STRATEGY

AN EXAMINATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
STRATEGY AND HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

PRACTICES AMONG SMALL BUSINESSES

Elyssa Blanton Schultz
Nathan Bennett

David J. Ketchen, Jr.
Louisiana State University

ABSTRACT

Although it has been asserted that an organization's strategy is, or should be, a major
determinant of its truman resource managenient practices, little empirical research has
addressedthis linkagein small businesses. Therefore, we do not know whether managers of
small firms have devoted resources to design, implement, and support human resource
management practices that are aligned with firm strategy. Accordingly, the purpose of this
paper is to examine the nature and extent of the relationship, if any, between strategy and
human resource management practices among small businesses. The results offer liale
evidence of a consistent relationship. This suggests that an opportunity to build fiuure
competitive advantage may be reah ed through strategically managing human resources.

INTRODUCTION

Over a decade ago, articles encouraging managers to tailor human resource practices to
match business strategies began to appear (e.g., Fombrun, Tichy & Devanna, 1984; Schuler
& MacMillan, 1984).This approach to human resource management(HRM), labeled Strategic
Human Resource Management (SHRM), details the mechanisms by which human resource
managers can positively influence the "fit" between a firm's strategy and the environment
(Jennings, 1994). Beginning with a flurry of activity in the mid-l980s, both conceptual and
empirical investigations of HRM have explored its strategic potential (e.g., Dyer, 1985;
Fombrun et al. 1984; Lengnick-Hall & Lengnick-Hall, 1988; Schuler & Jackson, 1987a;
Schuler & MacMillan, 1984; Wright & McMahan, 1992).Collectively, these articles propose
that organizations can and should use human resources strategically, that organizations
operating under different strategies require different HRM practices, and that organizations
creating an alignment between strategy and human resource management will enjoy a
competitive advantage over those that do not.

Over the past several years, scholars have studied the role that human resource
management practices can play in enhancing the performance of larger firms. Until recently
(e g., Watts & Ormsby, 1990), however, the potential strategic importance ofhuman resources
to the overall success of small businesses has been ignored. Although small businesses are a

35



major employer in the United States and a source of most of the nation's recent job growth,
little is known about the role of strategically-managed human resources in small businesses.
This is troublesome because small firms are more likely than their larger counterparts to face

unique human resource challenges, while at the same time they often lack the staff to support
a formal HRM function (Little, 1987). Furthermore, because of their limited human resources,
small firms, even more than their larger counterparts, cannot alTord even one ineITectively

managed employee (cf., Gatewood & Field, 1987). Further, given the espoused benefits of
strategically managed human resources(eg., improved profitability,better employee attitudes,
lower accident rates, reduced labor costs, increased productivity —Walker & Bechet, 1991;
Wright & McMahan, 1992), small firms could benefit greatly from the synergies associated
with the integration of human resource management into the strategic management process.
Until now, however, there has not been a systeinatic study of the degree to which small
businesses have tried to develop human resource systems that are supportive of strategy.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the extent to which small businesses are tailoring
their HRM practices to support their strategy, as has been encouraged for over a decade. If this
message has been heard by managers in small firms, we would expect variation in HRM

practices in these firms to be explained by strategy. If not, this would suggest an important
area for strategic development in small firms —at least to the extent that academic prescription;
are appropriate (cf. Fairfield-Sonn, 1987).

BACKGROUND AND HYPOTHESES

Much of the literature examining the strategic potential of HRM has taken a "behavioral
perspective" (e.g.,Jackson, Schuler, & Rivero, 1989; Schuler & Jackson, 1987a, 1987b). The
basic premise of this perspective is that employets use HRM practices as a means of eliciting
employee attitudes and behaviors that support the strategic intentions of the firm (Fisher, 1989;
Jackson et al. 1989). In general, this perspective argues that firms attempt to design human
resource management practices that wi I I elicit employee behavior supportive of their particular
strategy.

Perhaps the most widely cited work from the behavioral perspective is that of Miles and
Snow (1978). A key assumption inherent in this work is that knowledge about strategy in
particular, and organizations in general, is best developed by identifying groups of firms
(strategic types) that share important characteristics, rather than focusing on the idiosyncratic

aspects of each firm (Miles & Snow, 1978). Later, Miles and Snow (1984) argued that HRM
practices should differ across strategic types. Specifically, they discuss different human
resource practices required by organizations characterized as defenders, prospectors, or

analyzers(cf. Miles & Snow, 1978). Defenders attempt to "seal off' stable market domain.
They do not appeal to all potential buyers. preferring instead to cultivate a set of repeat
customers that desire a steady, consistent set of products. This emphasis on stability over time
suggeststhat the basic human resourcestrategy for the defender is to build human resources,

in other words, to create a set of dedicated, long-tenured employees with a particular array of
organization-specific skills. In contrast, prospectors consistently seek out new market
opportunities and later abandon them as they become less lucrative. This "hit and run"

approach means that the set of human skills needed is subject to rapid shigs. Accordingly,

36



prospectors should focus on ace'Cuiring those hbman resources demanded by their present
businessemphasis. As suggested elsewhere(Miles & Snow, 1978), analyzers take a dualistic
approach; operating as a defender in some markets and as a prospector in others. I.ikewise,
analyzers'RM practices reflect those of both defenders and prospectors.

Several researchers have relied on the Miles and Snow (1978) typology to illustrate
potential linkages between strategy and HRM. Olian and Rynes (1984), for example, use the
Miles and Snow typology to develop tentative propositions about the likely compatibility of
staffing practices and strategy. More recently, Wright and Snell (1991) present a series of
alternative integrative approaches to the human resource system in organizations. Wright and
Snell then develop propositions to address how these integrative approaches fit into the Miles
and Snow strategic type framework. To date, no studies have examined such propositions in
the context of small businesses, despite the fact that the Miles and Snow typology has been
viewed as valuable for studying small firms (e.g., Davig, 1986).

To address this gap in the literature, we empirically examine a number of HRM practices
that have been linked to strategy in conceptual articles. Given our focus, we examine practicis
which are clearly important in small firms (Hornsby & Kuratko, 1990; Gatewood & Field,
1987). Specifically, we consider aspects of employee selection, compensation, and benefits
because these practices are fundamental in determining the degree to which firms ~ac uire and
retain their human resources.

Selection

Based on previous literature, we expect the selection practices in small firms to vary by
strategic type. Defender organizationsare expected to focus selection efforts on selecting out
undesirable employees (Miles & Snow, 1984). The stability associated with defenders affords
the time to invest in skill building and succession planning for internal candidates (Olian &
Rynes, 1984); thus, complex selection efforts are deemed to be less important. Defenders are
more likely to focus on identifying individuals who will have long tenures with the
organization; individuals typically enter defenders at low levels and then receive considerable
on-the-job training to develop the skills that help the organization maintain a stable market
niche.

In contrast, prospectors, given the dynamic nature of their approach to the market and
their consequent human resource needs, are more likely to focus on more sophisticated
selection in order to bring desired competencies into the organization, rather than developing
these knowledge, skills, and abilities once the employee has been selected. For example,
prospectors'frequent incursions into novel markets" increase their need to identify
individuals with unique characteristics (Olian & Rynes, 1984: 175). A prospector's selection
system, then, will likely be designed to carefully identify individuals with required
competencies. Accordingly, we expect that prospectors,due to their need for flexibility in job
requirements, are likely to use initial screening services to assess initial criteria. In this
investigation, the focal selection tools are, respectively, pre-employment drug screening and
employment agencies. Thus, the first and second hypotheses are:

37



~Hh ': F p g df d «gy Ilk ly«p
employment drug& screening than are other organizations.

~gh 3: H p g ~ p p ««gy* Ilk ly
employment agencies than are other organizations.

~C

Strategy has been postulated to be a primary determinant of compensation strategy(e gp
Balkin & Gomez-Mejia, 1987; Milkovich, 1988). Based upon the arguments of Miles and
Snow (1984), we expect that compensation in defender organizations will concentrate on
internal equity. Because defenders are thought to emphasize the development of firm-specific
skills, they might be expected to be less concerned about employee mobility than prospectors.
Instead, the focus will be on pay associated with position in the organization hierarchy and

seniority; both reward longevity. Prospectors, on the other hand, are thought to emphasize
"acquiring" human resources. As a result, we expect that their compensation packages will
be oriented toward external competitiveness; prospector lirms should be more concerned about

the market and what other firms are paying. In addition, prospectors should focus reward

systems on short term behavior, rather than seniority, leading us to expect prospector firms to
emphasize incentive-based pay programs. Thus, the third and fourth hypotheses are:

~Hh ly: H p Ig p p gy *llkly ly g*
surveys in developing compensation practices than are other organizations.

~Hh I 4: Fl p I g p p «gy Ilk ly
incentive pay plans than are other organizations.

Benefits

We expect prospectors to focus heavily on employee benefits with immediate value.

This is consistent with both prospector firms'ocus on 'buying" human resources, as well as
their short-term, dynamic approach to the market. As noted, defenders focus more on

employees'ong term commitment to the organization. We expect, therefore, that defenders
focus benefitstowardrewardinglong-termemployeecommitment. In other words, we expect
that prospectorsdesign benefits with immediate payoff, such as stock ownership, so that they

play a role in the acquisition of individuals with desired competencies, whereas defenders
support employee benefits that reward longer tenure, such as pension plans. Thus, we predict
that:

~Hh I: H p Ig df 4 «gy» llk*ly fh
pension plans that reward seniority than are other organizations.

~Hh I 6: H p g p p «gy 1kly ff
employees stock ownership than are other organizations.

38



17

METHOD

Sam le and Data Collection

For our sample, we relied on a list of 400 work sites with between 15 and 250
employeesdrawn randomly from the population of employers in Louisiana The data base from
which this list was created represents the population of employers in the state. During 1992,
211 of the 243 organizations contacted (87%) agreed to participate in our research. Given our
focus on strategic human resource management, we eliminated 34 organizations that did not,
according to the top manager. have primary responsibility for either their human resource
management policies or their strategic decision making because they were part of a larger
corporate structure. As a result, 177 organizations representing 51 different four-digit SIC
codes are represented in our data. Eighty percent of the organizations in the sample employed
between 15 and 50 individuals.

Face-to-face interviews were conducted at each organization with the person most
responsible for the site's HRM practices. In all, 51% of the respondents held the position of
human resource manager, and 49% held 'general'anager positions. In addition, two
mailback questionnaires were left at each site: the 'human resource manager'uestionnaire
was completed by the interview respondent, the 'top manager'uestionnaire by the highest
level manager at the site (e g., owner, CEO, president, plant manager). Surveys were returned
by 104 (73%) of the human resource managers and 78 (55%) of the top managers. These
response rates compare favorably to those usually reported, particularly as response rates on
surveys of top managers are typically in the range of 10 to 12 percent (Hambrick, Geletkanycz
& Fredrickson, 1993).

Measures

d 8 9, bl. Tp g kd d b h g
g

—
7 =.78) d I 9 dby 8 g 81989). Th

addressed the degree that the site was "innovative in the way products / services are delivered,"
"offers a wide variety of products / services," "has a diverse customer group," "is innovative
in terms of the number of new products / services offered," "is innovative in terms of the
novelty of new products / services offered," and "allots a large amount of resources to
marketing." The scale was trichotomized using equal intervals to classify those with low
scores as defenders(n=18; 23%), those with mid-range scores as analyzers (n=34; 44%), and
those with high scores as prospectors(n=22; 28%). As is typical when using nominal variables
in multivariate analysis, three strategic type variables are represented in our analysis by two
dummy-coded(0,1) variables. The first dummy variable is coded such that a 'I'ndicates the
firm is classi fied as a defender. In essence, this variable describes how de fenders and analyzers
compare while controlling for prospectors. The second variable is coded such that a

'I'ndicates

the firm is classified as a prospector. This describes how prospectors and analyzers
compare, while controlling for defenders. By including both of these variables in the logistic
regressionanalysis, we are able to identify the role that strategic type plays in relationship to
the focal human resource practices.

39



~pd V I,bl . Th p b f IHRMp
determined through the interview with the human resource inanager. for each practice, we
created dummy variables (0,1) coded so that a 'I'ndicates the practice was present at that
organization. In the area of selection, two variables werc used to examine predictions that
selection practices should vary by strategic type. Pre-em lo ment dru testin was used to
address those selection systems aimed at selecting out undesimb le employees. Pre-em pl oym crt
drug testing has been used with increasing frequency in workplaces to screen out potentially
unreliable employees(e.g., Normand, Salyard, & Mahoney, 1990). We expect that defenders,
which typically treat employees as longterm investments, have a special interest in screening
out unreliable employees. We should note that those firms who performed drug testing as a

part of a compliance agreement were not included in the analysis. This was done so that we
considered only those firms where drug testing was a strategic choice.

Next, to address selectivity, we used the presence or absence of the use of a private
h b gg dh d «hl df fi Ibiliy,p p

are more likely to use initial screeningservices(e gHOlian& Rynes, 1984). More specifically,
it would oiten be more efficient for prospectorsto use a private employment agency to screen
for specific, changing skills, rather than to develop and continually revise such routines

internally. In contrast, defenders'tability should offer them the luxury of routinizing and
internalizing screening procedures.

Next, in the area of compensation,two kinds of compensation systems were considered.
We predicted that prospectors would be prone to use compensation practices focusing on

fulfilling recruitmentneeds (i.e..by offering wages that are competitive with other Iirms) anddbyl I .Tp. I*hpd,*f d~f h
II d h f~i.bz d . P .p p 'f HbyigHh
resources suggests that compensation surveys of other firms play an important role in
remaining

externally

competitive. Second, prospectors depend on creativity and the generaticn
of new ideas; incentive based pay encourages these activities.

Finally, in the area ofbenefits,two practices were examined. Given prospectors'ocus
on changing situations and short-term results, coupled with their frequent need to attract

employees to their firm, it is likely that these firms will focus benefits on short-tenn pay-offs.
Accordingly, the use of em I ee stock ownershi lans was assessed. Because such
programs reflect day to day variations in performance, we expect prospectorsto use them more
frequentlythan other firms. On the other hand, given that defenders typically focus on long-
term employee participation, we expect them to offer benefits that reward such behavior. Thus,

h h d ply* I g R. Iikly b f d g
defenders.

Op IV Ibl .Alh ghh pi Hf fhi dyl *pl l h HRM
practices vary by strategic type, we recognize the potential importance of alternate, non-
strategic determinants ofhuman resource management practices (cf. Dyer, 1985; Wright &
McMahan, 1992). Therefore, we include in our analyses two variables that past research points

p« lly p d I fHRMp I:I, d~d

40



Size, the number of employees and managers at the worksite, was gathered from
company records. The view that size is an important constraint on the activities of an
organizationhas long-standingroots in the organizational literature (e.g., Blau & Schoenherr,
1971; Hall, Haas, & Johnson, 1967). The general consensus seems to be that the potential role
of size needs to be accounted for in empirical analyses of the relations among other
organizationalvariables(e.g., Finklestein & Hambrick, 1990; Keats & Hitt. 1988). Previous
research has also found size to be an important correlate of HRM practices (Jackson et al.
1989). Empirical research has found size to be positively related to the early adoption of a
variety of HR programs (e g., Tol bert & Zucker, 1983),as well as with the quality of employee
benefits offered by firms (e.g., Villlemez & Bridges, 1988). Although our focus on a set of
small firms might mitigate these concerns, the variation in size across members of the sample
could still be important.

In addition, industry type has a bearing on the adoption of a variety of HR programs.
Specifically, the distinction between manufacturing and service firms has important
implications for personnel practices (Jackson et al. 1989). First, the intangible nature of
services means that employee performance is difficult for supervisors to monitor directly. Also,
the simultaneous nature of production and consumption make it necessary to control the
process of service production, rather than the outputs. Firms were classified as either
manufacturing (N =30, 17'/0) or service (N =147, 83'/v) based on their four-digit Standard
Industrial Classification. This variable is coded such that a '0'ndicates the firm is engaged
in manufacturing, a ' 'n service.

~Anal ses

Because each of our dependent variables is dichotomous, a series of logistic regression
analyses were conducted. The dependent variables in these analyses were the presence or
absence of specific HR practices that were proposed to vary with strategic type, controlling for
size and industry type.

RESULTS

A correlation matrix and descriptive statistics for all study variables appear in Table I.
This research set out to consider whether variations in human resource management practices
across small firms are predictably associated with variations in strategic type. Logistic
regression analysis was used to estimate the relationship between the independent variables
(intended strategy) and the dependent variables (presence or absence of specific HRM
practices, proposed to vary with strategic type). Results of the logistic regression analyses
conducted to examine our hypotheses are reported in Table 2. Hypothesis I proposed that
firms pursuing a defender strategy are more likely than other firms to use selection devices that
screen out undesirable employees. In support, a defender strategy was associated with the
presence of pre-employment drug testing (b = .52, p & .05). Support was also found for
Hypothesis3, which proposed that firms pursuinga prospector strategy are more likely to use
wage surveys as a compensation practice. A prospector strategy was associated with the use
of wage surveys (b =.73, 0 & .Ol). The regression coefficients (b) shown in Table 2 for both
defender strategy (Hypothesis I) and prospector strategy (Hypothesis 3) indicate that the
presence of drug testing and wage surveys are significantly influenced by the firm's intended
strategy.

41



Table I
Descri tive Statistics

x 8d I 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Selection

1. Pre-employment drug screening .34 .48
2. Employment agency .35 .48 .12

Compensation

3. Wage survey .51 .50 .06 .22»»
4. Incentive pay .51 .50 .09 .02 .12

w Benefits

5. Employee stock ownership plan .10 .30 .11 .07 .10 -.04
6. Pension .47 .50 .14 .14 .13 -.02 .17»

Strategic Type

7. Defender .21 .41 —.13 .25» .25» .09 .06 .10
8. Prospector .29 .46 .05 -.07 .06 -.18 -.01 -.04 -.33»»

Control Variables

9. Core sector .51 .50 -.17» -.06 -.10 .18» .22»'28»» .09 -.18
10. Number of employees (Iog) 4.18 1.33 -.45»» -.12 -.21»» -.09 -.39»» -.23»» -.16 .12 .12
11. Service industry .83 .38 .18» .06 .01 -.04 .10 -.01 -.01 .13 -,29»» —,23»»

n = 177. » 0 &.05; »» p &.01.



Table 2
Results of Lo istic Re ression Anal ses

Dependent variables

Selection CCC Benefits

Pre-employment Employment Wage Incentive Pension Employee stock
drug screening agency survey pay plan ownership plan

b se b se b se b se b se b se

Control Variables

Service industry .21 .35 .07 32 .41 .32 .29 .31 .80 .56 .39 .31
J

Core sector .27 .27 .15 .24 .27 .23 -.53 .23 1.70** .69 .69** .24

Number of employees (log) 1.38*** .35 .00 .15 .33* .19 .49** .20 .93 .29 .26 .17

Strategic Type

Prospector -.29 .34 .00 .25 .73vv .29 .24 .25 .02 .45 .06 .26

Defender .52" .32 —.89* .40 .42* .25 .07 .28 .Il .50 -.31 .28

Model It'0.19"v v 7.64 14.48* 14.66* 29.89*** 15.06*Pseudo-R'19 .04 .08 .08 .15 .08
n = 177. *ds & .05, '* 0 & .01, **0 &.001;one-tailed tests are reported.



I

We were unable to find support for the remaining hypotheses. The independent effects
of the intended strategy variables (listed under b for each equation) were not significant in any
of the remainingregressionequations. Specifically, we found that prospectors were not more
likely than other firms to use (a) employment agencies (Hypothesis 2), (b) incentive-htsed pay
(Hypothesis 4), or (c) stock ownership plans (Hypothesis 6). Additionally, we did not find that
defenders were more likely than other firms to offer pension plans (Hypothesis 5). Two
significanteffects for which hypotheses were not offered indicate that defenders were (a) less
likely than other firms to use employment agencies (b = -.89, 0 & .05) and (b) more likely to
use wage surveys (b = .42, p & .05).

DISCUSSION

Our results indicate that small businesses are failing to capitalize on the purported
opportunities for competitive advantage provided through an alignment of HRM with firm
strategy. Althoughmanyresearchersandconsultantshavetoutedthe importanceofdeveloping

practicesthat support strategy, our results indicate that this message has not been heard, or at
least that it has not been translated into practice. These results may strike some as
disconcerting, given the suggested benefits of the strategic design of HRM practices, as well
as the potential problems that may arise when these practices are not aligned with strategy.

Using employee compensation as an example, a mismatch between a firm's reward

system and its strategy may have a variety of negative consequences. As documented by Kerr
(1975, 1995), examples of reward systems that elicit one behavior while hoping for another
abound. A small firm that is dependent on innovation, for example, should be interested in

encouraging team work and a long-term orientation toward performance. A compensation
system that is designed to reward cooperative behavior and process (e.g., team-based
incentives), rather than independent behavior and results, would support such a strategic need.
In fact, the latter system is likely to encourage employees to act in their own interests —an
outcome that may well be counter to that firm's strategic needs.

Failure to match selection practices to strategic type may also lead to problems. Firms
that implementstaffingpracticeswithoutconsiderationof future organizationalobjectives and
direction are less likely to capitalize on HRM advantages. Trends in the internal and external
environment,and subsequent changes in strategic direction, dictate differences in the types and
numbers of employees needed. Firms in their early stages, for example, may require
employees with entrepreneurial flair, financing, and research skills; over time, marketing and
even cost control skills may become more important(e g., Dyer, 1983).Integrating staffing and
strategy will reduce both the chances of hiring employees with obsolescent skills and the
likelihood of situations in which there are employee shortages / surpluses. Recognizing the
costs associated with the recruitment of new talent and the displacement of those employees
who are no longer needed, it is becomes more important for managers to integrate the staAing
function with the goals and directions of their firms.

Overall, small businesses are forced to confront a variety of complex challenges,
including market changes, scarce financing, and changes in access to distribution channels.
Any of these can cause changes in the composition, quantity, and quality of human resources

44



n

needed (Dyer, 1983). Despite this, across the majority of firms in our study, there was no
consistent link between strategic type and human resource management practices.
Interestingly, follow-up conversations with HR executives in our sample suggest that the main
influenceon any single firm's human resource management practices is often those practices
used by other employers in the area. It seems that many small firms pay close attention to what
others in the area are doing and then adopt those practices. This approach may seem eflicient
for a busy small business manager because it involves a low front-end cost. It does, however,
beg the question of why so many small business managers believe that what works "across the
street" should also work for them, especially given the likely differences in strategy between
the firms. It appears that for now, small business managers have tried to cope with human
resource management problems by looking to other firms for guidance. If, however, these
managers look more carefully at their own firms, they will likely find the strategic management
ofhuman resourcesto be an important, overlooked source of competitive advantage for their
businesses. Additionally, researchers interested in this relationship should be encouraged to
develop a more refined understanding of the particular organizational circumstances most
likely to produce a benefit from strategic management of human resources. Of particular value
would be carefully grounded case studies that explore the experiences of small businesses in
integrating human resource practices and strategy.

CONCLUSION

This study examined the relationship between strategic type and HRM practices in a
sample of small firms. By empiricallytesting the extent to which small businesses strategically
manage their human resources, this study provides one of the first pieces of empirical evidence
which evaluates prescriptions in the SHRM literature in a sample of small businesses. In
general, we found little support for our hypotheses, which focused on the relationship between
intended strategy and specific human resource management practices. Overall, there was little
evidence of a relationship betweenstrategic type and the presence of HRM practices, with only
two of six hypotheses receiving support.

Though we did not detect a consistent relationship between strategy and HRM, we
cannot say conclusively whether these results necessarily generalize to all small businesses.
That is, it may be that this sample is, though representative of small business in Louisiana,
somehow different than small businesses elsewhere. If in fact, our results indicate that small
businesses are not taking advantage of an alignment between strategy and HRM, it is important
for future research to more closely examine the benefits associated with this alignment.
Typically, literature in SHRM has been based on the notion that organizations which
strategically manage their human resources will enjoy superior performance (e.g., Delery k
Doty, 1996). This question has not yet received attention in the small business literature.
Specilically, future research could benefit from an empirical examination of other parts of the
human resource strategy model in samples of small businesses. For example, what are the
benefits or the performance elTects of strategically managed human resources in small
businesses?

It is also important to recognize that current academic expectations of the relationship
between strategy and human resource management may be incorrect. Certainly, small firms

45



face many unique huinan resource issues, and it is possible that these firms match strategy and

human resources in ways that have not yet been identified. Overall, more research is required
be fore any de finitive conc lusion scan be reached regarding the strategic management of human
resources in small businesses. This research provides a base on which a better understanding
of SHRM in small businesses may be developed. The extent to which small businesses
strategically manage their human resources and the benefits associated with this process is an
area that clearly deserves further study.

46



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