George,

I would suggest to concentrate on entrepreneurship when conducting your literature review. Identifying the right personnel when starting a business is a key to its success and I am sure you will find sufficient resources in the academic journals. Few hints:

Female Hires and the Success of Start-up Firms. Full Text Available By: Weber, Andrea; Zulehner, Christine. American Economic Review. May2010, Vol. 100 Issue 2, p358-361. 4p. 2 Charts, 1 Graph. DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.2.358.

Connecting Business Incubator Development with Human Resource Development. Full Text Available By: Chien-Chi Tseng. Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900). 2011, Vol. 3 Issue 2, p29-42. 14p.

Human Resource Management Practices in Irish High-Tech Start-Up Firms. Full Text Available By: Keating, Mary A.; Olivares, Mariabrise. Irish Journal of Management. 2007, Vol. 28 Issue 2, p171-192. 22p. 3 Charts.

Do founders' own resources matter? The influence of business networks on start-up innovation and performance. Detail Only Available By: Huang, Hao-Chen; Lai, Mei-Chi; Lo, Kuo-Wei. Technovation. May2012, Vol. 32 Issue 5, p316-327. 12p. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2011.12.004.

Work Family Conflict in New Business Ventures: The Moderating Effects of Spousal Commitment to the New Business Venture. Full Text Available By: Werbel, James D.; Danes, Sharon M. Journal of Small Business Management. Jul2010, Vol. 48 Issue 3, p421-440. 20p. 1 Diagram, 3 Charts, 1 Graph. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-627X.2010.00301.x.

Aspiring, nascent and fledgling entrepreneurs: an investigation of the business start-up process. Full Text Available By: Rotefoss, Beate; Kolvereid, Lars. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development. Mar2005, Vol. 17 Issue 2, p109-127. 19p. 2 Charts. DOI: 10.1080/08985620500074049.

START-UP AND GROWTH OF IMMIGRANT SMALL BUSINESSES:: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL AND HUMAN CAPITAL. Full Text Available By: SEQUEIRA, JENNIFER M.; RASHEED, ABDUL A. Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship. Dec2006, Vol. 11 Issue 4, p357-375. 19p. 1 Diagram, 1 Chart.

Human Resource is the most powerful tool after the business plan during the start-ups.

A decade back it was one of the neglected dimension but now-a-days HR is enjoying the statues of strategic function.

During business start ups as stated by Muralidharan HR is most powerful. The organisations which fails to manage HR at initial phase cant sustain in marke, it may be due to loss of faith on the organisation.

Hi George:

The importance and stress on HRM in any start-up organisation differs. It depends on the country as well as the geographic region in the World. The countries where Human Resources are not accepted as "Knowledge Worker," organisations in such regions may skip the need for a strong HR team. Legal policies and Geographic diversification of any organisation impacts the presence or implementation of HR in start -up firms.. For e.g., If the firm deals with local supply chain, with handful of employees, HR may not have a strong grip...

Regards

Sunita

Have a look at the text "International Handbook of Entrepreneurship and HRM', which I co-edited with Susan Mayson (published by Edward Elgar, 2008 HB, 2010 PB). While many of the chapters may not be specific to start-ups, there is certainly a lot in the book to base arguments on why HR is important and why it might have been neglected.

If it has been neglected, it will be forced to change. Talent management is a critical factor tied closely to operations. Businesses are becoming increasingly sophisticated and as such the value of people and their personal and group contributions are becoming increasingly important. HRM must train, retain, align and enhance employees in the struggle for competitive (global) advantage.

George,

From a practitioner perspective, these papers may offer some insights

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299747565_Towards_a_talent-driven_outward-oriented_globally-competitive_SME_framework_Discussion_Paper

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299604127_Human_Factors_Affecting_Productivity_in_Jamaica_Technical_Report_on_Preliminary_Findings

Technical Report Towards a talent-driven outward-oriented globally-competitiv...

Technical Report Human Factors Affecting Productivity in Jamaica: Technical R...