Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources current issue

Guest editors' note: Governance and human resources

Young, S., Stanton, P. — 2009-07-02

The liberal market model of finance, ownership, and governance: An evaluation of its effect on labour

Pendleton, A. — 2009-07-02

This paper examines the theory and evidence of the effect of finance, ownership, and corporate governance on labour and employment, with special reference to the so-called `market-outsider' or liberal market economies. The main finance, ownership, and governance characteristics of these economies are described and briefly compared with those in so-called co-ordinated market economies. A set of predictions of the impact on labour management and employment are outlined. Evidence is presented from comparative studies and from within-country studies, especially of the United Kingdom. It is found that predictions are not clearly borne out, and the paper identifies a set of factors to explain this. These include dispersed ownership, the nature of corporate law, and the public visibility of listed companies.

Corporate governance and labour law: Situating Australia's `regulatory style'

Marshall, S., Mitchell, R., O'Donnell, A. — 2009-07-02

This article gives an overview of the `varieties of capitalism' and `legal origins' literature to develop a stylised model of various complementarities between corporate governance and the management of labour, with an emphasis on the role of corporate law and labour law. The authors then apply this model to interrogate the development of Australian labour law and corporate law, and consider whether a case can be made for an Australian exceptionalism.

Governance, employees and CSR: Integration is the key to unlocking value

Young, S., Thyil, V. — 2009-07-02

Corporate governance has gained increasing importance in the last decade as organisations have been involved in bankruptcies and frauds alongside decreases in organisational value and jobs. Researchers have signalled a need for new perspectives and models of governance, especially one that clearly identifies and embeds employees as part of the system. This article explores the importance of human resources as a key component of the governance system. It discusses whether organisational rhetoric in relation to stakeholders and social responsibility incorporates employees and in doing so it delves into the concept of labour as a key stakeholder. The article examines publicly available reports of two resource-based firms and two finance-sector firms: Rio Tinto, Shell Australia, Westpac and ANZ Bank to explore the position of labour. It concludes that the position of labour as a stakeholder is problematic, with a divergence between espoused statements on CSR and how they are operationalised throughout the organisation. The emphasis seems to be on environmental and financial sustainability with lesser importance placed on dimensions of workplace management and accompanying employee relations approaches.

`I used to be an employee but now I am a stakeholder': Implications of labelling employees as stakeholders

Greenwood, M., Anderson, E. — 2009-07-02

The term `stakeholder' has become ubiquitous. By almost any definition, employees are stakeholders in the firm. But what are the implications for employees to be classified as stakeholders? The expression carries a connotation of social responsibility; however, identification of persons as stakeholders remains controversial. This paper addresses significant implications of the labelling of employed persons as stakeholders which have not been fully explored in extant literature: the homogenising and unifying of employee interests; the construction of employees as their roles; the undermining of employment stability; and the risk to individual dignity and rights. It is argued that act of labelling employees as stakeholders is more likely to serve the interest of the organisation rather than the interests of employees.

Disclosed: An exploration of board remuneration committee challenges

Kovacevic, S. — 2009-07-02

Executive rewards in Australia have continued to climb in the face of calls and attempts to curb their growth. Despite the proliferation of codes of best corporate governance practice and the introduction of legislation in the 1990s requiring companies to disclose executive salaries, remuneration committees did not play a major role in slowing the growth of executive pay. This article reports the results of an empirical study of committee members. It explores issues in the formulation of executive pay from a committee perspective. The study found that requirements for disclosure did little to ensure modest packages were awarded. Indeed, disclosure requirements were often cited as one of the causes of pay escalation.

Driving corporate reputations from the inside: A strategic role and strategic dilemmas for HR?

Martin, G. — 2009-07-02

The field of reputation management has been dominated by marketing and communications though there is an emerging consensus that corporate reputations and good governance are built from the inside-out. However, HR professionals and academics have been slow to contribute to these key strategic drivers of organizational success. In this paper I draw on our previous research from often disparate bodies of literature to develop a model of the links between strategic HR and corporate reputations. The model suggests converging lines of enquiry and interest for academics in HR, marketing, communications and strategy, but also highlights some strategic dilemmas for organizations in balancing best practice and best-fit HRM.

Outsourcing HRM activities in Australian organisations

Sheehan, C. — 2009-07-02

Although human resource management (HRM) outsourcing is an international trend little has been written in the Australian literature about HRM outsourcing choices. The aims of the research are to determine first which HRM areas are most likely in Australia to be initiated using external consultants, second whether organisational size or sector impacts on the outsourcing decision and third the type of skills that HRM consultants bring into organisations. Results from an on-line survey generating 1372 responses identify training and development, recruitment and selection, and HRIS as the primary outsourced HRM areas. With respect to organisational determinants, larger organisations were more likely to use consultants; sector differences revealed higher recruitment and selection and performance-related pay outsourcing in the private sector, higher HRIS outsourcing in the public sector, and a focus on employee relations in the not-for-profit sector. There are no differences in the qualifications of HRM professionals and consultants but consultants are more likely to have broader business experiences.

Book review: Vida Gulbinas Scarpello, ed. 2008. The handbook of human resource management education: Promoting an effective and efficient curriculum ISBN 978 1 4129 5490 7; xv +464 pages; US$125.00; Los Angeles: Sage Publications

Mylett, T. — 2009-07-02