This book explores the manner in which the size of the organization influences the employment relationship with a focus upon small enterprises. The majority of organizations in the UK economy are categorized as small firms, having fewer than 50 employees, and in 2002 such firms were found to provide 43% of jobs within the economy (DTI, 2002). Clearly these organizations make a critical contribution to the British economy, yet - surprisingly - until quite recently very little was known about how such firms managed their labor. Since the 1990s there has been a growing of evidence which has explored the employment relationship in small firms and this book fulfils an important task by recognizing the importance of this literature, and also by moving the debate forward.
Managing Labour in Small Firms also acknowledges that size - whilst influential in shaping firm behavior - will interact with context to create particular employment relationships. These relationships are examined in chapters covering:
* HRM in the smaller organization
* The challenge of undertaking research in such firms
* The impact of regulation
* The influence of social embeddedness
* The affect of the national minimum wage
* Training and development
* Pay construction
* Employee representation
These discussions link the key themes and concepts within employment relations, and illustrate how firm size shapes their articulation and consequent management. Written by well respected specialists in the field, this is one of the only books on the market covering this topic, and as such it will be an essential text for researchers and graduates studying business and management, human resource management and industrial relations.

This book focuses on the challenges facing women who seek to create innovative entrepreneurial ventures, whilst also celebrating their scientific activities and contribution to technological advancement, society and economic development as a whole. It investigates and demonstrates the innovative and inventive achievements of women in the knowledge based society. It is almost universally accepted that scientific activities and discoveries are the most important sources of productivity growth and increased material welfare. Throughout history, women have been making significant contributions to scientific discoveries, innovation and inventions. However, they do not feature prominently in the inventive and innovative literatures except as exceptional examples. Current literature on scientific activities and discoveries, various facets of R&D or the management of technological change and scientific activities tends to ignore the gender dimension. This book seeks to redress this balance and contribute to current research and debate.

With current environmental, social and financial challenges facing society and the economy, there has been a rapid growth in interest in the role of social and sustainable enterprise. Accordingly, as government, industry and communities seek to find alternative ways to deliver product and services, this volume seeks to draw together contemporary entrepreneurial research which addresses current social and environmental issues, such as: social and community enterprise and entrepreneurship, including the tension between maintaining core social aims and continuing to prosper in a highly competitive and turbulent marketplace. Sustainable entrepreneurship and environmental impacts of enterprise, for example the pursuit of environmentally-responsible opportunities by mainstream enterprises, the creation of self-consciously 'eco-preneurial' ventures and more radical models that challenge prevailing assumptions about enterprise and growth; and ethics, enterprise and social responsibility, including the growth of ethical markets and the opportunities they create, such as providing services for disadvantaged groups or facilitating markets in fairly-traded goods and services.

Households as a Site of Entrepreneurial Activity explores the interactions between business activities and entrepreneurial households, demonstrating that new venture creation and growth often hinges on the household-business nexus, and that business decisions are influenced both by family circumstances and prevailing economic conditions. The household is the smallest social unit where human and economic resources overlap and household strategies can identify social factors underlying economic behaviour. Hence, in examining the role of the household in new venture creation and growth, the authors explore contextual and processual aspects of entrepreneurship. In this monograph, the authors argue that the household plays a fundamental role in the strategic decision-making of the enterprise. In focusing on the centrality of the household context to entrepreneurial choices, actions and outcomes, as well as the interactions thereof, this monograph explores the role and importance of the household dimension within entrepreneurship.