Pamphlet intended as a practical guide for employers on the conduct of labour relations in small scale industry in the UK - includes a list of useful references.

Originally published in 1989, this book analyses the economic and political position of the small firm in the 1980s, and in particular the relationship between small and large firms in an advanced capitalist economy. Focusing on the printing and clothing industries, it examines the industrial relation practices in these two contrasting sectors and shows that apparent industrial relations harmony – for example, the lack of strikes – should be put down to the powerlessness of the workforce rather than to contentment.

This book provides support to academics as well as managers, who deal with policies and strategies related to work issues. Effective work practices and good employee relations are a real necessity of nowadays organizations, as they can help to reduce absenteeism, employee turnover and organizational costs. Instead, they support high levels of commitment, effectiveness, performance as well as productivity. The book focusses on the implications of those changes in productivity and organizations management. It explores the models, tools and processes used by organizations in order to help managers become better prepared to face the challenges and changes in work and consequently, in the way how to manage todays' organizations.

This volume not only illustrates the research that is being done in the area of human resources in entrepreneurial firms but it raises many issues that exemplify the complexity of the topic. It is not a case of small versus large firms. There are small established firms, small start-up firms and small high growth firms. As pointed out by Alvarez and Molloy these firms differ with established firms dealing with risk while high growth firms deal with uncertainty. These firms vary in ownership based on family ownership, ownership by founder, or some type of privately held stock ownership. These firms also vary based on how they handle people issues: structure versus lack of structure; the traditional HR functional approach versus the use of people management practices; person-job fit versus person- organization fit; ability and work experience versus integrity and conscientiousness; work processes and bureaucracy versus agility and adaptability; tasks versus roles; in-house professionals versus reliance on third-party vendors; traditional pay versus variable pay; short-term orientation of incentives versus long-term orientation of incentives; and many more.

This volume provides a rigorous examination of key issues relating to employment in small businesses. These include an anlysis of the true extent of job crreation provided by small firms, the rleative quality of jobs in small firms, the growth of self-employment during the 1980s and the way in which the small firm interacts with its local labour markets. These issues are examined in an international context, wth comparative examples from the USA, the UK and Europe.

Although there are plenty of books devoted to small business and management research, few give much attention to the small enterprise. This book focuses systematically on researching the small firm, from basic issues of definition, to selecting topics and research designs, to fieldwork problems, analysis data and finally, writing and presenting results. The discussion is set in the wider context of issues and problems in business research. Quantitative and especially qualitative approaches are explored and illustrated by drawing in depth on a wide range of research on the small enterprise. The result is an extensive resource book for researchers at all levels to draw upon in planning and conducting effective research.