Haiven, Judith (2000) Managing people in the voluntary and not-for-profit sector in Britain and Canada. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This dissertation set out to examine two quite separate but interrelated issues.
First, it explored the comparative history of charity in the UK and Canada, and
attempted to calculate the size of the footprint history has left on today's nonprofit
sector management. Secondly, the dissertation set out to explore how human
resources are managed in each country's voluntary sector, mainly through a
comparative analysis of 26 case studies. Four broad questions were articulated in
Chapter One which go to the heart of these issues. The first two, which deal with the
history, have links to the last two, which deal with the human resources agenda.
Twenty-six voluntary organisations were chosen for the study. Thirteen British
organisations were matched with thirteen Canadian ones in areas such as health care,
social services and international development. The researcher used a qualitative
methodology -- an open-ended questionnaire and interviews with key informants
about HRM practices. Documents such as leaflets, annual reports, and recruitment
kits were collected.
There are two consistent themes that run through this research. First, the rate
of change in the voluntary sector is profound. From concerns expressed in the mid-
20th century that the sector would be seriously eroded by the state, there is now the
idea that voluntary sector provision will be taking the place of state provision in some
areas in years to come.
A second theme is size. The size of organisations within the voluntary sector
predict many things from the level of service, to management, to how human resources
are managed. On the face of it, large size voluntary organisations offer the prospects
of more systematic and equitable HR policies. But with size come problems such as
bureaucracy, inflexibility and loss of personal stake (and personal service) in an
organisation. Yet it is the individualised service and community-based support which
ensures the sector's uniqueness and longevity.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Nonprofit organizations -- Great Britain -- History, Nonprofit organizations -- Canada -- History, Nonprofit organizations -- Personnel management -- Case studies
Official Date:	August 2000
Dates:	Date Event August 2000 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Warwick Business School
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Extent:	iii, 278 leaves
Language:	eng

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