Guest Scholars:

  • Dr. Ciara Nolan (Technological University Dublin).

  • Dr. Michael Mustafa (University of Nottingham Malaysia).

  • Dr. Heather Short (The Open University).


Topics Include:

  • What is meant by the term Small & Medium Enterprises, and how SMEs differ around the world.

  • What HRD and learning looks like in SMEs, and also within Family SMEs.

  • The role of the business owner and family members in HRD within SMEs.

  • The role of technology in learning within SMEs, and whether HRD trends found in larger organizations are also found within SMEs.

  • How well HRD models and theories work in the context of SMEs.


Episode Structure:

  • Introduction (minutes 00:00 to 02:23).

  • Conversation with Dr. Ciara Nolan (minutes 02:24 to 27:19).

  • Conversation with Dr. Michael Mustafa (minutes 27:20 to 51:05).

  • Conversation with Dr. Heather Short (minutes 51:06 to 1:13:09)

  • Discussion between Dr. Nolan, Dr. Mustafa, and Dr. Short (minutes 1:13:10 to 1:38:03).

  • Wrap-up (minutes 1:38:09 to 1:39:47).


Bios:

  • Dr. Ciara Nolan is a Lecturer in Management, specialising in Human Resource Management, in the College of Business, Technological University Dublin City Campus. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (UK). Ciara has previously worked as a Lecturer in HRM at Dublin City University and Ulster University, as well as in HR practitioner and consulting roles in the retail and hospitality industries. Her main research interests focus on the dynamics of human resource development in small and medium-sized enterprises, with a particular emphasis on professional service firms and the tourism and hospitality industry. She has published her work in outlets such as The International Journal of Management Reviews, Tourism Management, Human Resource Development Quarterly, Human Resource Development International, among others. Her publications have been cited in the recent International Labor Organization “Strategic Staffing in SMEs to Supporting Lifelong Learning” Report.

  • Dr. Michael Mustafa is Associate Professor of Entrepreneurial Management and Head of School for the Division of Applied Psychology (DOAP) at University of Nottingham Malaysia. Prior to being an academic, Michael was a professional army officer in Australia for a decade were he worked extensively in the area of Training and development. Michael has published numerous articles and books related to human capital management and development in family firms throughout the Asia-Pacific. He is currently Editor of the journal Entrepreneurship Research Journal, and associate editor for Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies. Michael’s research focuses on management related issues in family business and employee proactivity and innovativeness in large organisations.

  • Dr Heather Short is a learning consultant and teaches at The Open University on the Senior Leadership Masters Degree Apprenticeship and MBA programs. Previously she taught a range of business and management topics, specialising in HRD, at the University of Portsmouth. Her many years of experience in business include several years setting up and running her own Small and Medium Enterprise (SME), taking it from a £45 investment to a multinational organisation. Heather has extensive experience and knowledge of SMEs through networks and ethnographic research into learning in SMEs. She started, ran and contributed to the Learning in SMEs stream at UFHRD which has been adopted as a permanent stream. She has guest-edited an HRDI Special Issue exploring Learning in SMEs, originally with the late Professor David Gray, and her publications include an HRDQ guest-editorial with him, encouraging more research into learning in SMEs.

How To Listen

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About The Series:

  • For full details of the Human Resource Development Masterclass podcast, visit the AHRD website via the handy shortcut of: http://www.hrdmasterclass.com/


Sponsor:

This episode is sponsored by: Interpretive Simulations - find out about their services at https://www.interpretive.com/; and byPositive Career Options – obtain the career advice you need to succeed by visiting https://positivecareeroptions.com/.