http://repub.eur.nl/res/aut/8231/ List of Publications en http://repub.eur.nl/static-eur/img/logo.png http://repub.eur.nl http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/15795/ 2006-07-01T00:00:00Z This study examines determinants of professional human resource management (HRM) practices within a sample of approximately 700 small to medium-sized firms. Predictions from the agency theory and the resource-based view of organizations lead to alternate hypotheses regarding the direct and indirect negative effects of family ownership and management on the usage of professional HRM practices. Results support predictions for both direct and indirect effects. These indirect effects occur through intermediary variables that reflect organizational complexity, such as firm size, (the presence of a) formal business plan, and HRM specialization. The findings lend partial support to both theories. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/286/ 2003-03-19T00:00:00Z This study examines determinants of the formalization of HRM practices with small firms. We derive five hypotheses that identify possible determinants of the level of formalization, including firm size, family business, the availability of an HRM department or HRM manager, and the existence of a formal business plan. We test these hypotheses using data on more than 700 Dutch small firms. We find that, within this sample of small firms, larger firms apply more formalized HRM practices than smaller firms do. However, once we take certain contextual variables into account, the direct relation with firm size becomes substantially less. Indirect relations with firm size also exist: firm size is a determinant of the probability that an HRM department is present, which in turn is related to the formalization of all HRM scales. Finally, family businesses apply less formal HRM practices, as do businesses without a business plan. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/9734/ 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z Human resource management (HRM) has been defined as the “process of attracting, developing and maintaining a talented and energetic workforce to support organizational mission, objectives, and strategies” (Schermerhorn, 2001, p. 2400). Audretsch and Thurik (2000, 2001) argue that effective HRM practices are becoming increasingly important in the modern “knowledge-based” economy, as companies face the double challenge of the need for more highly trained employees coupled with the shortage of qualified labour. These challenges, coupled with the third trend toward smaller firms in general, reinforce the need for effective HRM practices in the small firm (Audretsch and Thurik, 2000, 2001). Empirical research confirms that in general, smaller firms make less use of professional HRM practices than larger firms (Barron et al., 1987; Hornsby and Kuratko, 1990). For example, smaller firms make less use of formalized recruitment practices (Aldrich and Langton, 1997), provide less training to their employees (Koch and McGrath, 1996; Westhead and Storey, 1997, 1999) and are less likely to use formalized performance appraisals (Jackson et al., 1989). In spite of the size effect, a growing base of research evidence suggests that far from being homogeneous, small firms nevertheless vary widely in the professional HRM practices in use (De Kok and Uhlaner, 2001). For example, Deshpande and Golhar (1994) find HRM practices within many small manufacturing firms to be as sophisticated as those in larger companies. Similarly, Hornsby and Kuratko (1990) find that while firms of all sizes use primarily informal recruitment and selection techniques (mainly employee referrals and the interview), even among small firms, HRM practices are often more sophisticated than they had expected. Using a small set of cases, Hill and Stewart (1999) also demonstrate variation in level of sophistication of HRM practices among smaller organizations. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/6871/ 2001-04-04T00:00:00Z This paper examines the relationship between organization contextual variables and human resource management (HRM) practices in small firms. The proposed model is based on an integration of theoretical perspectives, including the resource-based approach, institutional theory, transaction cost economics (TCE), and concepts from strategic management. The model is explored empirically, with qualitative and quantitative analyses of data collected from a sample of sixteen small Dutch firms. Specific contextual variables examined include company size, the presence of a collective labor agreement, having a large firm associate, either as supplier, purchasing group or franchiser, and the company's strategic orientation toward growth (growth strategy). An important finding is the significance of having a large firm associate. Companies with a large firm associate are more likely to report having employer-based training programs. As predicted, company size is associated with more formal HRM practices, including greater regularity of performance appraisal and greater likelihood of employer-based training. A weak relationship is found between a more growth-oriented strategy and greater formality of these two HRM practices. Predictions based on collective labor agreements are not supported. The paper concludes that the findings warrant further research on the relationship between organization contextual variables and the formalization of HRM practices, although a clearer definition of the latter variable is needed in future research. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/6946/ 2000-08-29T00:00:00Z The returns to firm-provided training depend on many different factors. Firm size is an important indicator of various of these factors, but recent research tends to neglect it. In this study the returns to firm-provided training are estimated, taking account of three possible firm-size effects: the HRM effect, selection effect and scale effect. Using panel data on 173 Dutch firms, support is found for the existence of the HRM effect: training support per working day (the average time a firm spends on setting up and coordinating a training program) has a positive influence on the returns to training. In the absence of training support, training has no effect on production. Since on average smaller firms provide less training support per working day, this implies that small firms benefit less from firm-provided training than their larger counterparts. http://repub.eur.nl/res/pub/7784/ 1997-12-03T00:00:00Z Involuntary absence is often seen as an exogenous factor, but firms can take actions to reduce it. In this paper the notion that firms, especially SMEs, are faced with a single decision whether or not to undertake these actions is questioned. A firm model on involuntary absence measures is constructed and estimated in which four successive steps are distinguished. It turns out that this model is supported by the data. Furthermore a clear firm-size effect exists. Larger firms tend to take more precautionary actions than small firms because they have more attention for work- and health-related topics in general and more easily recognise the influence they can exert on the level of involuntary absence.