The authors would like to thank the NSW Sport Commission for their support in the conduct of this research.HR for paid staff and volunteers 2 2 Contemporary business challenges and globalisation pressures have had a significant impact on the human resource management (HRM) practices of many organisations. Whilst the adoption of more sophisticated, complex and strategic management systems is well documented in the general HR literature, organisations that operate with both paid and volunteer human resources have been virtually ignored by scholars. In this paper we report on a study on the adoption of HRM practices by state sport organisations in New South Wales, Australia. Our results indicate that despite pressures to become more strategic in their people management, only a minority of these sport organisations have formal HRM systems. We also found differences between the HRM practices used with paid employees and volunteers particularly in organisations with formal HR policies. Research and practical implications for HRM in sport organisations are discussed as well as future challenges HR for paid staff and volunteers 3 3 Over the past few decades representative/parent organisations of sporting activities have faced increasing pressure to adopt more sophisticated management systems and become more business oriented. In sport we have witnessed a gradual professionalisation of state and national sport organisations and a growing number of paid staff have been appointed in roles traditionally held by volunteers (Auld, 1997;Thibault, Slack & Hinings, 1991). This has led to change management issues and tensions, as organisations transition from largely volunteer managed and governed approaches to a workforce that is a mixture of paid employees and volunteers (Nichols et al. 1998). In combination with this shift, many of these sport organisations are currently facing difficulties recruiting and retaining volunteers (Burgham & Downward, 2005). The associated human resource issues highlight the pressing need for HRM practices to effectively manage both paid and volunteer staff in sport organisations now and into the future. In considering what HRM approaches would be most effective, the distinguishing characteristics of non-profit sport organisations should be taken into account.The sport industry's distinctiveness is exemplified by features of intangibility, heterogeneity and inseparability of production and consumption (Buswell, 2004). Each sport organisation's existence is based on the requirement of co-ordinated, seasonal event-based competitions that are controlled by governing bodies (Beech & Chadwick, 2004). Sport organisations that are representative/parent bodies of sport activity have been traditionally managed by sport enthusiasts with a passion for the sport, wherein measures of success are related to on-field success and participant numbers rather than to operational effectiveness.The management of these enterprises has perpetuated these distinctions by drawing heavily on a committed volunteer workfo...

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This paper compares human resource (HR)and industrial relations (IR)practices in the workplaces of predominantly Australian and predominantly overseas–owned organisations. It advances understanding of HR/IR in Australia and elsewhere by considering two questions. First,whether Australian–owned workplaces have different HR/IR practices from overseas–owned workplaces. Second,whether there has been a convergence or divergence of practices between the two groups in recent years. The analysis is conducted using the Australian Workplace Industrial Relations Survey data from the years 1990 and 1995 (AWIRS 90/95). The main findings are that there are significant differences in HR/IR practice between Australian and overseas–owned workplaces. Both groups have increased their use of sophisticated HR/IR practices, but the overseas–owned workplaces have increased their usage at a faster pace. On the basis of these findings, we suggest caution in accepting the argument that globalisation pressures necessarily lead to a uniform convergence of HR/IR practices across the globe. While it appears that globalisation has stimulated local and overseas–owned firms to move in qualitatively similar directions, they are doing so at rates sufficiently varied for the gap to be increasing when measured quantitatively. In this sense,the locals might best be described as lagging behind the overseas firms in the adoption of HRM practices.

A comprehensive introductory workshop aimed at building student readiness for participation in project based group work is outlined. This article develops a rationale for teaching such a workshop and outlines a step‐by‐step approach complete with all necessary materials. The core of the workshop is a case developed by the authors, which draws upon the real life experience of a group of graduate students. Debrief questions are provided for the case from the student and faculty perspective. The workshop also contains an exercise aimed at surfacing students’ experiences of group work and a set of recommendations aimed at reducing problems in student project groups. This paper concludes that, along with other benefits, the workshop develops a strong normative framework for legitimising appropriate behaviour in student project groups.