HRM PRACTICES OF LARGE AND SMALL CANADIAN MANUFACTURING FIRMS

This study examines human resource management (HRM) issues in large (n =33) and small (n=110) Canadian manufacturing firms. Our findings sugg est that no difference in the perceived importance of workforce charac teristics can be attributed to firm size. HRM managers of both types o f firms prefer to fill vacancies from within the organization and use job posting and bidding extensively. One-on-one interviews are popular among both large and small firms. However, large firms do make more e xtensive use of written tests and panel interviews. While some HRM pol icies of both firm types reinforce workforce characteristics reported as important, others do not reinforce them.