Human Resource Management in Emerging Economies

The demise of communism in 1989 in eastern Europe, followed by the break-up of the Soviet Union and the spectacular rise of China and India in the 1990s, brought about a new world order. In eastern Europe communism not only caused large-scale impoverishment and technological slowing, but also signified managerial wastefulness and disregard for employee voice. Yet, since the collapse of the old system, 25 years has passed and things have dramatically improved. Crucially, much has changed in the workplace: a transfer of modern HRM thought led to a shift in the way employees were treated.

Human Resource Management in Emerging Economies explores – by means of qualitative and quantitative research methods – the problematics of human resource management in post-communist emerging economies. It also focuses on such interrelated issues as privatisation, trade-unionism, corporate social responsibility, work-life balance and senior employment. The book adopts a multidisciplinary perspective, referring to theories and concepts associated with management, economics, occupational psychology and sociology. Moreover, it contextualises the discussion by including a politico-historical background, and substantiates its claims with findings from empirical research.

This book’s multi-faceted approach reflects the complex nature of the subject matter, allowing readers to develop a better understanding of the idiosyncrasies of employment relations in eastern Europe.

Piotr Zientara is an associate professor at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Gdansk, Poland. He focuses on the following research areas: industrial relations, human resource management, corporate social responsibility, environmental management and sustainable tourism. His articles were published in, inter alia, Journal of Sustainable Tourism and Eastern European Economics.