Dr Susan Marlow is Reader in HRM at De Montfort University. She has extensive experience and an international reputation in the field of small HRM research, having her work published in leading academic journals such as Entrepreneurship, Theory & Practice.Dr Dean Patton is Principal Lecturer, Dept of Strategy and Management, De Montfort University; he has undertaken research and consultancy within and on behalf of small firms. His current research interests focus on the evaluation of small firm policy, and training and management development within smaller firms.Professor Monder Ram is Professor of Small Business, and Director of Small Business and Enterprise Research Group, at De Montfort University. He has extensive experience of working in, researching, and acting as a consultant to ethnic minority businesses. He is author of 'Managing to Survive - Working Lives in Small Firms', and 'Ethnic Minorities in Business' (with T. Jones).

• 1. Introduction Susan Marlow2. The hunting of the snark: A critical analysis of human resource management discourses in relation to managing labour in smaller organisations Scott Taylor3. Researching the Employment Relationship in Small Firms: What are the Contributions from the Employment Relations and Small Business Literatures? Robert Blackburn4. Managerial Strategies in Small Firms Richard Scase5. Training in smaller firm Dean Patton6. Breaking out of survival businesses: managing labour, growth and development in the south asian restaurant trade Monder Ram, Trevor Jones, Tahir Abbas and Sara Carter7. labour regulation and SMEs: A challenge to competitiveness and employability? Mark Hart and Robert Blackburn8. Small Firms and the National Minimum Wage Jim Arrowsmith and Mark Gilman9. Managing variable pay systems in smaller workplaces: the significance of employee perceptions of organisational justice Annette Cox10. Representation, Consultation and the Smaller Firm Alan Ryan

'I would highly recommend this excellent book to all those with an interest in managing labour in smaller firms. It would prove very useful and informative to a wide readership including policy makers, business advisers, researchers, students and owner/managers.' - Education + Training