The Challenges of Small and Medium Businesses in Managing Human Capital towards SMEs Performance – A Qualitative Study

IF 0.8 Q4 BUSINESS, FINANCE

Asian Journal of Business and Accounting Pub Date : 2022-06-30 DOI:10.22452/ajba.vol15no1.10

Yasmin Kamall Khan, J. Kasuma, Azrin Ali

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Manuscript type: Research paper Research aims: Currently, machinery is replacing most human capital to save cost, but the value of human capital that contributes to the performance of SMEs is invaluable. SMEs were used to explain the connection between human capital and SMEs performance in South Australia. Design/Methodology/Approach: Five case studies on SMEs in South Australia were used in this study. The analysis of qualitative data entailed data coding, within-case analysis, and cross-case analysis. Research findings: The cross-case analysis result is unsurprising considering that all five firms depend on their employees to work and keep the firm in operation. The cross-case analysis results are mixed in respect to the connection between human capital and the several types of performance measurement. The results, therefore, need to be interpreted with caution. SMEs perform solely through the skills, experience, and knowledge of their employees. This distinction occurs when the knowledge and information that employees gain are focused directly on the employee’s initiative, decision-making and critical thinking skills. Investment in human capital should be done carefully based on the limited resources of SMEs. Theoretical contribution/Originality: Most research has shown the link between human capital and firm performance. However, the degree to which investment in human capital contributes to the type of performance is yet to be explored based on qualitative data especially regarding SMEs in South Australia. Practitioner/policy implication: The sustainable development goal (SDG) entails a steady improvement in people’s well-being in a good environment. Thus, decisions about investment in human capital and the use of temporary workers should be taken jointly by personnel managers, in accordance with the size of the firm. If this holistic view is ignored, a full understanding of the impact of human capital on the firm’s performance will be obscured. On the other hand, a common feature that large and small firms share is an incompatibility between human capital and temporary employment. Research limitation/implications: The main limitation of this study was the sample of the study that comprised solely of South Australia SMEs. Thus, this study outcome may not be generalisable to the whole Australia as a country. Further investigation across different states would expand knowledge of the complicated patterns of HC. Keywords: Human capital, SME, Productivity, Profitability, South Australia JEL Classification: M12

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中小企业人力资本管理对中小企业绩效的挑战-一项定性研究

手稿类型：研究论文研究目的：目前，为了节省成本，机械正在取代大多数人力资本，但人力资本对中小企业绩效的贡献是不可估量的。中小企业被用来解释人力资本与南澳大利亚中小企业绩效之间的联系。设计/方法/方法：本研究使用了五个关于南澳大利亚中小企业的案例研究。定性数据的分析包括数据编码、案例内分析和跨案例分析。研究结果：考虑到所有五家公司都依赖员工工作并维持公司运营，跨案例分析结果并不令人惊讶。在人力资本与几种类型的绩效衡量之间的联系方面，跨案例分析结果参差不齐。因此，对结果的解释需要谨慎。中小企业的绩效完全取决于其员工的技能、经验和知识。当员工获得的知识和信息直接集中在员工的主动性、决策和批判性思维技能上时，就会出现这种差异。人力资本投资应在中小企业资源有限的基础上谨慎进行。理论贡献/原创性：大多数研究都表明了人力资本与企业绩效之间的联系。然而，人力资本投资对绩效类型的贡献程度尚待根据定性数据进行探索，尤其是关于南澳大利亚中小企业的定性数据。从业者/政策含义：可持续发展目标要求在良好的环境中稳步改善人民福祉。因此，人力资本投资和临时工的使用应由人事经理根据公司的规模共同做出决定。如果忽视这一整体观点，对人力资本对公司业绩影响的充分理解将变得模糊。另一方面，大公司和小公司的共同特点是人力资本和临时就业之间的不相容性。研究局限性/影响：本研究的主要局限性是仅由南澳大利亚中小企业组成的研究样本。因此，这项研究结果可能无法推广到整个澳大利亚。对不同州的进一步调查将扩大对HC复杂模式的了解。关键词：人力资本，中小企业，生产力，盈利能力，南澳大利亚JEL分类：M12

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来源期刊

Asian Journal of Business and Accounting BUSINESS, FINANCE-

CiteScore

2.00

自引率

11.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： An academic journal that aims to advance knowledge in the business and accounting disciplines, to narrow the gap between theory and practice, and to set direction for policy initiatives in Asia. Welcome to the Asian Journal of Business and Accounting (AJBA). AJBA is an international refereed journal, published biannually (30th June and 30th December) by the Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Malaysia. AJBA aims to publish scholarly business researches that are relevant to Malaysia and the Asian region. It intends to highlight the practical implications in promoting better business decision making process and the formulation of public policy in Asia. This journal publishes theoretical, conceptual, and empirical papers within the broad areas of business and accounting in Asia. The AJBA covers a broad spectrum of the business and accounting disciplines. A suggestive (though not necessarily comprehensive) list of areas that would be included in this journal are: general management, strategic management, human resource management, organizational behaviour, labour and industrial relations, international business management, business communication, entrepreneurship, leadership, management science, operations management, production management, supply chain management, marketing management, brand management, consumer behaviour, information management, e-marketing, e-commerce, quality management, retailing, service marketing, hospitality management, hotel and tourism management, asset pricing, capital and money markets, corporate finance, derivatives markets, finance and banking, financial economics, etc.