THE DETERMINANTS OF HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION IN THE TURKISH MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Abstract

Human Resource Practice is a relatively new concept in Turkey. This paper documents the results of our empirical study on the determinants of human resource practices of 217 companies in the Turkish manufacturing industry. Therefore, this study aims at contributing to theory building by examining the determinants of human resource activities of recruiting and selection, training and development, compensation and benefits, performance appraisal, career development, and industrial relations empirically in the context of internal and external environments in which these activities take place. Our initial focus was on human resource activities of the firms considered, but the use of an empirical approach allowed also the inspection of the determinants of HR activities. This approach also assisted in identifying underlying relationships that could be interpreted as linkages among human resource activities and other organizational and environmental factors. It was possible to identify linkages between six major HR activities, and factors identified as internal, external, and control variables.