant and in its early stages as there has been a lack of consideration of a comprehensive range of HRM practices (Shipton et al., 2006). In simple terms, previous studies have looked at the relationship between HRM practices and innovation based on a limited number of practices and at the macro or inter-organisational level. Therefore, the fundamental contribution of this thesis is the shift in perspective. While previous research has looked at a limited number of HRM practices that largely appear to be borrowed from high-performance work systems (HPWs), this thesis considers a wider range of practices that can impact on innovation at the intra-organisational level – more specifically, to study employees’ perceptions of HRM practices that may promote innovation awareness and commitment. Innovation awareness and commitment refers to the extent to which the organisation is engaged in innovation. Degree of innovativeness and the open innovation approach are studied in this research, to determine whether HRM practices can impact on radical or incremental open innovation. Additionally, departmental differences are considered in this thesis: that is whether employees in different departments have different perceptions of the extent to which HRM practices promote innovation’. To this end, the data set was obtained from two research phases. A quantitative survey was distributed to 280 employees in a Jordanian telecommunications company. Findings from the first phase of the research indicated a number of new HRM practices that were not recognised by previous studies. This research found a positive impact of HRM practices in promoting innovation, as perceived by employees. HPWs, HRM hygiene factors, motivation and communication were perceived by employees to promote innovation in their organisation. The results show that the relationship between HRM practices and innovation is perceived by employees to promote the origins of innovation, specifically open innovation and radical innovation. No support was found for expectations and sharing information to promote innovation. Phase two of the research consisted of semi-structured interviews conducted with senior managers and employees in the same company that participated in phase one. In phase two of the research, the interviews provided better insights and explanations of the results and findings from the survey questionnaire. The results from phase two confirmed the findings from the statistical analysis, and a distinctive finding was the differences between managers’ and employees’ perceptions of HRM practices. Employees identified or perceived practices that are related to their performance and that enable them to develop their levels of motivation and commitment. Managers identified practices that work in the favour of the organisation, with less focus on employee needs. This was clear when comparing which practices and indications were mentioned by managers and employees. It is worth mentioning here that, given the relatively close conceptualisation in the literature that innovation is a form of organisational performance, this thesis does not intend to rebrand ‘performance’ as ‘innovation’ per se. This is especially in this research as it seeks to understand the relationship between HRM practices and innovation by looking at employees’ perceptions of HRM practices that may promote innovation and cause their company to be perceived as an innovative workplace. This research is probably the first attempt to study the role of a comprehensive list of HRM practices in influencing innovation by considering employees’ perceptions of HRM practices that may promote innovation. Moreover, the intra-organisational level was considered, along with departments, degree of innovativeness (radical-incremental innovation) and types of innovation approach (open vs closed).

Conflict between managers and employees is inevitable in any organization, whether public or private. Often, the source of the conflict is employee non-compliance. Managers are responsible for disciplining those employees whose performance or conduct is sub-standard or inappropriate. Therefore, the ability to effectively address employee non-compliance is an essential skill for all managers. Most employee discipline systems fall into one of three categories: traditional, progressive, and affirmative. Traditional systems were prevalent in the late-nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. An autocratic, demanding manager would mete out punishment to non-compliant employees both as an action against the employee and as a warning to other employees. Employees were often terminated for their first offense. With the advent of labor unionism and fair labor practices in the first half of the twentieth century, organizational leaders were required to develop more progressive employee discipline systems which protected employee "due process" and which allowed time and opportunity for improvement by the non-compliant employee. Progressive employee discipline systems are the most prevalent discipline systems in America's workforce today. These systems entail three or four steps, with each successive step usually resulting in more severe penalties for the same offense or more severe offenses. Progressive employee discipline allows the employee an opportunity to respond to non-compliance issues and to try to improve it to the extent required to maintain their position. A new employee discipline system, affirmative discipline, has gained adherents in the private sector primarily. Affirmative employee discipline systems do not use punishment to correct employee non-compliance but instead, ask managers to "coach" and "counsel" the non-compliant employee to better behavior and performance. Rehabilitating the employee's non-compliance is the primary goal of affirmative systems. The emphasis is not only upon the non-compliant employee, but on rehabilitating the "marriage" of non-compliant employee and direct supervisor. Little evidence exists to determine the extent to which progressive and affirmative employee discipline systems are being utilized in the modern organization. No evidence exists that indicates the prevalence of these systems in Florida's healthcare institutions. A survey-based analysis of the use of progressive and affirmative employee discipline systems in Florida's hospitals resulted in respondents indicating frequent utilization of formal progressive employee discipline systems. Designed in three or four steps, these progressive systems allow the employee to improve his/her behavior. Two common tools in progressive systems, the verbal warning and the performance counseling statement, are utilized frequently based upon those respondents surveyed. The use of affirmative employee discipline systems, on the other hand, is relatively rare. The use of written behavior contracts to elicit improved employee compliance is also quite rare. The vast majority of respondents appear to be unfamiliar with the use of written behavior contracts to elicit improved employee compliance.

Today, the effective management of people is assuming prominence as a source of sustained business performance improvement. The rationale for this trend is that other significant aspects of business, such as marketing, new technology, market niche, trademarks and brand image have generally been mastered. Therefore, business enterprises are being encouraged in seeking to gain comparative advantage by reliance on their human resources because this aspect of business is arguably more difficult to imitate or understand than the more conventional resources. As a result, there is an awakening of the need to introduce management practices that will concentrate on the added value which a highly motivated work force may provide to the organisation. The idea of added value from a highly motivated work force assumes even greater significance when the main business hinges almost entirely on the attitudes and approaches of people. This concept applies most forcibly to Barbados and the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (BOECS), the region covered by this study. This research therefore, explores the idea of gaining comparative advantage through appropriate people management methods and follows the trend in the developed and more industrialised nations of the world in an effort to determine whether there is a useful model of effective management practices which may be replicated in the BOECS and thus lead to improved business performance in the micro states which constitute this ii region. However, this study is mindful of the limitations of the research methodology which a vast number of contributors to this intriguing topic have employed. Nevertheless, this exploratory attempt examines the issue in the light of its possible positive effect on a previously uncharted area, viz., Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean (BOECS) as far as it relates to scholarly treaties on Human Resource Management. The idea is that even in the absence of clear unequivocal empirical evidence about its benefits, it may be useful to pursue the strategic approach to Human Resource Management including expansion of employee involvement, for it own sake.