Human Capital in Malaysian SMEs

Abstract

This chapter explores Human Capital in Malaysian SMEs. Malaysia has placed significant policy emphasis on indigenous SMEs as a basis for achieving economic growth and competitiveness. This renders the human capital infrastructure of SMEs of critical importance. However, the reality is that there is little information as to the nature of HR practices and their impact in Malaysian SMEs. This chapter aims to fill this void by exploring descriptive findings from a unique sample of over 200 Malaysian SMEs. Drawing on the work of Lepak and Snell in particular, the chapter offers insights into human capital uniqueness and human capital value in the firms investigated. The performance and policy implications of the research are discussed and future research avenues outlined.