n academia, new human resource management books (Townley, 1994; Storey, 1995;
Legge, 1995) have been published since we produced the first edition of Human Resource
Management: Theory and Practice. Increasingly, HRM scholars have emphasized strategic
aspects of HRM, adopted new perspectives and critically examined the new theoretical
frameworks or HRM models. An important theoretical development which supports the
central tenets of HRM is the integration of strategic management, organizational
development, and adult learning to create a resource-based theory of competitive
advantage. In addition, empirical-based data has been gathered, analysed and published on
the extensiveness of HRM practices in North American and European organizations