A Qualitative Investigation of the Human Resource Management Practices in Small Businesses

This report provides a summary of our findings from the first phase of our study on human resource practices in small businesses based on qualitative interviews with top managers and owners of small businesses. Below we include a brief description of the sample and an explanation of the hurdle that we experienced when using the terms human resource management practices. On the following pages, we report the main findings of the qualitative phase of our study. The findings are organized into three main sections around the areas of management philosophies, employee management practices, and key employee outcomes that link management practices to firm performance. The overall findings from this first report are summarized in a research model depicted in Figure 1. Funding for this research was provided by the Center for Advanced Human Resource Studies at Cornell University and Gevity, is a provider of comprehensive human capital management solutions to small and medium-sized businesses

Strategic Management and HRM

[Excerpt] The purpose of this chapter is to discuss this intersection between Strategic Management and HRM, what we know, and future directions for SHRM research. We will begin by briefly discussing the concept of strategy and the popularization of the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm. Next we will address its role in creating the link between HRM and Strategic Management including key questions that the RBV has raised in relation to SHRM. We will then examine the current state of affairs in SHRM; the progress made, and key questions and concerns occupying the attention of SHRM researchers. Finally, we will conclude with our views on future directions for SHRM research

Human Resource Management Practices, Workforce Alignment, and Firm Performance

Small business leaders are charged with delivering high levels of company performance. There is no shortage of potentially fruitful investments available for consideration; these include developing new products or services, improving product or service quality, and enhancing marketing and sales. Another possible investment - improving the way a company manages its people - tends to receive less attention. This is somewhat surprising, however, when one considers that the human resource management practices a company uses can dramatically impact the bottom-line. One study of large publicly traded firms, for example, found that companies using high performance human resource practices have market values that range from between $16,000 and$40,000 per employee higher than firms that do not use such practices. A study of high tech start-ups showed that for firms going public with a high level of human resource value, the probability of survival is .79; for firms going public with low levels of human resource value, however, the probability is only .60. So, what human resource management practices foster small business success? The problem in answering this question is that prior studies often disagree about which human resource management practices are effective and which ones aren\u27t. Furthermore, even if scholars could agree about which practices are best, there is no reason to believe that the practices used by large Fortune 500 firms or small high-tech start-ups would translate to many (if not most) small businesses. After all, small businesses (i.e., those with fewer than 200) employees, typically compete in areas other than high-tech, and are generally unlikely to go public any time soon. The Cornell University/Gevity study of human resource management practices in small businesses is the first study we know of to provide definitive answers to two critical questions facing small business leaders: (1) Do people contribute to the success of small businesses?, and (2) What human resource management strategies (and practices) can the leaders of small businesses employ to foster firm success? The results of the study are presented as follows. First, we provide a visual depiction of the study\u27s findings. Second, we show that workforce alignment is strongly related to small business success. Third, we demonstrate how various employee selection, management, and motivation strategies affect workforce alignment. Fourth, we present four key takeaways from the study. Finally, we provide a section that allows you to compare your company\u27s results on all study variables to those of the other 250 companies that participated in the study

Research Report On Phase 3 of the Cornell University/Gevity Institute Study – Employee Outcomes: Human Resource Management Practices and Firm Performance In Small Businesses

[Excerpt] Improving company performance is something of interest to all small business leaders. Small business leaders have many tools at their disposal — from finance to marketing to customer service — that could potentially improve the performance of their company. Among these tools is the way that small business leaders manage their people. As has been mentioned in previous reports, research has shown that people management does indeed impact company performance, even at the financial level. Studies show increases in value per employee of up to $40,000 and survival rates for IPO firms as much as 20% higher for companies that effectively manage their human resources. The Cornell University/Gevity Institute study of human resource management practices in small businesses is attempting to answer two important questions faced by small business leaders: 1. Do people contribute to the success of small businesses? 2. What human resource management strategies and practices can small business leaders employ to foster firm success? In phase two of the study, we found that employee management practices help small employers improve workforce alignment, which was defined as having the right people with the right skills in the right jobs. Firms with high levels of workforce alignment experience higher performance than firms with lower levels of workforce alignment. Building on these findings, the third phase of the study addresses the positive employee outcomes that can result from effective people management and seeks to understand which employee outcomes or behaviors tend to lead to different types of performance outcomes important to small business leaders. The results for this study were taken from a sample of 111 small companies where responses were received from both the top manager as well as the employees. Companies ranged in size from 10 to 165 employees with an average size of approximately 30 employees representing a broad range of industries. The results of the study will be presented as follows: First, we briefly discuss what is known about how human resource management impacts performance through employees. Second, we discuss the performance outcomes, and employee outcomes and behaviors that were studied as well as the specific employee behaviors and outcomes that seem to drive the different kinds of performance. Finally, we present some key takeaways from the results of this study

Employee Outcomes: Human Resource Management Practices and Firm Performance in Small Businesses

[Abstract] Improving company performance is something of interest to all small business leaders. Small business leaders have many tools at their disposal — from finance to marketing to customer service — that could potentially improve the performance of their company. Among these tools is the way that small business leaders manage their people. As has been mentioned in previous reports, research has shown that people management does indeed impact company performance, even at the financial level. Studies show increases in value per employee of up to $40,000 and survival rates for IPO firms as much as 20% higher for companies that effectively manage their human resources. The Cornell University/Gevity Institute study of human resource management practices in small businesses is attempting to answer two important questions faced by small business leaders: 1. Do people contribute to the success of small businesses? 2. What human resource management strategies and practices can small business leaders employ to foster firm success? In phase two of the study, we found that employee management practices help small employers improve workforce alignment, which was defined as having the right people with the right skills in the right jobs. Firms with high levels of workforce alignment experience higher performance than firms with lower levels of workforce alignment. Building on these findings, the third phase of the study addresses the positive employee outcomes that can result from effective people management and seeks to understand which employee outcomes or behaviors tend to lead to different types of performance outcomes important to small business leaders. The results for this study were taken from a sample of 111 small companies where responses were received from both the top manager as well as the employees. Companies ranged in size from 10 to 165 employees with an average size of approximately 30 employees representing a broad range of industries. The results of the study will be presented as follows: First, we briefly discuss what is known about how human resource management impacts performance through employees. Second, we discuss the performance outcomes, and employee outcomes and behaviors that were studied as well as the specific employee behaviors and outcomes that seem to drive the different kinds of performance. Finally, we present some key takeaways from the results of this study

Recent Advances to Estimation of Fixed-Interface Modal Models Using Dynamic Substructuring

In 2010, Allen & Mayes proposed to estimate the fixed-interface modes of a structure by measuring the modes of the structure bolted to a fixture and then applying constraints to the fixture using the transmission simulator method. While the method proved useful, and has indeed been used in studies since that point, a few peculiarities were noted. First, in some cases the estimated fixed-base natural frequencies were observed to converge very slowly to the true values (in simulated experiments) as the number of constraints was increased. To formulate these constraints, prior studies used only the free-interface modes of the fixture or the measured modes of the assembly. This work extends that to consider other sets of constraints, showing improved results. Furthermore, in some prior studies it has been observed that there were errors of more than 10% in the natural frequencies even when the fixture motion was hundreds of times smaller than the motion of the structure of interest (and so it had presumably been removed). This work explores this phenomenon, seeking to use the strain energy in the fixture, to the extent that it can be estimated using a test-analysis model for the fixture, as a metric to predict frequency error. The proposed methods are explored by applying them to simulated measurements from a beam and from the NASA Space Launch System coupled to the Mobile Launcher

Situational analysis of the sacrifice bunt in baseball.

The objective of this thesis is to attempt to develop a method to determine the strategy giving the higher probability of scoring at least one run-attempting a sacrifice bunt or batting normally (when the situational variables are essentially neutral and do not suggest a course of action). This will be done by simulating a large number of half innings in which each of the two options is used. The output of the simulations will then be used to perform two regression analyses, which will generate two equations. The first equation will equate the probability of scoring at least one run to some combination of sacrifice bunting efficiency, team batting average and team slugging percentage. The second equation will equate the probability of scoring at least one run to some combination of the potential bunter\u27s slugging percentage, team batting average and team slugging percentage. The two equations will then be subtracted and simplified to produce one equation that equates sacrifice bunting efficiency to some combination of the potential bunter\u27s slugging percentage, team slugging percentage and team batting average. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1997 .C425. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 37-01, page: 0280. Adviser: Myron Hlynka. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1997

The time-dependent accumulation of protoporphyrin IX fluorescence in nodular basal cell carcinoma following application of methyl aminolevulinate with an oxygen pressure injection device

Clinical TrialJournal ArticleAuthor's post-print is subject to a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives LicenseTopical protoporphyrin (PpIX)-induced photodynamic therapy (PDT) relies on the penetration of the prodrug into the skin lesion and subsequent accumulation of the photosensitizer. Methyl aminolevulinate (MAL)-PDT is an established treatment for thinner and superficial non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) but for the treatment of the thicker nodular basal cell carcinoma (nBCC) enhanced penetration of the prodrug is required. This study employed a new higher pressure, oxygen pressure injection (OPI) device, at the time of Metvix® application with a view to enhancing the penetration of MAL into the tumors. Each patient had Metvix® applied to a single nBCC followed by application of a higher pressure OPI device. Following different time intervals (0, 30, 60, 120 or 180 min) the tumors were excised. The maximum depth and area of MAL penetration achieved in each lesion was measured using PpIX fluorescence microscopy. As expected, an increase in the depth of MAL-induced PpIX accumulation and area of tumor sensitized was observed over time; when the Metvix® cream was applied for 0, 30, 60, 120 and 180 min the median depth of PpIX fluorescence was 0%, 21%, 26.5%, 75.5% and 90%, respectively and the median area of tumor sensitized was 0%, 4%, 6%, 19% and 60%, respectively. As the investigation presented here did not include a control arm, the relative depths of fluorescence observed in this study were statistically compared (using the non-parametric Mann Whitney U test) with the results of our previous study where patients had Metvix® cream applied either with or without the standard pressure OPI device. When the higher pressure OPI device was employed compared to without OPI this increase was observed to be greater following 30, 120, and 180 min although overall not significantly (p=0.835). In addition, no significant difference between the higher pressure OPI device employed here and the previously investigated standard pressure OPI device was observed (p=0.403). However, when the results for both OPI devices were combined and compared to the standard treatment (no OPI employed) group, although the difference did not reach significance (p=0.531) a consistent and substantial increase in the depth of PpIX fluorescence was observed, therefore employment of an OPI device during topical MAL-PDT protocols warrants further investigation as a technique for enhancing MAL penetration

3-Ethyl-6-{1-[4-(2-methyl­prop­yl)phen­yl]eth­yl}-1,2,4-triazolo[3,4-b][1,3,4]thia­diazole

In the mol­ecule of the title compound, C17H22N4S, the triazolothia­diazole ring system is essentially planar and forms a dihedral angle of 74.34 (6)° with the benzene ring. In the crystal structure, mol­ecules are linked into chains running along the b axis by C—H⋯π inter­actions; adjacent chains are cross-linked via C—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and short S⋯N contacts [3.2694 (14) and 3.2953 (14) Å]