Managing Human Resources in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Robert Wapshott is Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Sheffield, UKOliver Mallett is Lecturer in Management at Durham University, UK

'Wapshott and Mallett provide a thoughtful, engagingly-written and compelling analysis of the importance of people to small firms and entrepreneurship. Contemporary debate tends to gloss over the topic in its quest to promote 'growth', 'enterprise' and 'innovation'. But in the hands of these accomplished scholars, we are reminded of the centrality of people-management to all kinds of small businesses. Students of enterprise will benefit from the authors' clear analysis; and researchers too will appreciate their synthesis of a complex range of issues.' - Monder Ram, OBE, Professor, The University of Birmingham, UK'Key to the text’s success - and succeed it does - is the recognition that smaller firms are not a homogenous category and that informality dominates the organization of the employment relationship. Wapshott and Mallett are careful to avoid the best practice trap where what ‘should’ happen according to the HR professionals and corporate managers of large firms is automatically assumed to be best for all. Their detailed, accessible and engaging analysis of the empirical evidence shows what actually happens in small firms, without ignoring actual best practice.' - Simon Down, Professor, Anglia Ruskin University, UK

• Part I: The Distinctive Case of SMEs 1. Introduction 2. From Entrepreneur to Owner-Manager 3. Shaping Employment Relationships in Small Firms Part II: Managing Human Resources 4. Recruitment and Selection 5. Training and Development 6. Reward and Recognition 7. Staff Turnover Part III: Re-thinking HRM in SMEs 8. SME Growth, HRM and the Role of Formalisation 9. Employment Relationships and Practices in SMEs 10. The Management of Human Resources in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises