Managing Labour in Small Firms (Routledge Studies in Entrepreneurship and Small Business)

The majority of employees currently working in the private sector are now employed in small firms, yet little is known about their working conditions. This collection of essays addresses this gap. Based on theoretical analysis supported by contemporary empirical evidence, the book explores key areas of the employment relationship adding a new perspective to our understanding of contemporary work. Book Cover......Page 1 Half-Title......Page 2 Title......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Tables......Page 7 Contributors......Page 8 1 Introduction......Page 9 References......Page 16 Introduction: universal labour management systems and local order......Page 18 Developing HRM: practice and ideology......Page 19 HRM and performance: individual and collective......Page 20 Bringing smaller organisations in: seeking HRM in smaller organisations......Page 22 Making context concrete: tensions between HRM and managing labour in smaller organisations......Page 23 Knowledgeable recruitment......Page 24 Developing appraisal: watching and learning......Page 25 HRM in smaller organisations: organisational and cultural barriers......Page 26 Notes......Page 27 References......Page 28 Introduction......Page 31 Employment relations in the small firms’ literature......Page 32 Small firms in the employment relations’ literature......Page 36 From WIRS to WERS: The role of small firms?......Page 37 Divergence or fusion?......Page 40 Conclusion......Page 41 References......Page 42 Management processes in traditional small firms......Page 44 Entrepreneurs......Page 45 Creative and professional small firms......Page 46 Growth and management control......Page 49 References......Page 51 Introduction......Page 53 Training take-up rates in smaller firms......Page 54 Barriers to training in smaller firms......Page 55 Suitability of the training available......Page 56 The role and importance of informal and formal training......Page 57 Characteristics that influence the decision to train and training typologies......Page 59 The implications for government policy on training in smaller firms......Page 61 Antecedent factors......Page 62 Increasing demand for training......Page 63 References......Page 64 Introduction......Page 67 Breaking out: the development of ethnic minority businesses......Page 68 Methodology, rationale and context......Page 69 Research setting......Page 70 Survivalists......Page 71 Multiple business ownership......Page 73 Product and service differentiation......Page 74 Locational break-out......Page 75 Economic sector has an influential, but not determinate, effect on the capacity of firms to break-out......Page 76 References......Page 77 Flexibility and regulation—some aspects of the debate......Page 80 A closer look at working time directives across the EU......Page 81 What has been the impact of working time reduction on employment?......Page 82 The context: employment legislation and small firms......Page 83 Awareness and knowledge of IERs......Page 85 Impact of employment legislation on business performance......Page 88 Conclusions......Page 90 Notes......Page 92 References......Page 93 The NMW as a ‘regulatory shock’ to small firms: theoretical and methodological issues......Page 95 The impact of the NMW......Page 97 Ignore......Page 98 Critical event......Page 99 Discussion and conclusions......Page 100 Acknowledgements......Page 102 References......Page 103 Organisational justice theory and employment relations in SMEs......Page 105 Procedural justice......Page 106 Research evidence......Page 107 Employee perception of pay level fairness......Page 108 Employee satisfaction with allocation criteria......Page 109 Employee earnings in context......Page 110 Procedural justice in the workplace......Page 112 Perceptions of pay system fairness......Page 113 Interactional (in)justice—SMEs and the significance of interpersonal relationships......Page 114 Conclusions: comparing distributive, procedural and interactional justice perceptions in SMEs......Page 115 References......Page 116 10 Representation, consultation and the smaller firm......Page 118 References......Page 126 Index......Page 129 This book explores the manner in which the size of the organization influences the employment relationship with a focus upon small enterprises. The majority of organizations in the UK economy are categorized as small firms, having fewer than 50 employees, and in 2002 such firms were found to provide 43% of jobs within the economy (DTI, 2002). Clearly these organizations make a critical contribution to the British economy, yet - surprisingly - until quite recently very little was known about how such firms managed their labor. Since the 1990s there has been a growing of evidence which has explored the employment relationship in small firms and this book fulfils an important task by recognizing the importance of this literature, and also by moving the debate forward. Managing Labour in Small Firms also acknowledges that size - whilst influential in shaping firm behavior - will interact with context to create particular employment relationships. These relationships are examined in chapters * HRM in the smaller organization* The challenge of undertaking research in such firms* The impact of regulation* The influence of social embeddedness* The affect of the national minimum wage* Training and development* Pay construction* Employee representation These discussions link the key themes and concepts within employment relations, and illustrate how firm size shapes their articulation and consequent management. Written by well respected specialists in the field, this is one of the only books on the market covering this topic, and as such it will be an essential text for researchers and graduates studying business and management, human resourcemanagement and industrial relations. 1. Introduction / Susan Marlow -- 2. The Hunting Of The Snark : A Critical Analysis Of Human Resource Management Discourses In Relation To Managing Labour In Smaller Organisations / Scott Taylor -- 3. Researching The Employment Relationship In Small Firms : What Are The Contributions From The Employment Relations And Small Business Literatures? / Robert Blackburn. Edited By Susan Marlow, Dean Patton And Monder Ram. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.