This study is primarily designed to shed light on the conflicting views between the human resource
management (HRM) and industrial relations (IR) and how these two concepts can be reconciled through
providing evidences and literatures. Further, it also discusses the critical points and arguments that support the
claim that these two terms are separate and independently applied in business context but at the same time can be
combined to attain higher rate of success. To achieve the research objective, this study made use of secondary
data to gather information from books and articles and to lay out the arguments supported with appropriate
theories and literatures. The findings revealed that indeed there is difference in the concept between HRM and IR
as well as its applicability although these two terms are both used in businesses. However; it is suggested that
extensive studies can be conducted to gather more evidences to link these two concepts and considering that
arguments were mainly interpreted by the author, different perspectives are welcomed to evaluate further its
relevance especially in Sultanate of Oman where IR is perceived to be in infancy stage.
Managing human resource is a coursework for HND in business for students pursuing HND course. HND assignment help offers high quality assignment help for students at discounted prices.
- Collective Bargaining
- Trade Union
- Why Employees Join Trade Union
- Factors Leading to Employee Unionization
- Collective Bargaining
- Process of Collective Bargaining
- Introduction to HRM
- Definitions of Human Resource Management
- Objectives of HRM
- Functions of HRM
- Characteristics of HRM
- Duties of HRM
- Changing Environment of HRM
Managing human resource is a coursework for HND in business for students pursuing HND course. HND assignment help offers high quality assignment help for students at discounted prices.
- Collective Bargaining
- Trade Union
- Why Employees Join Trade Union
- Factors Leading to Employee Unionization
- Collective Bargaining
- Process of Collective Bargaining
- Introduction to HRM
- Definitions of Human Resource Management
- Objectives of HRM
- Functions of HRM
- Characteristics of HRM
- Duties of HRM
- Changing Environment of HRM
Talent Retention and Employees’ Resilience of Telecommunication Companies in ...Premier Publishers
This study investigated the relationship between talent retention and employee resilience of telecommunication companies in Rivers State, Nigeria. Talent retention was conceptualized the independent variable while interpersonal competence, adaptability, and pro-activeness were used as measures of the dependent variable. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey in its investigation of the variables. The primary source of data was generated through a self- administered questionnaire. A sample of one hundred and nine (109) respondents were drawn from a population of one hundred and thirty-four (134) respondents, using the Taro Yamane’s formula for sample size determination. The research instrument was validated through the supervisor’s vetting and approval while the reliability of the instrument was achieved by the use of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient with all the items scoring above 0.70. Data generated were analyzed and presented using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The hypotheses were tested using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Statistics. The tests were carried out at a 95% confidence interval and a 0.05 level of significance. Empirical findings revealed that talent retention positively and significantly influences employee resilience of telecommunication companies in Rivers State, Nigeria. The result of the findings further revealed that talent retention of telecommunication companies in Rivers State, Nigeria gave rise to interpersonal competence, adaptability, and pro-activeness. The study recommends that management of telecommunication companies should do their best to retain employees who have been a positive impact on the companies and use it to motivate other employees working within the designated department in the company.
Charles Krugels July 22, 2009 City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs ...Charles Krugel
21 page labor & employment law & human resources seminar handout. Discusses a variety of substantive issues & summarizes most federal & state of IL labor & employment laws.
Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Financial Performance of Se...iosrjce
Human resources are the source of achieving competitive advantage because of its capability to
convert the other resources (money, machine, methods and material) in to output (product/service). The
competitor can imitate other resources like technology and capital but the human resource are unique. People
are one of the most important factors providing flexibility and adaptability to organizations. People (managers),
not the firm, are the adaptive mechanism in determining how the firm will respond to the competitive
environment. This study was guided by resource based theory. The study applied descriptive research design. In
this design, the researcher does not manipulate the variables under study but instead, examines the variables in
their existing condition. The study targeted middle level managers in selected agricultural firms in the sugar
industry. In total the sample size will comprise of 134 respondents. The main research instruments that were
used in this study were questionnaires. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics using
SPSS (Statistical Packages for Social Sciences) Computer package. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically.
Correlation was used to analyze the degree of relationship between the variables in the study. The coefficient of
correlation (r), determine the degree (strength) of relationship and its value is between -1 and 1. Regression was
used to obtain an equation which describes the dependent variable in terms of the independent variable based
on the regression model, (regression is used to determine the type of relationship). Further, factor analysis was
undertaken in order to obtain a detailed perceptual and attitudinal aspects of the data. Data was presented in
the form of frequency distribution tables, graphs and pie charts that will facilitate description and explanation
of the study findings. The findings showed the correlation between Human Resource Management practices and
financial performance of selected agricultural firms in the sugar industry.
Strategic Approach to Human Resource ManagementAtul Chanodkar
Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management
- Why Strategy
- Defining Strategy
- Key Elements of SHRM
- Differentiating Traditional and Strategic HRM
- Integrating HR Strategies with Corporate and Functional Strategies
- Integrating Human Resources in Strategic Decisions
- Organizational Human Resource Strategy: A Quick Look
Whatever happened to humanresource managementperformance.docxphilipnelson29183
Whatever happened to human
resource management
performance?
Peter Prowse and Julie Prowse
University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically explore the evidence that human resource
management (HRM) could contribute to the improvement of organizational and individual
performance. It aims to examine the historical development of HRM and its emergence as a distinct
management discipline. The evidence indicates that HRM is the product of several different traditions
that range from a concern with employee welfare to the development of workplace relationships. The
paper critically re-evaluates what human performance is and assesses its contribution to
organizational effectiveness. What is particularly important is the lack of empirical literature on the
contribution of HRM and business performance. This paper will call for the re-evaluation of more
contemporary criteria of how people contribute to organizational performance in private, public and
the emerging non-profit making sectors.
Design/methodology/approach – The methodology adopted in this research uses critical
literature on the contribution of human resource management performance.
Findings – The main finding of this research is the understanding of the problems of research design
in measuring the contribution of HRM to develop performance in organizations.
Research limitations/implications – The research presented in this paper needs to review and
standardize comparative research design to confirm the performance of HRM in organizations. It
compares the alternative perspectives of measuring performance in financial criteria.
Originality/value – This paper reviews the research between key authors for exploring the
correlation between HRM and organizational performance for future research and examines the
influence of human resource professional bodies.
Keywords Human resource management, Performance measurement (quality), Critical success factors
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
This chapter evaluates the contribution of human resource management (HRM) to
improving organisational performance. What is evident from the literature is the
linkages between human resource management and organizational performance. One
of the key issues that needs to be examined is exactly what type of performance and
the contribution of HR techniques to increase performance.
Initially, the chapter evaluates the historical development of performance
management from the HRM literature before evaluating the debates on efficiency
and performance. It then outlines the development of HRM techniques designed to
evaluate the outcomes of HRM to improve organizational and individual performance,
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1741-0401.htm
The authors would like to thank the Editor and anonymous referees for their helpful comments
and suggestions.
Human resource
management
performance
.
Strategic human resource management technology effect and implication for dis...IJECEIAES
Strategic human resource management involves a future-oriented process of developing and implementing HR programs that address and solve business problems and directly contribute to major long-term business objectives. HR management has changed dramatically in recent decades. It was once largely an administrative function focused on day-to-day responsibilities such as employee recruiting and selection and managing employee benefits. Changing labor market conditions and new business thinking call for HR business strategies that include recruiting and retaining the right people, as well as providing ethical and cultural leadership[1].This paper discusses the following issues : The importance of human resource activity , The importance of strategic human resource planning, The changing role of human resource management and nature of work and non government organizations , Technology effect on human resource management and implications for distance training and learning .A field study was conducted to know the attitude of one hundred and five Saudi employees towards the effect of distance learning and training on human resource management and development
Talent Retention and Employees’ Resilience of Telecommunication Companies in ...Premier Publishers
This study investigated the relationship between talent retention and employee resilience of telecommunication companies in Rivers State, Nigeria. Talent retention was conceptualized the independent variable while interpersonal competence, adaptability, and pro-activeness were used as measures of the dependent variable. The study adopted the cross-sectional survey in its investigation of the variables. The primary source of data was generated through a self- administered questionnaire. A sample of one hundred and nine (109) respondents were drawn from a population of one hundred and thirty-four (134) respondents, using the Taro Yamane’s formula for sample size determination. The research instrument was validated through the supervisor’s vetting and approval while the reliability of the instrument was achieved by the use of the Cronbach Alpha coefficient with all the items scoring above 0.70. Data generated were analyzed and presented using both descriptive and inferential statistical techniques. The hypotheses were tested using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Statistics. The tests were carried out at a 95% confidence interval and a 0.05 level of significance. Empirical findings revealed that talent retention positively and significantly influences employee resilience of telecommunication companies in Rivers State, Nigeria. The result of the findings further revealed that talent retention of telecommunication companies in Rivers State, Nigeria gave rise to interpersonal competence, adaptability, and pro-activeness. The study recommends that management of telecommunication companies should do their best to retain employees who have been a positive impact on the companies and use it to motivate other employees working within the designated department in the company.
Charles Krugels July 22, 2009 City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs ...Charles Krugel
21 page labor & employment law & human resources seminar handout. Discusses a variety of substantive issues & summarizes most federal & state of IL labor & employment laws.
Effects of Human Resource Management Practices on Financial Performance of Se...iosrjce
Human resources are the source of achieving competitive advantage because of its capability to
convert the other resources (money, machine, methods and material) in to output (product/service). The
competitor can imitate other resources like technology and capital but the human resource are unique. People
are one of the most important factors providing flexibility and adaptability to organizations. People (managers),
not the firm, are the adaptive mechanism in determining how the firm will respond to the competitive
environment. This study was guided by resource based theory. The study applied descriptive research design. In
this design, the researcher does not manipulate the variables under study but instead, examines the variables in
their existing condition. The study targeted middle level managers in selected agricultural firms in the sugar
industry. In total the sample size will comprise of 134 respondents. The main research instruments that were
used in this study were questionnaires. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics using
SPSS (Statistical Packages for Social Sciences) Computer package. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically.
Correlation was used to analyze the degree of relationship between the variables in the study. The coefficient of
correlation (r), determine the degree (strength) of relationship and its value is between -1 and 1. Regression was
used to obtain an equation which describes the dependent variable in terms of the independent variable based
on the regression model, (regression is used to determine the type of relationship). Further, factor analysis was
undertaken in order to obtain a detailed perceptual and attitudinal aspects of the data. Data was presented in
the form of frequency distribution tables, graphs and pie charts that will facilitate description and explanation
of the study findings. The findings showed the correlation between Human Resource Management practices and
financial performance of selected agricultural firms in the sugar industry.
Strategic Approach to Human Resource ManagementAtul Chanodkar
Strategic Approach to Human Resource Management
- Why Strategy
- Defining Strategy
- Key Elements of SHRM
- Differentiating Traditional and Strategic HRM
- Integrating HR Strategies with Corporate and Functional Strategies
- Integrating Human Resources in Strategic Decisions
- Organizational Human Resource Strategy: A Quick Look
Whatever happened to humanresource managementperformance.docxphilipnelson29183
Whatever happened to human
resource management
performance?
Peter Prowse and Julie Prowse
University of Bradford, Bradford, UK
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically explore the evidence that human resource
management (HRM) could contribute to the improvement of organizational and individual
performance. It aims to examine the historical development of HRM and its emergence as a distinct
management discipline. The evidence indicates that HRM is the product of several different traditions
that range from a concern with employee welfare to the development of workplace relationships. The
paper critically re-evaluates what human performance is and assesses its contribution to
organizational effectiveness. What is particularly important is the lack of empirical literature on the
contribution of HRM and business performance. This paper will call for the re-evaluation of more
contemporary criteria of how people contribute to organizational performance in private, public and
the emerging non-profit making sectors.
Design/methodology/approach – The methodology adopted in this research uses critical
literature on the contribution of human resource management performance.
Findings – The main finding of this research is the understanding of the problems of research design
in measuring the contribution of HRM to develop performance in organizations.
Research limitations/implications – The research presented in this paper needs to review and
standardize comparative research design to confirm the performance of HRM in organizations. It
compares the alternative perspectives of measuring performance in financial criteria.
Originality/value – This paper reviews the research between key authors for exploring the
correlation between HRM and organizational performance for future research and examines the
influence of human resource professional bodies.
Keywords Human resource management, Performance measurement (quality), Critical success factors
Paper type Literature review
Introduction
This chapter evaluates the contribution of human resource management (HRM) to
improving organisational performance. What is evident from the literature is the
linkages between human resource management and organizational performance. One
of the key issues that needs to be examined is exactly what type of performance and
the contribution of HR techniques to increase performance.
Initially, the chapter evaluates the historical development of performance
management from the HRM literature before evaluating the debates on efficiency
and performance. It then outlines the development of HRM techniques designed to
evaluate the outcomes of HRM to improve organizational and individual performance,
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1741-0401.htm
The authors would like to thank the Editor and anonymous referees for their helpful comments
and suggestions.
Human resource
management
performance
.
Strategic human resource management technology effect and implication for dis...IJECEIAES
Strategic human resource management involves a future-oriented process of developing and implementing HR programs that address and solve business problems and directly contribute to major long-term business objectives. HR management has changed dramatically in recent decades. It was once largely an administrative function focused on day-to-day responsibilities such as employee recruiting and selection and managing employee benefits. Changing labor market conditions and new business thinking call for HR business strategies that include recruiting and retaining the right people, as well as providing ethical and cultural leadership[1].This paper discusses the following issues : The importance of human resource activity , The importance of strategic human resource planning, The changing role of human resource management and nature of work and non government organizations , Technology effect on human resource management and implications for distance training and learning .A field study was conducted to know the attitude of one hundred and five Saudi employees towards the effect of distance learning and training on human resource management and development
Without implementing HRM theories and best practices organizations would not achieve their desired goals and objectives. using class information and any other sources, discuss this statement giving relevant examples.
Chapter 5 The reality of SHRMIntroduction The reality of str.docxbartholomeocoombs
Chapter 5 The reality of SHRM
Introduction
The reality of strategic HRM (SHRM) as it has evolved over the years is that it has remained over-concerned with the interests of the business and its shareholders. But it is also an academic construct that seems to leave practitioners cold. In this chapter the reality and limitations of the SHRM concept are discussed and a case is made for modifying the approach.
The reality of SHRM
The rationale for SHRM is the perceived advantage of having an agreed and understood basis for developing and implementing approaches to human resource management which takes into account the corporate plans and priorities of the organization and the changing context in which it operates. As Dyer and Holder (1988: 13) remarked, SHRM should provide ‘unifying frameworks which are at once broad, contingency based and integrative’. This is compelling stuff. But a literature review of SHRM by Armstrong and Brown (2018) left them the impression that it is more of an academic construct than a description of the reality of strategy formulation and implementation in organizations. Brown et al (2019: 43) commented following their research for the Institute for Employment Studies (IES) that: ‘Maybe the proponents of strategic HRM had some very pertinent ideas but used jargon which got in the way of people management becoming genuinely more strategic.’ The IES researchers were struck by the absence in current HR language of the term strategic human resource management. It is interesting to note that the CIPD’s New Profession Map (CIPD, 2018) setting out its professional standards does not mention it. Strategic HRM is a concept of some academic importance but less practical significance. It only becomes real when people management professionals and line managers jointly practise strategic management and together develop and implement people strategies which address the people and business requirements and issues facing their organization.
The limitations of SHRM
As emphasized by Armstrong and Brown (2018), a fundamental problem with SHRM is that it has been over-concerned with the interests of one set of stakeholders – meeting the needs of the shareholders and business leaders – and has been much less concerned with the interests of the other stakeholders, especially employees. This issue was raised by Kaye (1999) who asked the question: ‘Does SHRM benefit employees as well as their organizations?’ He observed that virtually all SHRM research takes the managerial/organizational perspective, with an emphasis on the consequences for organizational performance. This, he wrote, suggests that SHRM may be improving the bottom line of companies, but may also be hurting employees – especially when workers are viewed as commodities. Cascio (2015: 424) argued that: ‘In SHRM research, organizational performance is sometimes viewed only in terms of operational outcomes (productivity, quality, service, innovation) and financial outcomes (.
Human Resource Management Policies and Supply Chain Management in Apparel Ind...journal ijrtem
Background: This study aims to determine the impact of human resource management (HRM) practices on supply chain management (SCM) in garment manufacturing firms.
Methods: This study found that garment manufacturing firms perform moderate level of HRM which have an impact on Supply chain Management (SCM).There is a correlation between HRM practices that proactively contributes in supply chain success. Training, an important HRM practise contributes greater to SCM success.
A two way approach was followed to collect Data which was from research papers and garment manufacturing firms. A Questionnaire was prepared which was filled by middle level managers of garment industry in order to know their perception as well as to understand the existing HRM practices which have or can have an impact on SCM.
Keywords: Human resource management, supply chain management, organization structure, competitive advantage, SME.
Linking Competitive Strategies with Human Resource Information System: A Comp...Samsul Alam
Understanding how human resource information system (HRIS) is linked with competitive strategies (CSs) has become an important research topic in the field of strategic human resource management (SHRM) and information systems (IS). This study intends to find a relationship between HRIS and CSs and the resulting competitive advantages gained from the relationship that impact the organization's overall performance. A semi-structured questionnaire survey based on the face-to-face interview method was conducted among human resource (HR) executives of the selected Bangladeshi business organizations to collect data and find results. The result shows that HRIS implementation has a significant influence on CSs. Again, HRIS contributes to leveraging benefits from these strategies. The statistical findings reveal that HRIS pay-off (36%) is positively correlated (37%) with CSs to a lower-medium extent, but this correlation insignificantly affects business performance in this horizon. Finally, a framework is developed showing how to leverage HRIS pay-off based on findings and literature.
The Impact of Human Resource Practices on Organizational Performance: A Study...AI Publications
The aim of this study to find the impact of human resource management practices on organizational performance of businesses located in Erbil. The research analyzed by applying quantitative method, I applied a structured survey as tool of this research. I distributed 100 questionnaires, but only 71 questionnaires I was able to receive. The findings showed that there is a positive relationship between human resource management practices and organizational performance.In my study, I have found the limitations, for instance the measurement of applying few of human resource management practices in order to measure organizational performance.Future studies can enhance the above research limitations and foresee a much detailed research study of the relation between human resource management practices by taking more practices intro consideration in order to measure and assess organizational performance.
9
Management
2014
Vol.18, No. 1
MAŁGORZATA GABLETA
ANDRZEJ BODAK
Professor Małgorzata Gableta
Wroclaw University of Economics
Ph.D. Andrzej Bodak
Wroclaw University of Economics
MAŁGORZATA GABLETA
ANDRZEJ BODAK
Employee interests in the
light of human resource
management concepts
1. Introduction
The category of employee interests is seldom
addressed in professional literature. Broad
empirical studies of the subject are sporadic.
However, respecting the employee interests is
of considerable value for company operation,
due to its strong impact on behaviours of
both individuals and employee groups, with
important consequences for the survival and
development of the organization. Realization
of employee interests is, in fact, the main reason
for taking up certain activities, which makes
it the prime mover of desired attitudes in the
work process. As a subject of such importance,
the problem is not adequately represented in
the concepts of human resource management.
Some references to the notion of employee
interests are present in the Harvard model
of Human Resource Management (HRM). At
present, the HRM concept may be regarded as
the most fundamental of modern approaches
to personnel in business organizations. It
seems that, for the purpose of this study, the
somehow associated concept of Human Capital
Management (HCM) may be omitted here,
at least insofar as it relates to the problem
of respecting employee interests (Baron,
Armstrong 2008, pp. 37-39). HCM represents,
DOI:
10.2478/manment-2014-0001 ISSN 1429-9321
10
Management
2014
Vol.18, No. 1
Employee interests in the light of human
resource management concepts
in essence, a variant of the HRM model (Oleksyn 2011, pp. 47, 52). However, it may
be interesting to analyse the evolution of the concept by evoking the associated
trend of High Performance Work Systems (HPWS). The systems in question are
characterized by formation of the so-called pillars (key management practices)
in the sphere of personnel management, aimed at increasing the effectiveness of
management processes. Moreover, the above trend is often associated with the
concept of High Involvement Work Practices (HIWP), with the dominant position
of the term involvement. The notion of employee involvement may be understood
as “...intellectual and emotional dedication to the organization or as a measure of the
work effort on the part of the employee” (Juchnowicz 2010, p. 35), which is in direct
relation to certain approaches to the realization of employee interests and the
interests of the employing organization.
This study represents an attempt at emphasizing the importance of employee
interest realization from the viewpoint of human resource management concepts.
The authors work on the assumption that the realization of employee interests
should be the core of any management practices that constitute the above
approaches to human resource management. This approach is re.
IN THIS ASSIGNEMT THE AIM IS TO TEST YOUR UNDERSTANDING IN THE APPLICATION OF ORGANIZATIONAL THEORIES THAT ARE RELATED TO HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT .THESE THEORIES CUTS ACROSS FROM NEOCLASSICAL CLASSICAL AND MODERN THEORIES SUCH AS CONTIGENCY THEORIEY. THERE HAS BEEN A RESEACH GOING ON TO WHETHER HUMAN RESOURCE HAS A KEY ROLE IN ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESS AS YOU READ THROUGH YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DISCOVER THE ASUMPTIONS AND FINDINGSHuman capital theory was initially well developed by Becker (1964) and it has
grown in importance worldwide because it focuses on education and training as
a source of capital. It is now widely acknowledged that one of the key
explanations for the rapid development of Asian countries in the 1970s and 80s is
high investment in human capital (Robert 1991; Psacharopolos & Woodhall 1997).
Human capital theory changes the equation that training and development are
‘costs the organisation should try to minimise’ into training and development as
‘returnable investments’ which should be part of the organisational investment
capitalThere is a growing body of knowledge stipulating that since an organisation
operates and thrives in a complex environment, managers must adopt specific
strategies which will maximise gains and minimise risks from the environment (Peter
& Waterman 1982; Scott 1992; Robbins 1992). In this premise, the theory contends
that there is no one best strategy for managing people in organisations. Overall
corporate strategy and the feedback from the environment will dictate the
optimal strategies, policies, objectives, activities and tasks in human resource
management.
Organisational change theory:
Gareth (2009: 291) defines organisational change as the process by which
organisations move from their present state to some desired future state to
increase their effectiveness. Organisations change in response to many
developments taking place in the internal and external environment such as
technology, policies, laws, customer tests, fashions and choices that influence
peoples’ attitudes and behaviour. These developments influence different
aspects of human resource management and in response, organisations have to
change the way organisational structure, job design, recruitment, utilisation,
development, reward and retention are managed (Hersay & Blanchard 1977;
Robbins 1992; Johns 1996). The organisational change theory suggests the
improvement of organisational change and performance by using diagnostic
tools appropriate for the development of effective change strategy in human
resource management.
Similar to Reconciling the Conflicting Views between Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations: Critical Perspective (20)
Although performance appraisal is concerned with the evaluation of workers job performance, it at the same time serves to highlight the specific objectives of an organization. As the employee is being evaluated the organization is also evaluating itself by comparing objectives and standards of performance, reviews the whole appraisal framework and design as well as organizational values and culture. Performance appraisal is a veritable tool for organizations to evaluate and increase the quality of education and training of their workforce with a view to developing lifelong learning patterns and strategies to sustain productivity throughout longer working periods. Motivation as it relates to employee productivity is often behind the drive for performance and self-actualization and provides opportunities for higher productivity. Productivity is an important measure of goal achievement because getting more done with less resources increases organizational profitability. Using the exploratory research design and 109 participants the result of the study indicates a strong positive correlation between performance appraisal and employee productivity. It suggests that the issue of performance appraisal in charitable organizations should be addressed. In view of the result of the study, the paper recommends that performance appraisal should carefully review employee’s strengths and weaknesses against requirements for possible future higher responsibilities.
The integration between innovation and business is a key factor in competitiveness between organizations. That is, innovation applied to a business makes no sense if not considered as an integral tool for the processes of the organization. Companies should therefore adopt a policy where innovation plays a strategic role in the design of business models to become lean, effective and competitive entities (Moraleda, 2004). The objective of this paper is to show the importance of innovation within companies, identifying the concept, the various models that different entities might adopt in order to develop better processes of innovation, as well as indicators that represent innovation at global and national levels in order to develop strategies that lead to an increase in competitiveness. For this work the method used was a bibliographical review of relevant articles from a range of authors was conducted.
The practitioners and academicians in the business arena are highly concern about the enhancement of employee performance in this competitive age for achievement of business goals. Considering the issue, this study aimed to measure the influence of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices on the performance of employees. The data of this study have been collected from 392 on-the-job operational level employees using survey method who are working at different garment factories in Bangladesh. The collected data are analyzed through structural equation modeling to partial least square method. The study empirically proves that employee training and development, promotion opportunity, and job security has significant influence on the employees’ performance. Theoretically, this study proves that training and development, job security and promotion opportunity together influence on the performance of employees in the developing economy. The practitioners and policy makers of the organizations are expected to make necessary adjustments in their existing HRM practices based on the findings of this study in the context of Bangladesh for enhancing the employees’ performance level so that their whole-hearted efforts can be gained for the achievement of business goals.
Child labor is one of the issues receiving much attention from researchers and scholars around the world. Child labor still occurs in most countries around the world. Viet Nam is also one of the countries with relatively high child labor and increasing trend. This article is based on critical discourse analysis and data from the General Statistics Office of Vietnam to analyze some fundamental issues of child labor in Vietnam, thereby giving policy suggestions to the Vietnam government in minimizing the current child labor situation.
The rapid trend of changes and social issues in managing the global workforce has forced organizations to look for innovative ways of enhancing the job satisfaction of employees. Among these innovative approaches is the provision of Flexible Working Arrangements (FWAs). The purpose of this exploratory research was to identify the effects of FWAs, i.e., flextime schedule, compressed workweek, and telecommuting on job satisfaction from the perspective of the Ethiopian national employees of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in Addis Ababa. To achieve this objective both descriptive and inferential statistics were conducted. The total population of the study was 250; out of which, 71% of responses were collected. A primary data collection method was implemented using a structured questionnaire. The analysis showed that there is significant positive effect of flextime schedule (R = .39, R2 = .264, p = .001) and compressed workweek (R = .39, R2 = .159, p = .039). This means that increase in the use of flextime schedules and compressed workweek enhances job satisfaction for employees of the ECA in Addis Ababa. The independent variables reported R = .39 and R2 = .15 which means that 15% of corresponding variations in employee job satisfaction can be explained by flexible working arrangements. Nevertheless, this study found out that there are no significant relationship of telecommuting (R = .39, R2 = .065, p = .398) on job satisfaction. Therefore, since the provision of FWAs is at the nascent stage, further studies on the effect of telecommuting on job satisfaction from Ethiopian employees context are highly recommended.
This study evaluates the impacts of urban road investment and operation in China, especially the spillover effect attributable to the investment of urban road projects. Using the synthetic control method and difference-in-differences technique and taking the opening of Jiaozhou Bay Bridge and its Subsea Tunnel in China on 30 June 2011 as a natural experiment, this paper investigates the causal effect between urban road investment and its economic impacts. Results show that the project has a positive externality in terms of its contribution to the output and employment: taken the industrial relative output as outcome variable, no matter whether the covariates are controlled or not, the parameters of the interactive terms are positive; taken the industrial relative employment rate as outcome variable, the gap between the treated unit and its counterpart indicates a direct program effect for the treated city as well as a spillover effect across the cities within the sample province. Furthermore, the permutation test ascertains that the probability of achieving a spillover effect as large as the treated city is around 5.88 per cent. Overall, the investment and operation of urban road transportation infrastructure has a noticeable spillover effect. Our results are robust across a series of placebo tests.
Poor public management defined by corruption and lack of prudence in public life continues to hold Nigeria hostage and makes good governance difficult. Since the 1980s government has been using many methods including the processes of privatization and commercialization as means of re-engineering the public sector for total quality management, and to increase the share of the public sector’s contribution to the gross domestic product. The experiment never achieved the desired level of success partly due to lack of political will on the part of government to wedge a total war against corruption, and also partly because the public sector is a large scale administration that has many entry and revolving doors which government finds difficult to close. These limitations provide the incentives for widespread public corruption that is recognized as one of the greatest challenges of government in carrying out its mandate. 110 respondents participated in this study conducted through the exploratory research design. The participants provided useful data that were triangulated with data from secondary sources for the purpose of the study. To achieve the objective of the investigation, data were analyzed through statistical techniques and the result showed significant positive correlation between good governance and good management. It was recommended that appointments in the public sector should feature a combination of people from private and public sectors of the economy to enhance competence with the aim of reducing public sector corruption. Further study should examine the reasons behind rising budget deficits as a way of reducing cost of governance in Nigeria.
In this article, we analyze in the Malian context the link between the structure of the shareholding and the sustainability of companies based on data from the census of industrial enterprises of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, 2015. The results show that Mali’s economic opening option in the 1980s, strengthened in the 1990s following the implementation of the Structural Adjustment Programs, resulting in the state’s withdrawal from the management of enterprises, have enabled the emergence of private enterprises in almost all sectors of economic activity. However, shareholding in industrial enterprises has suffered from poor governance. It also shows that the number of women entrepreneurs is close to that of men. Between 2010 and 2014, the majority of shareholders are in the agri-food sector. The majority of the investment is in the metal and metallurgical sector.
This paper’s objective is to present the importance of the strategic planning in business management. Speaking of strategic planning is always speaking in general terms and how to fix paths of behavior will necessarily affect deeply and significantly in the future evolution of the company or organization that adopts it. Today we think of the organization as part of an environment and in terms of options or choices based on what you have, of its surroundings and the opportunities or pathways that can lead to achieving the objective, (Garrido, 2009). For this work the method used was a bibliographical review of relevant articles from a range of authors was conducted. The conclusions were that the be properly analyzed and adapted to the precise conditions and characteristics of the small business or, more generally, to any type of business for which the planning is intended. Strategic planning brings multiple benefits (which exceed its disadvantages) if applied in the right way, however, there are inherent risks, which can be overcome with proper monitoring and control.
The study examined the relationship between non-financial incentives and workers’ motivation in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service exploring five key variables of continuing professional development, performance feedback, employee employment, employee participation in decision-making and task autonomy. Survey research design was adopted involving the use of questionnaire to gather data from 392 respondents drawn from a population of 20465 civil servants in state using Taro Yamene Sample Size Determination Table. The sample was drawn across all ministries and departments through stratified and convenience sampling techniques. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. The five dimensions of non-financial incentives were positively correlated with workers’ motivation from the results of the analysis. Continuing Professional Development (CPD) had the highest correlation value (r = 0.33, P<0.01). Also, the five null hypotheses were rejected implying that the variables of study influence workers’ motivation in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service, Nigeria with beta coefficients and t-values of CPD (0.29;4.313); PF (0.117; 3.500); EE (0.2.141); PDM (0.182; 2.935), and TA (0.231;2.817). It was concluded that since workers’ motivation is a vital tool to organizational effectiveness and growth, employers should explore more of non-financial incentives in formulating and implementing employee benefits related policies.
This literature review is organized in five sections. Firstly, we begin with general ideas and continue with the origin of the fraudulent. Secondly, we discuss the struggle of the phenomena, insisting on the available mechanisms. Finally, we’ll discuss the link between audit and fraud.
Accounting function aims at providing accurate and sufficient accounting information to facilitate proper financial reporting and management performance. Accounting information is usually in the form of periodic or annual financial statements which are products of costing, financial and management accounting prepared for the benefit of a number of external interest groups. Accounting has its roots in the stewardship approach and as a management performance tool to guide the agent and the principal over the exact status of the going concern. Accounting function also involves financial statement analysis, interpreting the accounts by computing and evaluating ratios which relate pairs of financial information or items with one another. This analysis of ratios can be cross-sectional comparing the results of one company with another or trend. In doing so close attention is usually paid to profitability ratio to help keep pace with effective management performance. The exploratory research design was adopted for the study and result showed positive correlation between accounting function and management performance. The study was not exhaustive, therefore, further study should examine the relationship between audit failure and business failure as a matter of finding a solution to the problem. It was recommended that management should always carefully study audit reports to enhance decision making and management performance.
This study examines the effect of the trademark on consumer behavior of consumers of air conditioners in Sudan, in order to know the dimensions of the trademark that affect consumer behavior in Sudan, and provide information to companies on the dimensions of the trademark that affect the purchasing decision of the customer and contribute to customer satisfaction. The study adopted descriptive analytical method using a sample of 230 individuals who consume air conditioners in Sudan. The results showed that there is a positive significant relationship between the trademark of air conditioning and consumer behavior as well as a positive significant relationship between the trademark name of air conditioning and consumer behavior and finally there is a positive significant relationship between the trademark logo and consumer behavior.
In recent years, retired workers eligible for social security receive their emoluments from the appropriate regulatory agency and this provides more realistic evidence on the better living standard of the aged (retirees) under the scheme. Empirically, this paper examines the impact of social security on economic growth in Ghana using time series secondary (monthly) data ranging from 2000 – 2018. The author answers in two questions: 1) how significant are pensioners benefit payments dependent on economic growth and also, 2) how business environmental policy is contributing to economic performance as far as pensioners well-being are concerned. Using STATA analytical software, the findings show a positive significant relationship between social security and economic growth. The study concludes by outlining appropriate policy measures to help strengthen the current social security scheme in Ghana.
This research begins by showing the different meanings attributed to the term cluster by different currents and authors, which suggests definitions that are found around its spatial framework. Next, the factors that intervene in the competitiveness of a region and its growth are shown, for the development of these, Porter’s model of competitiveness which was taken as reference, and the contexts: geographical and economic. Therefore, the methodology was used based on a qualitative design, with descriptive and correlational scope since it will analyze differences of each cluster, with respect to the factors of dimensions, establishments, growth, economic impact and policies. To do this, the information-gathering tool was two semi-structured interviews with cluster leaders in both countries, because the approach is based on data collection methods that are not completely standardized or predetermined. And finally, the results of the comparison of the Mexican Bajío automotive cluster with the German cluster located in Baden-Württemberg are presented.
This research aims at identifying the impact of excellence in drawing up the following four marketing mix strategies (Product, Pricing, Promotion and Distribution) of the small and medium enterprises in Jordan, in terms of their marketing performance in its dimensions (Sales Growth, Profit Growth, Customer Attraction and Customer Retention).In order to reach the results of this study, A total of (187) valid questionnaire surveys were collected from companies belong to the SME Association in Jordan. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) approach was used to analyze the collected data. The empirical results indicated there is a significant relationship between the building of marketing strategies of the marketing mix elements in the Jordanian SME and their marketing performance, by (sales growth, profit growth, customer attraction, and customer retention) dimensions. Consequently, decision makers in small and medium organizations need to choose strategies based on their target market to the positive impact on the mind of the consumer, which in turn could improve modern scientific methods in SME to divide their markets into sub-market sectors.
The study investigates the impact of team building on organisational productivity. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of team building among the members of the selected case study and to assess the effect of training and retraining of team members on organisational productivity. The study also x-rayed the absence of team building in a workplace which led to low levels of turnover and productivity. the total population of the study was 750 while researcher employed Yaro Yamane sampling technique to select sample size of 261 because of the large population and hypothesis were tested using Pearson correlation. The finding revealed that if members of the team can work in synergy without considering the differences in the likes of level of educational background and others, the expected productivity will be very high. It was also observed that capabilities of team leader in carrying out the assigned task determined its output especially if the team leader understands the technical knowhow of job and he is friendly with co-team members with a lot of motivation, that this would definitely enhance employees’ efficiencies and productivities. The study recommends that team members should trust, support and respect one another individual differences in order to accomplish group common goals and tasks.
Compared with general commercial reverse logistics operators, the recovery and treatment of expired drugs and medical waste is a complex and highly technically difficult project. The qualifications required by the relevant service providers are also more stringent. For medical institutions, the selection of reverse logistics operators is always a critical issue. On the perspective of sustainability, this paper aims to investigate and explore the critical factors of selecting a medical reverse logistics service provider. Through the process of the Delphi method, the experts’ assessments were collected, and 24 factors affecting the selection of medical reverse logistics service provider were screened and summarized. Then, Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) was employed to calculate the total influence values and net influence values between factors that could be used to draw the visual causal map. Referring the causal map, “Green process operation level” and “Recycling process greening degree” are significantly higher than other factors in terms of total influence value and net influence value. Therefore, they can be regarded as crucial factors. This finding implies that medical reverse logistics providers must have the ability to improve the greening of facilities, as well as equipment, integrating existing processes to make it greener and environmentally friendly.
The major objective of any firm is to maximize the shareholders wealth. This is evidence through dividend yield and payout ratio and this encapsulate into the dividend policy of a company. The research purpose aimed at examining the influence that dividend policy has on the volatility of share prices among the listed insurance corporations in Kenya. Research design, approach and method: Data was collected from listed insurance corporations over a 10-year period with a total of 49 data points. The Pearson correlation and ordinary regression analysis were employed. The results reveal the existence of a positive link among the study variables. The correlations were found to be substantial at ninety-five percent confidence level. It is worth noting that the model summary shows forty-three-point one percent of changes in the volatility of stock price are explicated by dividend yield and payout ratio. ANOVA statistics which examines whether the analytical model as set out in the study explains variations in the dependent variable concluded that the model is analytically substantial. The outcome revealed a statistically significant positive link between stock price variations and the ratio of dividend payout. Research also established a statistically substantial negative interrelation between volatility of stock prices and dividend return. Results therefore recommend that companies should have dividend policies which are mapped to shareholders wealth maximization objective. The study suggests further studies be undertaken to determine whether there exists an analytically substantial difference between the dividend policies of various sectors in the economy.
This study is about the impact of selected macroeconomic variables on economic growth of Bangladesh. Economic growth of Bangladesh is measured in terms of annual nominal GDP growth rate. Least squared regression model has been employed considering exchange rate, export, import and inflation rate as independent variables and gross domestic product as the dependent variable in this study. The results reveal that export and import have significant positive impact on GDP growth rate. The other variables (exchange rate and inflation) are not significant, indicating that there exists no significant relationship among the variables. The findings will help the policy makers to make policies concerning the country’s economic growth to remain robust in the near future.
More from Business, Management and Economics Research (20)
Osisko Gold Royalties Ltd - Corporate Presentation, June 2024
Reconciling the Conflicting Views between Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations: Critical Perspective
1. Business, Management and Economics
Research
ISSN(e): 2412-1770, ISSN(p): 2413-855X
Vol. 3, No. 5, pp: 52-56, 2017
URL: http://arpgweb.com/?ic=journal&journal=8&info=aims
52
Academic Research Publishing Group
Reconciling the Conflicting Views between Human Resource
Management and Industrial Relations: Critical Perspective
Revenio C. Jalagat, Jr. Assistant Professor, Al-Zahra College for Women, Sultanate of Oman
1. Introduction
Perhaps one of the topics of increasing attention nowadays evolves around human resource management
(HRM) and industrial relations (IR). However; few studies have examined the difference and interconnectedness
between these two terms although lots of researches have taken into consideration emphasizing HRM practices and
its value to individual and organizational performance. Beardwell and Claydon (2010) had established a concrete
justification on the perceived difference between HRM and IR by carefully defining HRM as a concept that
emphasizes the management of human capital or resources through dealing with the functions of recruiting
employees, selection processes, performance appraisal, training and motivation and other related activities while IR
deals mainly on employee empowerment through establishment of union as means to conflict resolution and dispute
settlement between the employees and the top management (employers) in a collective and pluralistic view. In other
words, human resource management deals with practices and strategies to maximize the utilization of the human
resources to produce better outcomes and performance while industrial relation focuses more on work relationships
as a way for a better performance through representation and remediation processes. Many studies have in fact
affirmed the assumption that, there is positive relationship between unionism and organizational outcomes with
emphasis on employee voice in communicating their various concerns to the top management (Butler, 2009; Heery,
2010). Anchored on these two concepts, this study is conducted with the view that there is remarkable difference of
these two as used in business and supported with relevant theories. It also critically analyze the applicability of both
concepts to organizations in various capacities and finally, offer suggestions leading to conflict resolution with
appropriate models and theories thereby justifying its solution.
2. The Conflicting Views of HRM and IR
The fundamental role of HRM is undeniable as it centers on the effectiveness of the utilization of human
resources who are also known as company‟s valued assets. It is an underlying assumption for HRM that to achieve
the corporate or organizational goals and objectives is to maximize the employment of human capital in both
individual and organizational capacities (Armstrong, 2006). How to make use of the limited human resources to
meet the targets and performance levels in a business sense resembles a good application of HRM and its practices
(Hartel, 2007). Specifically, attaining a desirable adaptation and application of HRM practices enhance
organizational levels of success in terms of organizational integration, employee commitment, flexibility and quality
of work (Combs and Skill, 2003; Gratton and Ghoshal, 2003; Jalagat, 2016). The management‟s vital role in
implementing HRM is to enhance the employees‟ capability and ability to be effective within their line of
specialization that is believed to contribute largely in the company‟s rate of business success. Furthermore, Tan and
Abstract: This study is primarily designed to shed light on the conflicting views between the human resource
management (HRM) and industrial relations (IR) and how these two concepts can be reconciled through
providing evidences and literatures. Further, it also discusses the critical points and arguments that support the
claim that these two terms are separate and independently applied in business context but at the same time can be
combined to attain higher rate of success. To achieve the research objective, this study made use of secondary
data to gather information from books and articles and to lay out the arguments supported with appropriate
theories and literatures. The findings revealed that indeed there is difference in the concept between HRM and IR
as well as its applicability although these two terms are both used in businesses. However; it is suggested that
extensive studies can be conducted to gather more evidences to link these two concepts and considering that
arguments were mainly interpreted by the author, different perspectives are welcomed to evaluate further its
relevance especially in Sultanate of Oman where IR is perceived to be in infancy stage.
Keywords: Unionism; Human resource management; Industrial relations; Gap; Perspective.
2. Business, Management and Economics Research, 2017, 3(5): 52-56
53
Nasurdin (2010) ironed out that the emphasis of HRM stems mainly on the four central areas of consideration:
employee selection, appraisal, rewards, and development where a complete sets of rules, guidelines and policies to
promote employee commitment, organizational integration, quality of work and flexibility. This means that HRM is
applicable into greater extent the unitarist view which addresses the commonality of interest between the employee
and the employer through individual and team relationships that both promotes individual and team performance
leading to organizational performance. Cooperative teamwork and employee commitment are also evident like for
example in activities such as quality circles. This holds the fact that, it opposes the pluralistic view which is the
focal point of industrial relations.
Contrary to the concept of HRM is the IR where the focus is on the degree of relationship established between
the top management and the employees being perceived as two contracting parties that is primarily built on the idea
of “unionism” or the essence of collective bargaining agreement. This collective agreement as bargaining between
the management and the employees basically lies on the policies, laws and contracts that clearly stipulates an
agreement between the two parties such as for example through bipartite process. The distinguishing line between
HRM and IR is ironed out by Denton (2006) by defining IR as collectively addressing and resolving issues and
problems confronting both the employees and employers which is central to the establishment of IR as a concept or
idea. While HRM promotes the employer-employee relationships through best utilization of the workforce, IR is
best used in promoting collective bargaining agreement as main consideration in reaching a mutual understanding
between the employer and employees on issues and concerns facing the organization. According to Redman and
Wilkinson (2008), it is clearly observable that HRM and IR significantly differs with respect to the purpose and
objectives of the firm and the workers. As evidence for instance, HRM takes into consideration merits according to
employees‟ skills, knowledge, attitude and performance in relation to rewards (monetary) through skills-based pay
system or even non-monetary rewards but IR mostly links with the extent of salary standardization across the
business sector based on internal equity and distributive justice such that the reward system related to salaries and
wages shall be collectively achieved. Moreover, perception of conflict and disagreement is a vital reason for the
existence of IR who assumed that employees‟ interest is different from the management‟s interest that will enable
the employees to express their concerns and issues in a collective manner and that is through unionism, one voice
and one sentiment. Organizers of unionism believed that the only logical and practical way to be heard by the top
management is through a collective effort and representations of addressing employer-employee conflicts in
different ways and choices such as collective bargaining agreement, joint consultation, dispute settlement, and
remediation to be participated by both the employees and the employer as far as the national level in the form of
labor courts, arbitration, and conciliation.
Secondly, observable difference between HRM and IR generally stems from the intention and purpose of
adapting the concept. HRM promotes the employer-employee relationship that eventually leads to competitiveness
and competitive advantage while IR is fundamentally built on the notion that there should be employee
representation and voice to the management decision making. According to Burke (2005), the critical aspect of
HRM is to achieve competitive advantage that is reflective of how the employees‟ knowledge will be improved,
motivated, committed and enhanced synergies. Hence, HRM is a network of varied activities that involved primarily
on managing human capital through human inventory management that will be directed to such actions as
developing the employees to be more productive, enhancing their skills, making them relevant in the marketplace
though assessment and evaluation and with job pricing as well as appraising their performance. Maximizing their
skills, knowledge and abilities at the optimum level by bridging the gap through seminars and advancement
trainings for example are HRM activities that are not evident in IR. The underlying assumption of IR is to look into
the ability to negotiate that focuses on the areas of employee tenure and security, increases in salaries and wages and
resolution to conflicts between the employer and employee that has preference on salary issues, resolutions on
disagreement between the two parties, problems relative to employee health and safety, representations of
employees and others.
Applying the concept of IR in Sultanate of Oman, the study of Ghailani and Khan (2004) revealed that about
10% of the businesses operating as private companies through their employees have intensified their intension to
create a union to express their sentiments, the conflicting views between them and the top management that they
wanted to iron out and be given due consideration by shareholders. The employees firmly believed that, the essence
of cooperative spirit and representations will provide a strong voice to the management and at the same time counter
the possible fear of losing their jobs when done on individual capacities. Even though the laws and provision
regarding establishment of unionism as a legal act was imposed in the Sultanate only in 2006, many companies have
discovered from their own experiences the potential benefits of developing and maintaining unionism that
encompasses both the mutual benefits between the management and the employees. Considering the fact that the
concept of unionism is a new endeavor in the country, provisions and policies relative to compliance require closer
examination in lieu of the clause and precautions that may impact directly to the companies and their workforce. But
the essence of liberating the employees to voice out their grievances and concerns is a welcome development to the
country where companies have conventionally follows the autocratic leadership and management style prevalent to
these companies. Thoroughly analyzing the extent in the application of unionism showed both the positive and
negative implications to businesses however; there seems to be reliable evidence that positive impacts outweighs the
negative ones and has been rationalized by these respondent companies as good avenues for a balanced management
3. Business, Management and Economics Research, 2017, 3(5): 52-56
54
where the concept of win-win situation will be taken due consideration by the top management. This means that the
top management has no option but to neutralize their management‟s functions in a manner that every decisions will
be beneficial between them and the employees. The significance of the employees‟ role of being the eye and ear of
the management is something that can lessen the incidence of abuses of power by top management and
shareholders.
The third demarcation line between HRM and IR underlies the fact that HRM promotes employee welfare and
development in a non-unionized manner while IR is a consultative action based on perceived unresolved issues.
HRM functions as part of the organization‟s operation and in many cases served as a separate department internally
operating as an agent of productivity, performance and appraisal with the aim of employee development while IR
raises more concerns relative to salaries and wages. HRM operates because of the need to function effectively in
return for better performance in both individual and organizational level hence; it works whether or not there is
conflict between the employer and the employee which renders it a continuous activity while IR basically resumes
when the conflict arise between the employer and the employee. In other words, for organizations where the
working relationships are good or acceptable might not consider establishing a union because an evidence of
harmony and smooth relationship is widely experienced.
Another conflicting views that distinct between HRM and IR can be derived from its theoretical foundation
where HRM utilizes the unitarist theory compared to the pluralistic theory of IR. Aligning the HRM practices to
achieve the corporate goals and objectives serve as fundamental consideration that also justifies the significance of
HRM existence. It is perceived to have a supporting role to the organization‟s strategic plan and objectives. In the
study of Dessler (2005), it has been pointed out that the human resources should attain the desirable blending of
education, knowledge, training, expertise and skills that employees possess with reference to his job and in meeting
the expectations and performance required for the work. The idea of promoting employee welfare individually and
in larger extent the organizational welfare is the paramount consideration. Successful implementation of HRM
therefore will enable companies and their workforce to avoid the possibilities of creating unions. As an example, in
the aspect of company‟s policies and procedures regarding increases in salaries, implementing an effective policy of
determining pay raises can lessen the instances of disagreements between the management and the employees. But
any flaws that can be observed on its implementation will likely rise to problems or gaps that creates conflict
between the two parties which may promote the unionism. This would entail the importance of building a good
HRM practices and strategy as a union avoidance strategy. Another classic demonstration of applying good HRM
strategy is in the tenure and security function where those in authority as well as those HR practitioners may offer
attractive retirement packages and retirement plans as motivation and encouragement of the employees to perform
beyond expectations, enhance employee loyalty and reduce cases of employee turnovers. Well-placed HRM strategy
may mean less likelihood of unionism. Conversely, IR used the pluralistic approach that mainly tackles conflict
resolution by unanimously agreeing with one voice to represent the majority in the workforce to the top
management. For instance, the organization of union as a legitimate organization of the whole workforce in an
organization is designed for employees as an expression of their bargaining power in any decisions that the top
management would make that directly or indirectly affect the employees well-being having above all else decisions
that largely concerns salary standardizations, rights and privileges of the employees and the benefits that are likely
favorable to them. In other words, individual perspectives and viewpoint do not work in IR.
3. Bridging the Gap between HRM and IR
While HRM and IR are two separate terms, there are observable commonalities between the two in various
respects. For one, both of these concepts consider the assumption that, meeting the objective of being fair and
equitable on the part of employees is favorably designed to the best interest of the employees while in part,
leveraging the human resources of companies and businesses. The blending of HRM and IR for instance works in
Japanese companies as their practices that highlights the inclusion of unionism in any HRM initiatives being most
evident in large-scale enterprises and whereby, union system served as complementary to HRM by mostly applying
the joint consultative system (Aycan, 2007). The same views were noted of companies in UK through dual
agreement in utilizing both the HRM and IR concepts whereby IR has become a good alternative to HRM in most
cases. The reconcilable tendencies between HRM and IR therefore a good indication of considering the proper
blending of HRM and IR to higher potentials for business success. To demonstrate, a study taken by Al-Hamadi et
al. (2007) posits that, exercising unionism has contributed to fairness and positively impacts the HRM practices to
identified companies in Oman and has proven that these two concepts complements with each other. They further
added that, since the inception of the unionism in July 9, 2006 by virtue of Royal Decree in consonance with US-
Oman Free Trade Agreements (FTA), amendments with the labor laws were made to give way for the
implementation of laws that promotes job tenure and job security, justice, fairness, and equality in the salary
distribution, workplace health and safety and other related activities. Henceforth, the infancy stage of IR positively
allows employees to exercise their rights and privileges as employees and confident enough to voice out their
concerns which cannot be done individually but collectively. Employees are empowered to express themselves
which can be considered as totally new perspective in many workplaces in Sultanate of Oman. While HRM started
to progress in Oman, IR is still a concept to reckon with. But this that does not mean that, companies who have
HRM practices will in no way can welcome IR because when there is cooperative climate and spirit in the working
4. Business, Management and Economics Research, 2017, 3(5): 52-56
55
environment, it is likely that the combination of both HRM and IR will work better than applying the concept
individually. This is affirmed by Barney (2006) who concluded that, fully realizing and achieving loyalty permits
the mixture of HRM and IR working together to come up with the so called “Cooperative IR System” for dual
loyalty. Thus, the importance of having cooperative working environment or cooperative climate defines the
effectiveness of blending the concept of HRM and IR for successful implementation to companies and businesses.
However; realizations may be reached that companies have their lay way to their best advantage whether to adapt
HRM, IR or both which will depend on situations, business conditions, and the management's ability to adapt and
manage such preference or choices.
4. Conclusion
This research has clearly provided a critical argument on the distinguishing mark between HRM and IR in
different theoretical and business context. Theories and evidences have in one way or the other supports the claim
that these two terms although can be combined are two separate and distinct concepts that works independently. The
HRM is anchored on unitarist theory while IR depends on pluralist theory. Moreover; HRM focuses on employee
welfare and development as it considers employer-employee relationship in the areas of recruitment, selection,
promotion, employee appraisal and development, etc. while IR emphasized collective efforts through conflict
resolutions highlighting the concept of unionism. The fundamental premise of HRM is to achieve the corporate
goals and objectives and gain competitive advantage in the sense that it forms part of internal operations while IR
exist primarily because of the recognition of conflict thereby giving way to employees‟ decision to make
representations to the management. HRM works with or without conflict which is contrary to IR. However; these
two concepts can be blended together such that applying these two concepts to businesses are workable and
effective as evidenced by literatures affirming its rate of successes. But the combination of both is not absolute and
hence; dependent on the ability of the company to adapt and manage in such a way that it will be effectively
employed. In conclusion, companies are given options to utilize HRM, IR or both depending on situations, business
conditions, and the ability of these companies to adapt and how they perceived it to their advantage.
Recommendation for Further Studies
This research highlights the conflicting views between HRM and IR in the context of the author‟s perspectives
and viewpoints. Although relevant sources and literatures were robustly applied, critical arguments were limited to
the author‟s conceptualization of the content. Moreover; limited studies have been conducted to assess the
relationship between HRM and IR that may call for extensive studies in either qualitative and quantitative
researches and since the concept of IR is relatively new concept in Oman, the need for wider studies to assess in
higher pedigree the relevance of IR in Oman or at the national level and in different places where applicable in
particular.
References
Al-Hamadi, A. B., Budhwar, S. and Shipton, H. (2007). Management of human resources in Oman. International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1): 100-13.
Armstrong, M. A. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resources Management. 11th edn: Kogan Page: London.
Aycan, Z. (2007). Cultural orientation and preferences for HRM policies and practices: the case of Oman. The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1): 11-32.
Barney, J. (2006). Is resource-based view a useful perspective for strategic management research? Yes. Academy of
Management Review, 26(1): 41-56.
Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2010). Human Resource Management A contemporary approach. 6th edn: Prentice
Hall: London.
Burke, R. (2005). Reinventing human resource management: Challenges and new directions. Routledge: London.
Butler, P. (2009). Non-union employee representation: Exploring the riddle of managerial strategy. Industrial
Relations Journal, 40(3): 198-214.
Combs, J. G. and Skill, M. S. (2003). Managerialist and human capital explanations for key executive pay
premiums: a contingency perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 46(1): 63-73.
Denton, K. (2006). High performance work systems: The sum really is greater than its parts. Measuring Business
Excellence, 10(4): 4-7.
Dessler, G. (2005). Human Resource Management. 10th edn: Pearson Education: Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.
Ghailani, J. S. and Khan, S. A. (2004). Quality of secondary education and labor market requirement. Journal of
Services Research, 4(1): 161-72.
Gratton, L. and Ghoshal, S. (2003). Managing personal human capital: new ethos for the „volunteer‟ employee.
European Management Journal, 21(1): 1-10.
Hartel (2007). Human Resource Management: Transforming Theory into Innovative Practice, French Forest.
Pearson Education Australia: NSW.
Heery, E. (2010). Worker representation in a multiform system: A framework for evaluation. Journal of Industrial
Relations, 52(5): 543-59.
5. Business, Management and Economics Research, 2017, 3(5): 52-56
56
Jalagat, R. (2016). A critical review of strategic human resource management and organizational performance.
Global Journal of Advance Research (GJAR), 3(10): 953-58.
Redman, T. and Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human resource management at work: People management and
development. 4th edn: Pearson Education: Harlow.
Tan, C. L. and Nasurdin, A. M. (2010). Human resource management practices and organizational innovation: An
empirical study in Malaysia. Journal of Applied Business Research, 2(4): 105-15.