he role of the state has influence on HR policy and practice, particularly in factors such as job security. In Europe it is typical for governments to be major employers in their own right, since the public sector forms a substantial proportion of the total economy, for example in Sweden., and many governments subsidise these jobs extensively. Likewise, on becoming unemployed, workers in the US initially receive a level of benefit of about two-thirds their income, but those levels fall sharply after six to none months. In European countries, in contrast, benefits are either not time-limited or actually increase the longer people are out of work. The major difference between HRM in the USA and in Western Europe is the degree to which HRM is influenced and determined by state regulations. Companies have a narrower scope of choice in regard to personnel management than in the USA. There are differences in the degree of employment protection, legislative requirements on pay and hours of work, and the legislation on forms of employment contract. There are differences in the length of notice period to be given to workers, the amount of severance pay to be paid according to the nature of the separation, and the nature and complexity of the legal process involved in redundancies. Union recognition and its role in collective bargaining which sets the terms and conditions of many employees is another differentiating factor as in most European countries there is a legal requirement of employers over a certain size to recognise unions for consultative purposes (Harris et al 2003).

Professional HR organisations

Harris et all (2003) relates that HRM institutes and associations are different in the national context. The CIPD in the UK has over 100, 000 members, all of whom have gone through a qualification process. On the other hand the ANDCP in France is an elitist organisation of heads of major organisations. Most members of the DGFP in Germany are corporate. Spain has a strong regional association with a relatively weak centre, whereas Sweden has a well-resourced central organisation. There are over 70 different national associations world-wide with different levels of entry qualifi