Piecing together the puzzle of graduate employment : factors that shape the graduate work expectations of human resource management students

Providing graduates with a set of skills and attributes relevant to their future employment remains a key topic in both higher education policy and research. This paper reports findings from a pilot study of human resource management (HRM) students' perceptions of the graduate work experience. Specifically, it focuses on how these perceptions are shaped, driven by a concern for the uncertainty - and even fear - expressed by the study's participants in relation to their future workplace experiences. The influences of three key factors in shaping participants' expectations are discussed: the graduate recruitment experience, previous work experiences and 'graduate work folklore' from the stories of family and friends. With these influences not always providing students with a realistic picture of their future work experience, we conclude that educators need to improve the opportunities for practical experience and industry knowledge through work placements, stronger links with industry and increased exposure to the practicalities of work within the curriculum.

Human resource management activities on the front line : a nursing perspective

Objective: To identify the practical human resource management (HRM) issues that may impact on job satisfaction, nurse retention and ultimately quality of patient care of the nurse unit manager's (NUM) role.
Background: NUMs are in the unique position within the healthcare industry to impact upon and effect large numbers of people, including nurses, doctors, patients and their families, and processes on a daily basis. More effective HRM practices could improve performance in terms of staff satisfaction, positive patient outcomes and the cost effectiveness of staff retention.
Method: Two focus groups, one group of nine NUMs and one group of five staff nurses, were conducted at an Australia public hospital. A descriptive phenomenological approach informed data generation and data analysis.
Results: The NUMs reported that they were not adequately trained in the skills required to effectively manage staff conflict such as manipulation and bitterness, requiring disciplinary intervention on an ongoing basis. The consequences included reduced staff morale, decreased staff satisfaction, increased stress to the NUM and ultimately retention issues for both the NUM and Unit staff.
Conclusion: This study highlights the potential impact of inadequate implementation and understanding of HRM policy and practice by NUMS on the front line. Further research is required to understand why this phenomenon exists and how it can be remedied.

Enabling organizational cultural change using systemic strategic human resource management – a longitudinal case study

Researchers report that successful cultural change in an organization is difficult to achieve. This research contends that it is more likely to be successful when a systemic approach to strategic human resource management (SHRM) is used to facilitate the change. The contention was tested in an action research case study and longitudinal assessment of change in a large Australian public sector agency. A clear finding from this research is that the cultural change had been sustained through the systemic application of SHRM.

Critiques and extensions of strategic international human resource management framework for dragon multinationals

This paper aims at critiquing several existing strategic international human resource management frameworks and discusses their inadequacy to apply directly to emerging multinational companies, especially those generated from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. To complement the existing strategic international human resource management frameworks, key variables relevant to emerging economies are identified and an extended model with reference to emerging multinational companies is developed with several research propositions. It is believed that the proposed model would better capture the current development of multinationals in transition, and alert emerging international managers to address several people management challenges in the global context.

International human resource management strategies of Chinese multinationals operating abroad

Strategic international human resource management (SIHRM) is crucial for the effective leveraging of human resources in organizations to achieve the desired business strategies. There is a rich collection of studies on western multinational corporations (MNCs) in China, but few studies that explore the SIHRM of Chinese MNCs operating overseas. This study utilizes cross-level, in-depth interviews to analyse SIHRM of three large Chinese multinationals. The paper contributes to literature by addressing two contextual SIHRM issues, namely the characteristics of the SIHRM for Chinese multinationals and how their SIHRM orientation facilitates their international investment and operation. The findings indicate that organizational transformation is the starting point for latecomers matching their international HRM strategies. Their SIHRM approaches, such as forming learning organizations, reliance on host-country nationals, reconciling both home and host-country effects and promoting ‘best practices’, facilitate their international operations.

Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage

Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to argue in support of a model that shows how four key HRM practices focused on engagement influence organizational climate, job demands and job resources, the psychological experiences of safety, meaningfulness and availability at work, employee engagement, and individual, group and organizational performance and competitive advantage.
Design/methodology/approach - This conceptual review focuses on the research evidence showing interrelationships between organizational context factors, job factors, individual employee psychological and motivational factors, employee outcomes, organizational outcomes and competitive advantage. The proposed model integrates frameworks that have previously run independently in the HR and engagement literatures.
Findings - The authors conclude that HRM practitioners need to move beyond the routine administration of annual engagement surveys and need to embed engagement in HRM policies and practices such personnel selection, socialization, performance management, and training and development.
Practical implications - The authors offer organizations clear guidelines for how HR practices (i.e. selection, socialization, performance management, training) can be used to facilitate and improve employee engagement and result in positive outcomes that will help organizations achieve a competitive advantage.
Originality/value - The authors provide useful new insights for researchers and management professionals wishing to embed engagement within the fabric of HRM policies and practices and employee behaviour, and organizational outcomes.

Human resource management in the public sector

'An impressive collection of authoritative treatments of major current and ongoing topics in public sector human resource management, provided by both well-established experts and up-and-coming scholars who are becoming leaders in the field. A valuable resource for courses on the topic and an important reference for scholars and those seeking to maintain expert knowledge about it.' - Hal G. Rainey, The University of Georgia, US. © Ronald J. Burke, Andrew J. Noblet and Cary L. Cooper 2013. All rights reserved.

Strategic Human Resource Management Theory and Practice

This volume moves beyond strategic human resource management from the perspective of the policy setter.