Managing Human Resources in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Well-managed employment relationships can be a secret to business success, yet this factor is relatively poorly understood when it comes to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s).

Written by active researchers with teaching experience, this book brings together the fields of entrepreneurship and human resource management for the first time, providing entrepreneurship students with a solid grounding in HRM as well as a platform for further critical engagement with the research. The concise and authoritative style also enables the book to be used as a primer for researchers exploring this under-developed terrain.

As the only student-focused specialist book on human resource management in entrepreneurial firms, this is vital reading for students and researchers in this area, as well as those interested in small business and management more generally.

“'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 d 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”

'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

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

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