ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the influence of firm size, the generic business strategy of the firm, the firm’s human resource management (HRM) orientation and the espoused values of owner-managers, on management development activities in micro and small firms in Ireland. It is based on the results of a cross-sectional survey of firms that are members of the Small Firms Association of Ireland. It is well established that, since the early 1980s, significant growth of micro and small firms has occurred, in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. In Ireland, the statistics reveal an increase in the birth rate of new small firms; small firms, in particular, are a significant source of employment creation in the Irish economy. Evidence presented by the Irish government reveals that small and micro firms are an important component of the economy, in both economic growth and employment terms. Many reasons are identified to explain this increased significance. They include major technological changes, the contracting out of activities by large firms, downsizing by major multinationals and the emergence of the service economy (Shutt and Whittington 1987; Tung-Chun 2001).
