ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on emerging market economies in Asia and the Pacific, particularly on the role of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and human resource management (HRM). HRM in SMEs in emerging markets is ‘under reconstruction’, meaning that it is passing through transition. Training is one of the key HRM practices in SMEs and an inevitable requirement for developing the competence of a workforce so that they can work with new methods and technologies in the new and changing environment. The foundations of HRM in India can be traced to the Arlhasastra, a fourth-century BC document referring, among other things, to people management. HRM in Taiwan gradually moved towards involving HR departments in the formulation of business strategies. SMEs operating in Vietnam face several unique circumstances that impact upon the adoption of HRM practices. Indonesia’s high score on power distance indicates a work culture that is dictated by clear organisational hierarchies.
