5th September 2001

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Northern Ireland’s small businesses are falling behind their European counterparts in terms of their human resource management, according to new research.

Worse, they have also failed to learn from the world class HR tools and techniques which inward investment firms have brought to the Province, according to the research team led by University of Ulster management expert Dr Trevor Morrow.

The worrying news comes in a paper Dr Morrow will deliver at this week’s conference of the Irish Academy of Management, being held at the University’s Magee campus in Londonderry.

It’s the first time the conference, which takes place on 6/7 September, has been held in Northern Ireland, and brings over 100 of Ireland’s top business and management experts to the North West.

"The message from our research is clear: Northern Ireland’s SME sector has a long way to go to catch up with its European and international competitors" said Dr Morrow, a lecturer in International Business.

"A large part of the problem is the preponderance of family firms in Northern Ireland’s economic make-up. Second or third generation family-run firms can lack the breadth of vision and experience to keep up with contemporary developments in human resource management. They have problems offering clear career progression. for staff who are not family."

But there are hopeful signs. Dr Morrow reports an increasing interest from family-run SMEs in management training programmes.

"Increasingly, these SMEs are realising that without access to top flight management expertise and knowledge, they will become more and more uncompetitive in the marketplace, falling further behind" he said.

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk