Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-gvh9x Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-20T18:47:26.807Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Human Resource Management Risks: Sources and Control Strategies Based on Dairy Farmer Focus Groups

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 April 2015

Vera Bitsch
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Getachew Abate Kassa
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Stephen B. Harsh
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Amin W. Mugera
Affiliation:
Department of Agricultural Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI

Abstract

Human resource management in agriculture and associated risks are under-researched topics. To identify the sources of human resource management risks confronting dairy farms, gain insights into how dairy farmers perceive the impacts of these risks, and identify control strategies, four focus group discussions were held with dairy farm managers. Managers' perceptions served to develop a framework for the analysis of human resource management risks in agriculture and derive recommendations for reducing these risks. Results of this study have been used to tailor educational programs for farmers and suggest strategies for future research.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Southern Agricultural Economics Association 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arthur, J.B.Effects of Human Resource Systems on Manufacturing Performance and Turnover.Academy of Management Journal 37(June 1994):670-87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Asbury, J.-E.Overview of Focus Group Research.Qualitative Health Research 5(Number 4 1995):414-20.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baquet, A.E., Hambleton, R., and Jose, D.. Introduction to Risk Management: Understanding Agricultural Risks. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Risk Management Agency, 1997.Google Scholar
Becker, B., and Gerhart, B.. “The Impact of Human Resource Management on Organizational Performance: Progress and Prospects.Academy of Management Journal 39(August 1996):779801.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bitsch, V.Qualitative Research: A Grounded Theory Example and Evaluation Criteria.Journal of Agribusiness 23(Spring 2005):7591.Google Scholar
Bitsch, V., and Harsh, S.B.. “Labor Risk Attributes in the Green Industry: Business Owners' and Managers' Perspectives.Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics 36(December 2004):731-45.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delery, J.E., and Doty, D.H.. “Modes of Theorizing in Strategic Human Resource Management: Tests of Universalistic, Contingency, and Configurational Performance Predictions.Academy of Management Journal 39(August 1996): 802-35.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hadley, G.L., Harsh, S.B., and Wolf, C.A.. “Managerial and Financial Implications of Major Dairy Farm Expansion in Michigan and Wisconsin.Journal of Dairy Science 85(Number 8 2002):2053-64.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heneman, R.L., and Tansky, J.W.. “Human Resource Management Models for Entrepreneurial Opportunity: Existing Knowledge and New Directions.” Managing People in Entrepreneurial Organizations: Learning from the Merger of Entrepreneurship and Human Resource Management. Katz, J.A. and Welbourne, T.M.. eds., pp. 5581. Amsterdam and Boston: JAI, 2002.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heneman, R.L., Tansky, J.W., and Camp, S.M.. “Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives.Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25(Fall 2000): 1126.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jeynes, J.Risk Management: 10 Principles. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002.Google Scholar
Kitzinger, J., and Barbour, R.S.. “Introduction: The Challenge and Promise of Focus Groups.” Developing Focus Group Research: Politics, Theory and Practice. Barbour, R.S. and Kitzinger, J., eds., pp. 120. London: Sage, 1999.Google Scholar
Krueger, R.A.Reporting and Analyzing Focus Group Results. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1998.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krueger, R.A., and Casey, M.A.. Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 2000.Google Scholar
Lee, D.L., and Marandola, M., eds. Cultivating Peace of Mind: A Dairy Producer's Guide to Managing Risk. Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 2005a.Google Scholar
Lee, D.L., and Marandola, M., eds. Cultivating Peace of Mind: A Fruit Producer's Guide to Managing Risk. Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 2005b.Google Scholar
Lee, D.L., and Marandola, M., eds. Cultivating Peace of Mind; A Grain Producer's Guide to Managing Risk. Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 2005c.Google Scholar
Lee, D.L., and Marandola, M., eds. Cultivating Peace of Mind: A Nursery Producer's Guide to Managing Risk. Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 2005d.Google Scholar
Lee, D.L., and Marandola, M., eds. Cultivating Peace of Mind: A Vegetable Producer's Guide to Managing Risk. Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, 2005e.Google Scholar
Michigan Agricultural Statistics Service (MASS). Michigan Agricultural Statistics 2002-2003. 2002 Annual Report, Lansing: Michigan Department of Agriculture, 2003.Google Scholar
Millward, L.J.Focus Groups.” Research Methods in Psychology. Breakwell, G.M., Hammond, S., and Fife-Schaw, C., eds., pp. 303-24. London: Sage, 2000.Google Scholar
Morgan, D.L.Focus Groups as Qualitative Research, 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1997.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Morgan, D.L.The Focus Group Guidebook. Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1998.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mugera, A.W., and Bitsch, V.. “Managing Labor on Dairy Farms: A Resource-Based Perspective with Evidence from Case Studies.International Food and Agribusiness Review 8(Number 3 2005):7998.Google Scholar
Rosenberg, H.R.Recognizing and Managing Risks in Agricultural Labor Management.Labor Management Decisions 8(Winter-Spring 1999): 1-3, 6-7, 12, 14.Google Scholar
Tauer, L.E., and Mishra, A.K.. Can the Small Dairy Farm Remain Competitive in U.S. Agriculture? Working Paper No. WP 2003-28. Department of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 2003.Google Scholar
Texas and Kansas Risk Management Education Teams. Risk Management Education: Perspectives of Producers and Agribusinesses. Kansas State University, November 1998.Google Scholar
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)—National Agricultural Statistics Service. 2002 Census of Agriculture. Internet site: http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/(Accessed December 09, 2004).Google Scholar