Matching human resource and corporate strategies

Increasing use of the term, Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM), reflects the recognition of the interdependencies between corporate strategy, organization and human resource management in the functioning of the firm. Dyer and Holder (1988) proposed a comprehensive Human Resource Strategic Typology consisting of three strategic types--inducement, investment and involvement. This research attempted to empirically validate their typology and also test the performance implications of the match between corporate strategy and HR strategy. Hypotheses were tested to determine the relationships between internal consistency in HRM sub-systems, match between corporate strategy and HR strategy, and firm performance. Data were collected by a mail survey of 998 senior HR executives of whom 263 returned the completed questionnaire. Financial information on 909 firms was collected from secondary sources like 10-K reports and CD-Disclosure. Profitability ratios were indexed to industry averages. Confirmatory Factor Analysis using LISREL provided support in favor of the six-factor HR measurement model; the six factors were staffing, training, compensation, appraisal, job design and corporate involvement. Support was also found for the presence of a second-order factor labeled "HR Strategic Orientation" explaining the variations among the six factors. LISREL analysis also supported the congruence hypothesis that HR Strategic Orientation significantly affects firm performance. There was a significant associative relationship between HR Strategy and Corporate Strategy. However, the contingency effects of the match between HR and Corporate strategies were not supported. Several tests were conducted to show that the survey results are not affected by non-response bias nor by mono-method bias. Implications of these findings for both researchers and practitioners are discussed. ^

Molecular markers and human history: A tale of two haplogroup systems

To chronicle demographic movement across African Asian corridors, a variety of molecular (sequence analysis, restriction mapping and denaturing high performance liquid chromatography etc.) and statistical (correspondence analysis, AMOVA, calculation of diversity indices and phylogenetic inference, etc.) techniques were employed to assess the phylogeographic patterns of mtDNA control region and Y chromosomal variation among 14 sub-Saharan, North African and Middle Eastern populations. The patterns of genetic diversity revealed evidence of multiple migrations across several African Asian passageways as well within the African continent itself. The two-part analysis uncovered several interesting results which include the following: (1) a north (Egypt and Middle East Asia) to south (sub-Saharan Africa) partitioning of both mtDNA and Y chromosomal haplogroup diversity, (2) a genetic diversity gradient in sub-Saharan Africa from east to west, (3) evidence in favor of the Levantine Corridor over the Horn of Africa as the major genetic conduit since the Last Glacial Maximum, (4) a substantially higher mtDNA versus Y chromosomal sub-Saharan component in the Middle East collections, (5) a higher representation of East versus West African mtDNA haplotypes in the Arabian Peninsula populations versus no such bias in the Levant groups and lastly, (6) genetic remnants of the Bantu demographic expansion in sub-Saharan Africa. ^