Human Resources Strategy: The Era of Our Ways

The purpose of this chapter is to discuss some of the main features and trends in human resources (HR) strategy. Inasmuch as people are among the most important resources available to firms, one could argue that HR strategy should be central to any debate about how firms achieve competitive advantage. But this “people are our most important asset” argument is actually fairly hollow in light of the evidence. Far too many articles on HR start with this premise, but the reality is that organizations have historically not rested their fortunes on human resources. The HR function remains among the least influential in most organizations, and competitive strategies have not typically been based on the skills, capabilities, and behaviors of employees. In fact, as Snell, Youndt and Wright (1996:62) noted, in the past executives have typically tried to “take human resources out of the strategy equation--i.e., by substituting capital for labor where possible, and by designing hierarchical organizations that separate those who think from those who actually do the work.

Labour relations in Zimbabwe, 1980-1987

This study examines labour relations in Zimbabwe from 1980 to 1987, and finds that the government had a major impact on reforming labour relations. This interpretation differs from accounts presented in literature. Most writers assume employers are exploitative, and depict the government as acting on behalf of capital to control workers and ensure peaceful capitalist accumulation. It is argued that this view is one-sided, and a more balanced view of labour relations is provided by examining national labour policy and labour relations in three prominent organisations. This account suggests that government labour policy was to promote workers' interests while taking into consideration the need for national economic growth to enable employment and welfare services to be expanded. In an effort to balance workers' and national interests, the government pursued a corporatist strategy which involved the monopolisation of trade union representation, and control over unions to enforce government labour policy. A disaggregated view of "capital" is required which recognises that different management or organisational cultures exist. Thus, while some employers in Zimbabwe are exploitative and maintain racist management practices, others have gradually reformed their labour practices and have advanced black employees. In some cases this reform process has proceeded quite rapidly. The government's policies to protect and promote workers' interests provided the major stimulus for this reform of labour relations within enterprises

Bluetooth: Towards a Cooperative Model of Technological Innovation in Mobile Telephony

This paper notes the creative tension created by network industries in high technology production. The tension emerges due to firms ’ needs to both focus on developing strong and defensible competencies and also the need to share knowledge as part of wider development networks. The paper looks at the development of the Bluetooth wireless standard within this context. We find that Bluetooth’s promoters made the standard open to create support within a competitive technical environment. Downstream profits will flow to the technology’s developers both through the creation of patentable technologies relating to the standard’s use, and also through the ability of th