ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an introduction to the volume, Human Resource Management: A critical approach, second edition. We provide the context for the book though considering a number of overarching themes within which key debates in the field of HRM are situated. Specifically, we provide a summary discussion of the theoretical and intellectual boundaries of HRM, consider its emergence in historical context and identify some of the pervasive contradictions and limitations which prevail in the literature. Finally, we provide a short outline of the structure and content of this volume.
