First published in 1977, this Routledge Revival is a reissue of the first comprehensive sociological study of the role of the personnel manager, which considers both the individual experience of the person working in this field and the role the occupation plays in the management of employing organizations. In the process of studying the individual experience and the organisational and social contributions of personnel managers, the book represents a step towards a sociology of work which draws on and contributes to the mainstream of sociological theory.

The idea of human resource management has become topical and controversial. The term suggests that people in any organization are an asset to be upgraded and fully utilized rather than merely a variable cost to be minimized. This in turn implies that the way in which people are managed is a matter of crucial strategic concern. Increased international competition has produced various initiatives world-wide for new approaches to management, in particular human resource management. This searching set of interpretations, first published in 1983, will be of interest to serious practitioners and students alike.

First published in 1969, British Management Thought is an indispensable text for anyone with a critical interest in the development of British management philosophy, from management teachers, through to informed managers, sociologists and historians. Utilizing detailed documentary evidence, Dr. Child traces and assesses the emergence and development of management thinking in Britain over the last hundred years. He considers the organizational and social problems faced by managers, and how management thinkers have attempted to provide solutions. The book demonstrates how social science research has today brought to light many deficiencies in management thought. By applying the perspectives of the sociology of knowledge, Dr Child examines how and why ideological considerations seriously weakened the practical utility of many management writings. He also discusses the important problems raised for management education by these findings, illustrating this with some of his own research into management teaching.

In both Marxist and non-Marxist scholarship there has been a remarkable neglect of the managerial control of labour. John Storey’s analysis of the modern labour process shows that managerial control is in fact more precarious than has been so far recorded. This book, first published in 1983, reassesses the Braverman theory of the inexorable degradation of work, and demonstrates the need to go beyond not only Braverman but also most of the ensuing attempts to complement or repair his underlying thesis. The book will be of interest to students of the social sciences.

First published in 1993. This book is intended for managers and occupational psychologists involved in the selection and assessment of the workforce. It details the history and development of the use of biographical data for both recruitment and promotion of employees. Grounded in relevant research literature, it offers a comprehensive analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of biodata in different contexts. It also includes examples of applications and recommendations for use, as well as examples of questionnaires. Written by experts, it represents a wide-ranging review of the contemporary research in the field. This work will be of interest to students of business and psychology.

This title was first published in 2002: Human Resource Development (HRD) arguably constitutes the most important aspect of managing resources at work. In this context, HRD has for some time played a significant role in Western business management. This volume focuses on the changing role of human resource management (HRM) on an international spectrum, and its implication for the role that HRM plays within organizations in developed and developing economies. Critically assessing HRM in the context of public and private organizations and NGOs based in South East Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, the volume focuses on the role of managers as both influenced and influencing change agents who determine the future of HRM. It examines changing patterns of HRM in terms of orientation, initiatives, policies and practices, and explores the possibility of a more flexible and constructive approach to ’gender’ as women increasingly occupy more managerial and executive positions.

Why do women start their own businesses? Is it solely because they are searching for financial success, or for other reasons? On the basis of detailed interviews with a number of women who have started their own businesses, this book, first published in 1985, reveals the significance of factors that are directly related to women’s experiences at home, at work, and in the wider society. The author’s analysis shows how business start-up enables many women, but not all, to achieve forms of economic and social independence that they would not otherwise enjoy. Further, they illustrate ways in which business proprietorship has a wide variety of effects upon individuals, and upon their personal relationships and life styles. They refute the notion of a single entrepreneurial experience and argue that the causes and consequences of business start-up are highly conditioned by the extent to which women are committed to traditionally prescribed roles and to profitability. The findings of this book will have important implications for the formulation of small business policies. It will also be of particular value to those interested in women’s studies and small business management.