International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Chapter Objectives
We identify and comment on observed trends and future
directions:
• International business ethics and HRM
• Mode of operation and IHRM
• Ownership issues relating to IHRM requirements of
organizations other than the large multinational, such
as:
o family-owned firms
o non-government organizations (NGOs)
• Safety and security issues
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Terms
ethical relativist
ethical absolutist
ethical universalist
family-owned firms
NGOs
SMEs
strategic IHRM
FCPA
OECD
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risk levels:
primary
micro
macro
Bribery ≠ gifts ≠
facilitating payments
‘critical incident’
defining culture
emic-etic distinction
static group design
translation & stimulus equivalence
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Figure
12-1
Returning to topics of strategic HRM in MNEs
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Table
12-1
Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index 2006
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Starting point areas for corporate
risk assessment categories
1. In-facility emergency and disaster
preparedness
2. In-facility security
3. Industrial espionage, theft, and
sabotage
4. Cyberterroism
5. Out-of-facility fire and travel risks
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Discussion Questions
1. What is your view of international initiatives to criminalize
foreign bribery?
2. Identify a number of HRM problems that typically arise with
expatriate assignments. In what ways might the core ethical
values and guidelines identified in this chapter apply to them?
3. Why is management succession frequently an issue for familyowned firms?
4. Beyond checklists and systemic analysis, what actions can
MNEs taketo reduce risks related to terrorism? What roles can
HRM take in these processes?
5. What IHRM activities would be pertinent to the sending, by
Médecins Sans Frontieres, of a medical team into a country
such as Bangladesh?
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