Human Resource Management: Key Concepts and Skills

`Phil Beaumont's text reflects his approach to teaching - well informed, interesting and practically relevant. Every chapter has something useful to say about the current key issues in HRM. Our MBA students have found it to be one of the best of the available texts in the field.' - Graeme Martin, Director, Dundee Business School, Dundee Institute of Technology

`One of the main strengths of this book is the way in which it highlights that despite the enthusiasm generated for initiatives such as TQM and single status conditions, very little systematic empirical evidence actually exists to demonstrate the real benefits in terms of improved organisational functioning. This is a reasonably comprehensive and thought provoking book, as instead of attempting to provide simplistic and prescriptive 'toolbox' notions of HRM practice, the author draws attention to the current state of research and varying organisational experiences of HRM to illustrate the complexity of the issues. As the author himself suggests, he set the ambitious target of, in addition to providing practice advice, presenting material that had some foundation in empirical research. On the whole this balance has been reasonably well achieved.' - The Occupational Psychologist

`Most of the texts available, however, either offer prescriptions for action usually unsupported by research evidence, or theoretical analysis and research monographs that do not spell out the implications of their findings for practice. A book, therefore, which attempts to integrate the two approaches and which is based on the experience of teaching MBA students and line managers is particularly welcome.... As a discussion of current knowledge and the debates surrounding HRM, the book has much to recommend it. It brings together a wealth of empirical work with a critical discussion of current HRM practice.... what this textbook does well is to discuss critically the current state of knowledge with regard to HRM, and provide some advice on good practice. It will certainly be of considerable use to the management students for whom it was designed and of interest to anyone involved in the growing business of human resource management' - Work, Employment and Society