Content area
Full Text
Publisher: Praeger, Westport, CT and London, 2009, £115/$200.
ISBN: 978 0 313 35015 3. 2 vols
The first thing that any potential purchaser of The Praeger Handbook of Human Resource Management needs to know is that it has been written with the American market - and only the American market - in mind. This fact is not stated in the book. There are over ninety contributors, a mix of academics, consultants and practitioners, but there are no non-Americans. Although some of the contents will be valid for readers anywhere in the world, most is specific to the United States: probably too much for the Handbook to be top of any European library's wish-list. The Handbook refers to American legislation, cites mainly American sources, and lists only American organizations.
The word "handbook" suggests that this is a practical reference work rather than an encyclopedic survey of the theory of human resource management (HRM), and that is indeed the case. In the preface (Vol. 1), the editors define the meaning of HRM and explain their objectives. It is stated that the book aims to provide "an overview of the field and practice of HRM", targeted particularly at those new to the human resources profession: "We have tried", they say, "to clarify and simplify HRM so that it becomes less complicated to the newcomer... Ultimately our goal is to provide the details, descriptions, and facts necessary to enable HRM professionals to develop strategies for becoming more effective professionals".
The Handbook...