This collection of essays aims at advancing knowledgeand understanding of the concept of human resource development (HRD) and itsprofessional practice, offering various definitions and choices of terms andmethods. The book has two interrelated goals: (1) to provide an overview ofcontemporary research into the practice of HRD in small organizations, and (2)to offer examples of HRD research projects in small organizations. A researchmonograph, the book addresses both academic researchers and policy advisers andmakers. The book is structured in three parts, with a total of 13 individualarticles. Each chapter adopts a similar structure and a common content:objectives, theoretical context, research context, findings/results,interpretation, and conclusions and learning points. (CBS) Table of Contents Researching and Practising HRD in Small Organisations, Jim Stewart andGraham Beaver Part I: The Context of HRD in Small Organisations Why HRD in Small Organisations May Have become a Neglected Field of Study,Rosemary Hill Neither Market Failure nor Customer Ignorance: The OrganisationalLimitations of Employee Training and Development, Scott Taylor, Sue Shaw,and Richard Thorpe Now You See It Now You Don't: Comparing Traditional and Discourse Readingsof HRD in Small Organisations, Clare Rigg and Kiran Trehan The Big Business of Strategic Human Resource Management in Small Business,Graham Beaver and Kate Hutchings Part II: Approaches to HRD in Small Organisations Employee-Led Development in SMEs: Positioning Practice, Vikki Smith,Denise Thursfield, John Hamblett, and Rick Holden The Practice of HRD in Smaller Firms, Eugene Sadler-Smith and JonathanLean HRD and Knowledge Migration in SME-Academic Partnerships: The TechnologyTranslator Project, Paul Illes and Maurice Yolles Knowledge Migration in an Academic-SME Partnership: How Useful is theTeaching Company Scheme as a Vehicle for HRD in SMEs? Elaine Eads and PaulIles E-Learning and Small Organisations, Sally Sambrook Part III: Applying HRD Methods in Small Organisations The Management Development Needs of Owner-Managers in Manufacturing SMEs:Mapping the Skills and Techniques, Alison Wilson and Gill Homan The Value of HRD in Small Owner-Managed Organisations: The Role of ExternalCoaching, David Devins and Jeff Gold Mentoring for Export Success, David Megginson and Paul Stokes Management Development in Micro and Small Firms in Ireland: LinkingManagement Development Practices to Firm Size, Strategic Type, HRM Orientationand Owner-Manager Espoused Values, Thomas N. Garavan, Alma McCarthy, JulietMcMahon, and Claire Gubbins
