This book identifies and discusses the key features of human resource management at the turn of the century from a northern European perspective (particularly referring to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK).

List of Contributors. Preface. 1. Human Resource Management in Northern Europe: Trends, Dilemmas and Strategies (Henrik Holt Larsen and Chris Brewster). 2. The Northern European Dimension: A Distinctive Environment for HRM (Chris Brewster and Henrik Holt Larsen). 3. Human Resource Management: A Strategic Approach (Chris Brewstern Henrik Holt Larsen and Wolfgang Mayrhofer). 4. Making Sense of the Drive for Competence: Bridging Individual and Organizational Learning (Pia Bramming and Henrik Holt Larsen). 5. Careers in Organizations: Theoretical Developments and Empirical Findings (Henrik Holt Larsen and Camilla Funck Ellehave). 6. Flexibility in HRM: Contradictions in Organizational Survival (Chris Brewster and Henrik Holt Larsen). 7. Communication in Organizations: Dialogue and Impact (Michael Morley, Wolfgang Mayrhofer and Chris Brewster). 8. Human Resource Costing and Accounting: Putting a Price on Human Resource Investments (Ulf Johanson and Henrik Holt Larsen). 9. Responsibility in Human Resource Management: The Role of the Line (Chris Brewster and Henrik Holt Larsen). 10. On the Road Again (Henrik Holt Larsen and Chris Brewster). Further Reading. Index.

This book identifies and discusses the key features of human resource management at the turn of the century from a northern European perspective (particularly referring to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Ireland and the UK). The authors' approach reflects the fact that these countries have become increasingly critical of the universalist model of SHRM common in the USA. The early chapters of the book address differences in concepts and practices in HRM in the region; these are followed by chapters that explore topics seen as particularly relevant in northern Europe. The conclusion looks at the usefulness and future of the notion of HRM as a result of these discussions. Based on the authors' own research and studies in Denmark and the UK, the book also draws particularly on empirical data from surveys by the Cranfield Network for the Study of Human Resource Management in Europe and on contributions from researchers in Sweden, Ireland, and Austria. Researchers and students will find here a useful summary of the challenge posed by northern Europe to universalist concepts of HRM.