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.

In an effort to reduce exorbitant employee turnover, the hospitality industry has recently offered career development programs to their employees in pursuit of longer retention. Such educational human resource (HR) practices are expected to increase the skill flexibility of individual employees (i.e., individual skill breadth) across a wide range of skill categories, leading to lower turnover through improved job satisfaction. However, the empirical association between employee skill flexibility and turnover at the individual level has remained unexplored in the HR literature. This study fills in this research gap by drawing on the theoretical framework of employee skill flexibility in the field of strategic human resource management (SHRM). Building on a unique data set from over 10,000 LinkedIn profiles among hotel employees in major brands across the United States, we operationalize their skill flexibility and find its association with turnover. For this purpose, we first identify seven hotel employee-specific skill categories using an unsupervised machine-learning method and subsequently quantify skill flexibility at the individual level. Our results show that the association between skill flexibility and turnover is moderated by skill categories. This study contributes to the HR literature as a data-driven implementation of human capital analytics (HCA). / Doctor of Philosophy / Employee turnover has long been a critical issue in the hospitality industry. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the hospitality sector had a turnover rate of 86.3% in 2021, while the average of all industries is 47.2%. As the quality of customer service in hotels is directly linked to the competence of employees, it is essential to reduce the turnover rate and retain highly skilled workers for long-term competitiveness. One of the most effective ways to achieve this is by developing employees' skill sets through upskilling and reskilling practices (Deloitte, 2020), which can improve their flexibility and performance in the workplace. By analyzing the profiles of 10,560 hotel employees on LinkedIn, this study identified key skill categories using machine-learning-based text analytics, then, two main variables are operationalized: individual skill flexibility using the Herfindahl-Hirschman index and turnover frequency. This study found that the role of individual skill flexibility on turnover is contingent on specific skill categories employees have. Individual skill flexibility is negatively associated with turnover in employees with accounting and finance skills, but employees with software skills show a positive association between individual skill flexibility and turnover. The findings in this study suggest that hotel managers and HR practitioners need to implement customized skill training programs based on their employees' primary skill sets. By doing so, they can focus more specifically on individual career development, continuously reconfigure their workforce, and improve the company's resilience. By reducing turnover rates and retaining highly skilled employees, hotels can also enhance customer service quality and achieve a competitive advantage in the long run. Such findings are largely consistent with anecdotal evidence found in major hotel brands and operators.

This empirical research explored the capacity building of human resources in the emerging oil and gas sector in Ghana. Ghana’s oil and gas were discovered in commercial quantities in 2007 by GNPC and its partners in Jubilee field in the Cape Three Point in the western region, which signified a turning point in the development effort of the state. Local skills shortage perceived as a significant challenge. Thus the government envisaged the need to build local skill capacity which attracted an initial grant of US$38 million from World Bank to facilitate the implementation of oil and gas capacity building project in 2010. The study adopted a mixed method approach for primary data collection. Matched samples of employees (226) working in four public sector organisations in the oil and gas sector were surveyed using the simple random technique, while human resource/training and development directors (9) were purposively sampled and interviewed on the human resources capacity building to assess and corroborates the survey data. The study findings confirmed shortcomings in local skills in the public organisations in the petroleum industry. Comparatively, the results suggested that the performance appraisal tools could be further improved. The study also found local skills mismatch. It revealed that inadequate funding and delays in the release of funds affected local skill capacity building in the public-sector organisations in the industry. Originality, this is one of the very few studies to explore the shortcomings of local skill capacity in the selected organisation including the strategies used in addressing the skill gap. Research implications, more matched-sample studies are necessary to understand further how private companies (IOC’s) contributing to local skill capacity building. Practically, the study is of significance to the policymakers to address the skill gap in the energy sector. The main contribution of the research is to conceptualise the concept of HRM in Ghana’s context. The thesis, therefore, is an essential contribution to our understanding of the skill gap in the oil and gas industry in Ghana and the role of HR in this field.

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Though under-analyzed, third-party employee competency certifications are increasing in number; many feel that accumulation of certifications is essential for career success. I argue that in their current form, certifications are double-edged: their purpose is to reduce transaction costs, enhance performance, and foster development; but they can also be used as 'credentials' to gain prestige, rewards or influence. I suggest that excessive use for this latter purpose can undermine their contribution to performance. In this study of HR practitioners that draws on Self-Determination Theory (SDT), I test the relationship between certification-seeking motivation and obtaining certification, perceived job competence, and affective occupational commitment. Hierarchical regression results show an association between autonomous motivation and both obtaining certification and commitment; however, professional association membership may also play a role in fostering such motivation. I end with suggestions for future research. / Business Administration

Recent meta-analytic treatments of the Strategic Human Resource Management literature suggest a relationship between the adoption of "high-commitment" HR practices and organization level performance outcomes (Combs, Lui, Hall & Ketchen, 2006). However, there is considerable variability in the manner in which the HR system construct is conceptualized and measured (Arthur & Boyles, 2007; Delaney & Huselid, 1996). Further, relative little attention has been given to how these systems of HR practices operate to influence organizational outcomes (Ostroff & Bowen, 2000). Drawing on the extant SHRM literature, the present study attempts to lend clarity to these issues by specifying and assessing a number of unique measures of the HR system. Several attitudinal, motivation and behavioral employee outcomes are also identified and assessed as possible mediators between the HR system measures and organizational outcomes. An integrated model proposing relationships both among these measures and their effects on various organizational outcomes is offered and tested. Data obtained from 202 hotel locations provided mixed support for the proposed model of relationships. However, results generally support the relationships between measures of the HR System and important organizational outcomes. Findings also reinforce the utility of expanding the measurement of the HR system beyond the formally established HR programs, the need to better understand intra-organizational variability in HR systems along functional lines and the challenges and opportunities inherent in multi-respondent designs. Finally, the failure to demonstrate the mediating role of the specified human capital characteristics in HR's relationship with firm performance presents a continued challenge to future research to effectively model this relationship. / Ph. D.

Don Bosco Technical School in Phnom Penh is a typical example of a long-running non-profit institution in Cambodia. In this part of the world it is plainly called an NGO – a non-governmental organization. It provides vocational skills training education to some four hundred out-of-school youth every year. And yet it does not charge for tuition; nay more it even provides free lunch at noon. So how does Don Bosco Technical School survive this monetary based and profit oriented society? What are its sustainability secrets?This capstone project strives to look at the institution from a business perspective with organizational behavior, strategic planning, and human resource management as criteria.To achieve this, the process will include: •A critical evaluation of its organic strategic plan through a thorough analysis of its strategic documents like: logical framework, organizational charts, and programming sheets.•A structured interview of key employees gauging factors such as: their job satisfaction, job fit, and job identification with organizational values. •An in-depth analysis of its human resource management through observation of operations and investigation of corresponding documents like: salary scales, contracts, policies and procedures.The results of the study show that Don Bosco’s main strength lies in the staff’s strong commitment to the mission of the organization thereby providing the motivation to continue the work in spite of financial odds. On the other hand it has room for improvement in terms of organizing a more formal human resource management system due to its institutionalizing trend and for sustained sustainability of its work.

Background: The rare ability to manage simultaneous high growth and entrepreneurship is pivotal for a thriving business. Be leveraging intention, ability and opportunity the post growth actions of Swedish high growth SMEs facilitate effective and profitable operations. Sweden, the country with the largest share of high growth SMEs in EU, offers an ideal setting for gaining a comprehensive understanding of these operations. Purpose: The study aims to examine the impact of the pre-growth factors: intention, ability and opportunity on post high growth actions taken by Swedish high growth SMEs and identify differences and similarities regarding the use of these strategies between the firms in the sample. Method: The study is a multiple case study using semi structured interviews with six Swedish high growth SMEs. The study uses an interpretivism perspective with an abductive research approach and empirical data is analyzed through a mechanisms data analysis. Conclusion: The study concludes that firms pre-growth factors significantly impact their post high growth actions. Risk-prone firms with strong growth intentions view high growth as essential for organizational improvements, while more risk-averse firms view organizational improvements as a prerequisite for high growth. Firms with strong growth intentions employ strategic exit to align their pre-growth factors, especially when lacking investment. Firms with more passive growth intentions consider strategic exit as a last resort. Developing support functions is closely tied to firm size and ability while investments into internal competency is crucial for firms in fast-changing markets where opportunity is vital. Keywords: High growth SMEs, Pre-growth factors, Entrepreneurship, Innovation, Strategic exit, Human resource management