Rowena Barrett

Industrial relations in small firms

Industrial relations in small firms, when they are defined in terms of their employment size, are generally described as harmonious. Industrial relations in small firms operating in the Australian information industry are explored in this paper, as are reasons for those industrial relations. Although the study reported here can be used to support the “small is beautiful” view, this ignores the fact that industrial relations in large firms in this industry are not greatly different. How size affects industrial relations in one small firm is examined and it is proposed that, on its own, size does not provide an adequate explanation for industrial relations in small firms in the Australian information industry.

Human resource management in growing small firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to begin the process of exploring the intersection between entrepreneurship and HRM by developing an understanding of the nature of HRM in growth‐oriented small firms.Design/methodology/approach – A survey of 600 small Australian businesses, conducted by CPA Australia in March 2002 to explore employment issues, is analysed by the authors.Findings – The analysis shows that growth‐oriented small firms are more likely than non‐growing ones to use formal HRM practices where that means that they are written down, regularly applied or assured to take place.Research limitations/implications – The data are a single snapshot of small firms in time (March 2002) and therefore, while non‐growing small firms can be identified amongst the sample, it is not correct to assume either that they have not grown in the past to reach their current size (with the exception of the single person firms) or that they will not grow in the future. Moreover it is not known whether the growth, whi...

Forms of capital, intra-ethnic variation and Polish entrepreneurs in Leicester

A study of ten Polish entrepreneurs operating in Leicester, UK is reported in this article. The concepts of social, cultural and economic capital are used as the lens through which to explore the way the capital they access is employed and converted into entrepreneurial activity. Ethnic entrepreneurship takes place within wider social, political and economic institutional frameworks and opportunity structures and so this is taken into account by differentiating two groups – post-war and contemporary Polish entrepreneurs. The differing origins and amounts of forms of capital they can access are shown as is how these are converted into valued outcomes. Combining the mixed embeddedness approach with a forms-of-capital analysis enables looking beyond social capital to elaborate on intra-ethnic variation in the UK’s Polish entrepreneurial community.

International Handbook of Entrepreneurship and HRM

This invaluable reference tool has been designed in response to the growing recognition that too little is known about the intersection between entrepreneurship and human resource management. Paying particular attention to the ‘people’ side of venture emergence and development, it offers unique insights into the role that human resource management (HRM) plays in small and entrepreneurial firms.

Labouring under an illusion? The labour process of software development in the Australian information industry

In this paper a case study of a small firm engaged in producing packaged software in the Australian ’information industry’ is conducted in order to shed light on the nature of control over the labour process of software development. It is shown that the interplay of human agency and structural forces means employees are largely unaware of the exercise of control over their work.

Understanding financial information used to assess small firm performance: An Australian qualitative study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reality of financial and management accounting in a small group of small firms. Specifically, from the owners perspective, an exploration is undertaken to see what financial information is collected, how it is used (or not) to make business decisions and evaluate the firms performance, and the role played by the accountant in that process. Design/methodology/approach - A phenomenological paradigm underpins this exploratory study. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the owners of ten small firms, where the focus was on understanding what happens in an organisational setting, as opposed to theory and textbook practice. Findings - The qualitative data supported prior research in other countries. The in-depth analysis revealed a very basic understanding of accounting information and problems with the financial literacy amongst these small firm owners. Accounting reports were not widely produced or used, so an informal assessment, such as how much cash was in the bank, was the primary means of assessing business performance. Accountants were used for taxation services, although some owners sought more general business advice. Originality/value - An understanding is developed of why there might be a gap between textbook rhetoric and reality of accounting practice in small firms. The conclusion is that accounting textbooks need to include more information about the reality of financial management in small firms.

Working at webboyz: an analysis of control over the software development labour process

This article explores how management constructs strategies to control the labour process of software development, through a case study of a small Australian software development company, Webboyz Pty Ltd.1 This firm employs mainly young, male software developers to develop internet tools and e-commerce software and solutions for different segments of the local and international software market. Distinguishing between primary and secondary software products, and their associated production processes, provides a way of analysing the organization and control of software development work. The case study of Webboyz reveals how management strategies to control the labour process of software development are influenced by the type of product being developed and the timing in the product’s development lifecycle as well as the type of workers developing the software product.

Understanding financial information used to assess small firm performance

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the reality of financial and management accounting in a small group of small firms. Specifically, from the owners perspective, an exploration is undertaken to see what financial information is collected, how it is used (or not) to make business decisions and evaluate the firms performance, and the role played by the accountant in that process. Design/methodology/approach - A phenomenological paradigm underpins this exploratory study. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with the owners of ten small firms, where the focus was on understanding what happens in an organisational setting, as opposed to theory and textbook practice. Findings - The qualitative data supported prior research in other countries. The in-depth analysis revealed a very basic understanding of accounting information and problems with the financial literacy amongst these small firm owners. Accounting reports were not widely produced or used, so an informal assessment, such as how much cash was in the bank, was the primary means of assessing business performance. Accountants were used for taxation services, although some owners sought more general business advice. Originality/value - An understanding is developed of why there might be a gap between textbook rhetoric and reality of accounting practice in small firms. The conclusion is that accounting textbooks need to include more information about the reality of financial management in small firms.

Introduction : At the Intersection of Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management

In recent years there has been a growing literature on human resource management (HRM) and smaller firms which has also encompassed firms that are growing and entrepreneurial. For example we have seen a special edition of Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (Katz et al., 2000), two of Human Resource Management Review (Baron, 2003; Barrett and Mayson, 2006) and one of Human Resource Management (Huselid, 2003; Tansky and Heneman, 2003), with another of Human Resource Management (to be edited by Ribeiro, Roig and Tansky) scheduled for publication in 2010. In addition, symposia on the topic have been undertaken at the Academy of Management in 2005 (organized by Mayson) and in 2004 (organized by Hayton). Papers dealing with issues of HRM for new, small, growing and/or entrepreneurial firms have been presented at a range of different conferences, whether they are management oriented such as the Academy of Management (AoM) and its regional variants (for example, the British Academy of Management (BAM) or the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM)), entrepreneurially focused ones like the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research conference or ones focused specifically on smaller firms such as the conferences of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE) in the UK or the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) and its regional affiliates. With all these papers and all this discussion is there anything left to say? Well yes, we think there is and we are...

Finding the “right staff” in small firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore what owners of small firms are looking for from new employees. The aim is to pursue this in light of the debate around formality and informality of small firm HRM, exploring the extent to which the small firms studied had formalised HRM practices.Design/methodology/approach – The data reported here were collected in discussions with the owner(s) of 27 small firms in the Latrobe Valley region of South East Victoria, Australia. These firms were participating in the federal government‐funded small business assistance program and data were gathered through a series of visits and discussions with the owners over the period of the assistance program.Findings – It was found that in those firms where they had formalised HRM practices, which linked directly to their strategy, employers were more able to “sell” their vision for the business to potential employees.Research limitations/implications – Research has shown that there is a positive relationship between sma...