Research Report on Phase 5 Of Cornell University/Gevity Institute Study: Human Resource Management Practices and Firm Performance In Small Businesses: A Look At Differences Across Industries

In this study, we look at the effects of three HR practice strategies on firm performance and examine potential differences in effects across industries. Overall, we found that employee selection based on person-organization fit, workforce management following a involvement strategy, and employee management and retention practices based on creating a family-like environment were all positively related to revenue growth, profit growth, and employee retention across when looking at all of the companies in the sample. We also found that the three HR strategies were related to higher firm performance when looking at each of the four individual industries in our study. We were surprised to find that the effects of these HR practice strategies were larger in both the retail and low-skilled services industries compared to the professional services and manufacturing industries. We were particularly surprised by these results because much of the popular press writing and conventional wisdom regarding HR practices has stressed the need to manage professional and highly skilled employees because they are potentially harder to find and retain. The specific results for each of the four industries are reported and discussed in the report as are the key takeaways for the study as a whole

The Higgs discovery potential of ATLAS

Higgs boson production and decay at the LHC is described, together with related ATLAS search channels, in order to provide an overview of the ATLAS Higgs discovery potential.Comment: 6 page

The Interactive Effects of Recruitment Practices and Product Awareness on Job Seekers’ Employer Knowledge and Application Behaviors

In this paper, I draw on research from the literatures on marketing and recruitment to identify how recruitment practices and company product awareness are related to job seekers’ application behaviors through three aspects of job seekers’ employer knowledge. Based on results from a within-subjects design with data from 123 recruiting companies and 456 student job seekers, my findings suggested the relationships between recruitment strategies and application intentions and decisions are moderated by product awareness. Specifically, low-information recruitment practices are significantly and positively related to application behaviors through employer familiarity and employer reputation when product awareness is low rather than high. In contrast, high-information recruitment practices are related to job seekers’ application behaviors through employer reputation and job information when product awareness is high rather than low

Research Report on Phase 4 of Cornell University/Gevity Institute Study Human Resource Management Practices and Firm Performance in Small Businesses: A Look at the Effects of HR Practices on Financial Performance and Turnover

In this study, we found evidence that groups of HR practices that represent different strategies for managing employees were significantly related to the financial performance of small companies. In particular, we found that an employee selection strategy based on person-organization fit, employee management strategy based on self-management, and employee motivation and retention strategy based on creating a family-like environment were all significantly related to firm performance in terms of revenue and profit growth. In addition, we found that the relationships between these HR strategies and firm performance were stronger in firms that face greater competition, are pursuing growth strategies, and are larger in size

How Does Leadership Structure Affect the Bottom Line?

Key Findings Investment in High-commitment HR practices lead to key employee-based outcomes. When companies invest in employees with a system of high-commitment HR practices (see examples of these practices below) they are able to build a workforce with higher human capital and motivation to exert discretionary effort for the benefit of the organization. In particular, higher use of these high-commitment HR (HCHR) practices were significantly related to higher levels of employee education, company tenure/experience, collaboration, and helping behaviors. Higher employee human capital and motivation are resources that lead to competitive advantage. In return, these employee outcomes appear to be key organizational resources for driving competitive advantage. Specifically, higher levels of employee company tenure (i.e., firm-specific experience and knowledge), collaboration, and helping behaviors were all significantly related to higher company sales growth and perceived performance (performance relative to competitors as rated by the company CEO). Leaders make a diff in the extent to which these employee-based resources lead to competitive advantage. In general, these employee-based resources were related to higher performance, but CEOs with greater levels of human capital seemed to be able to leverage these resources for even greater performance. Compared to companies with CEOs with less experience, companies with CEOs with higher average industry and company experience and higher levels of employee human capital and motivation had significantly higher performance, suggesting that CEOs with higher experience seem to understand how to take advantage of the employee-based resources that have been built through the investment in HCHR practices

Initial Organizational Images and Recruitment: A Within-Subjects Investigation of the Factors Affecting Job Choices

[Excerpt] The purpose of this study was to examine the dimensions, influenceability, and consequences of applicants’ images of prospective employers early in the recruitment and job search process. Specifically, we examined three questions: (1) On what dimensions do applicants assess organizational images early in their job searches? (2) Which recruitment practices contribute to applicants’ organizational images? (3) How do organizational images influence applicants’ decisions to apply to organizations

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

Recruitment and Decision-Making: The Effects of Early Recruitment Practices on the Decision to Apply to an Organization

This study explored the relationship between early recruitment practices (company visibility, social networking, campus presence and traditional practices) and decision making during the initial phase of the recruitment process. Results indicated that the relationship between early recruitment practices and decisions to apply were mediated by attraction and perceptions of organizational attributes

The State of the Art in Performance Management: Learnings from Discussions with Leading Organizations

Performance management is one of the fundamental HR tools that has been part of organizational life for decades and has long been the backbone of other activities of the HR system (e.g., pay decisions, development plans). Despite the importance of performance management, it has historically been rated by employees, managers, and the HR function itself as one of the least effective and understood HR practices. Given the stagnation in academic research on the topic and discontent on the part of organizational stakeholders, we decided it was an opportune time to meet with leading companies to understand the state of the art in performance management. Specifically, we held two working group meetings with a total of 32 HR executives from 20 companies to discuss current challenges and best practices in the area of performance management. The discussions provided us with a deeper understanding of the dilemmas and challenges associated with performance management in large, multinational companies. We were also able to extract a handful of promising directions for enhancing the effectiveness of the performance management process