management revue. Socio-economic Studies 

About: management revue. Socio-economic Studies is an academic journal published by Barbara Budrich Publishers. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Human resource management & Industrial relations. It has an ISSN identifier of 1861-9916. Over the lifetime, 324 publications have been published receiving 5737 citations. The journal is also known as: IJAR.

A Quarter-Century Review of Human Resource Management in the U.S.: The Growth in Importance of the International Perspective **

Abstract: The past quarter century has witnessed many developments in the research and prac- tice of managing human resources in the United States In this article, we briefly de- scribe two major areas in which these developments have been unfolding: strategic human resource management and international human resource management Across these two areas of activity, HRM in the U S has evolved to encompass a greater ap- preciation of issues associated with: the systemic character of human resource man- agement, the role that context plays in shaping HR policies and practices, the impor- tance of demonstrating the effectiveness of HR policies and practices, the value of ad- dressing the concerns of multiple stakeholders, the need for partnership in managing human resources, the complexity of managing human resources in multinational en- terprises, and the challenge of developing theories and frameworks that provide new and useful insights about how to address all of these issues We conclude with a brief summary and our thoughts about the future of HRM in the US context and the con- tinued importance of the international perspective

Human Resources and Business Performance: Findings, Unanswered Questions, and an Alternative Approach**

Abstract: In 1996, Becker and Gerhart noted that much of the work on human resources (HR) and performance had traditionally been conducted at the individual level of analysis. However, in the 1990s, empirical research on HR and performance increasingly moved to the plant/unit and firm level of analysis with a new emphasis on understanding how HR practices influence business performance at these higher levels. In the present article, I describe the empirical findings of this evolving literature, unanswered questions, and an approach to the issue that differs from what has come to be the typical approach over the past 10 years or so. Key words: Human Resources, Performance, Employee Relations, Employee Attitudes, Methodology Findings on HR and Business Performance Early efforts to link HR practices to business performance generally focused on a single practice or area of HR. For example, business performance was found to be stronger where the industrial relations climate was more favorable (e.g., lower levels of grievances and conflict, better employee attitudes) and where the use of labor-management cooperation programs was greater (Cutcher-Gershenfeld 1991; Katz/Kochan/Gobeille 1983; Katz/Kochan/Weber 1985). This work was conducted at the plant/unit level of analysis (and typically in unionized settings). Other work, at the firm level of analysis, reported that business performance was stronger in firms emphasizing pay for performance in managerial compensation (Gerhart/Milkovich 1990) and in firms using more valid employee selection procedures (Terpstra/Rozell 1993). Subsequent research expanded the conception and measurement of HR to include an array of practices. To some extent, "AMO theory" (Boxall/Purcell 2003) has evolved as a model to help guide choice of HR practices to study. AMO refers to ability-motivation opportunity' (Appelbaum et al. 2000; Bailey 1993; Gerhart, forthcoming; Huselid 1995; Ichniowski et al. 1996). Under the AMO model, HR practices are expected to influence business performance via the workforce's ability (e.g., using selective hiring, training), motivation (e.g., using pay for performance), and opportunity to contribute (e.g., using teams, suggestion systems). At the plant/facility level, key studies showing links between HR practices and performance were conducted by Arthur (1994), MacDuffie (1995), and Ichniowski/ Shaw/Prennushi (1997) in manufacturing and in the service sector by Batt (2002). At Uiefirm level, an early and influential study was conducted by Huselid (1995), followed by Delery and Doty (1996). For reviews of these and related studies, see Becker and Gerhart (1996), Boxall and Purcell (2003), and Gerhart (1999, forthcoming). The empirical work generally reports the same finding: the choice of HR practices is related to business performance, often strongly. (see Cappelli and Neumark for an empirical exception and Godard 2004 for a less optimistic review.) For example, Gerhart's (1999) review found that a one standard deviation increase in HR system practices (relative to the mean) designed to enhance workforce ability', motivation, and opportunity to contribute was associated with roughly 20 percent better firm financial performance. Consider that this finding means that firms one standard deviation above the mean are at 120 % of mean performance, while those one standard deviation below the mean are at 80 percent of mean performance, making for a 120/80 = 50 percent advantage of being +1 standard deviation versus -1 standard deviation. This is a large difference. How have such studies been received by HR scholars? An examination of the HR Division, Academy of Management, Scholarly Achievement Award (best article of the year) winning studies reveals that since 1990, the majority of award-winning articles have used either plant or firm performance as a major dependent variable (http://www.hrdiv.org/) and one or more HR practices as the independent variable(s). …

Recent Developments and Future Prospects on Sustainable Human Resource Management: Introduction to the Special Issue **

Abstract: In this editorial the previous and current state of studies in the subject of sustainability are considered and the role of HRM examined. Particular attention is drawn to the range of definitions of ‘sustainability’ and to prior approaches to Sustainable HRM. The difficulties of studying the complexities of the topics especially the varying perspectives from geographical locations and from practice and academia are observed. Meanwhile the opportunities for academic research to add value to the world of practice are identified. The editors then outline the contributions by the authors of the three papers and an extended book review that make up the Special Edition. Finally, there are suggestions for the course of future research on this increasingly important topic – for academics, for practitioners and for humanity in general.

Missing Variables in Theories of Strategic Human Resource Management: Time, Cause, and Individuals

Abstract: Much progress has been made with regard to theory building and application in the field of Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) since Wright and McMahan's (1992) critical review. While researchers have increasingly investigated the impact of HR on economic success within the Resource Based view of the firm, and have developed more middle level theories regarding the processes through which HR impacts firm performance, much work still needs to be done. This paper examines how future theorizing in SHRM should explore the concepts of time, cause, and individuals. Such consideration will drive more longitudinal research, more complex causal models, and consideration of multi-level phenomena. Key words: Human Resource Management, Strategic HRM, Firm Performance "Categorization of data - whether qualitative or quantitative - is not theory. Categorization characterises much of the work...in the realms of business policy / strategy and human resource strategy. " Samuel Bacharach (1989, 497) The fact that a firm's people are becoming central to strategic decision-making seems reasonably unarguable. Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) researchers have devoted considerable effort toward demonstrating that the ways that people are managed, particularly through HR practices, have strong empirical relationships with organizational performance (Delery/Doty 1996; Huselid 1995; MacDuffie 1995). While this empirical attention continues to increase, many researchers have criticized the theoretical underpinnings of the research and called for more specific theoretical models of the processes through which HR practices impact organizational performance (Becker/Gerhart 1996; Dyer/Reeves 1995; Guest 1997; Wright/Gardner 2003). While some strides have been made in conceptually articulating mediating processes between HR practices and organizational performance (e.g., Truss/Gratton 1994; Becker/Huselid/Pickus/Spratt 1997), this literature still leaves room for improvement. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the current status of theoretical development in the HR-performance relationship, and to propose 3 important variables that are currently missing in theoretical analyses of the relationship between HRM and economic success: time, cause, and individuals. Theory on the Relationship between HRM and Economic Success Theory on the relationship between HRM and economic success has grown significantly over the past 15 years. This theoretical progress can be seen in two different arenas: meta-theories describing broad rationales for why HRM and economic success should be linked, and middle-level process theories describing how this linkage takes place. In the first arena, Wright and McMahan (1992) critically reviewed the state of theory in SHRM research, noting that much research was at best "borrowing" metatheories from other disciplines, and at worst, almost completely atheoretical. At that time they noted that the existing research in SHRM had predominantly utilized Resource -Based Theory, the Behavioral Approach, Open Systems Theory, and Control Theory with a few authors exploring Population Ecology and Critical Theory. They noted then, that this state of affairs could signal a tremendous obstacle to future research. McMahan, Virick, and Wright (1999) updated the earlier Wright and McMahan (1992) review, and found that the Resource-Based View of the Firm had become almost the universally embraced meta-theory among Strategic HRM researchers, largely because of both its popularity in the broader strategy literature, and its ability to articulate why HRM could be linked to the economic success of firms. For instance, Wright, Dunford, and Snell (2001) provided a comprehensive Resource Based model depicting the relationship between HRM practices and the stock of human capital, the flow of knowledge, and the dynamic capabilities of firms, all of which have been advocated among strategy researchers as important resources for competitive success. …

The Next Step in the Evolution of the RBV: Integration with Transaction Cost Economics

Abstract: This essay addresses the role of transaction cost economics (TCE) in advancing the resource-based view. In particular, it is argued that TCE has the potential to remedy a number of weak spots in the RBV, such as the absence of attention in the RBV to the interaction between value creation and value appropriation. This and other weak spots in the RBV stem from not taking account of transaction costs to a sufficient extent. Integrating TCE with the RBV adds new insight into the analysis of sustained competitive advantage.