MN327 International Human Resource Management 2010/11
Lecturers
Professor Alice Lam (Course coordinator)
Founder’s FE148
alice.lam@rhul.ac.uk
Dr Michael Gold
Founder’s FE156
m.gold@rhul.ac.uk
Brief outline and aims of the course
The world is integrating as businesses locate cross-nationally, and employees and managers
move through the multinational company from one country to another. Both the firm and
human resource management (HRM) are being spatially stretched. This poses important
questions for the management of human resources within the firm: are local or home-based
management practices, or some global set of practices, most suited to local workplaces? How
do managers and employees from different countries work together? In other words, are
German firms in the UK practising mainly British or German employment and work
practices, or some sort of novel hybrid? Do US firms in China treat workers differently from
workers in the United States? Do Japanese firms in the UK become localised as managers are
drawn from the local labour market and not Japan? Do multinational companies act as a law
unto themselves as they move around the globe, or do local states tie them down and embed
them within national rules, cultures and practices? What is the role of regional and global
labour regulation? What are the core human resource and employment issues in international
business activities? What are the difficulties in coordinating workforces that are accustomed
to contrasting management styles, and with skills and competences that are constructed
differently? To what extent do multinational companies act as agents of knowledge transfer in
a globalising economy?
Answers to these questions are critical to the future of work, as that future comes to reflect a
more globalised workplace, with standards and ideas about authority relations, payment
systems and types of recruitment drawn from different sources and not just the nation state.
We examine these issues through practical examples, case studies and the latest research.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the course, you should be able to:

Understand the implications of changes in the global organisation of firms and the
international workforce for HRM policy choices

Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the key analytical concepts and models in
international HRM

Assess the principal comparisons and contrasts of the business and human resource
systems in the UK and the USA, Germany and Japan.

Evaluate the different approaches to and strategies for HRM in international business
activities, and their impact on employees

Evaluate the problems of transferring HRM practices from one country to another,
and the role of MNCs as agents of knowledge transfer.
1
Overview of lecture and seminar topics 2010/11
Dates of Autumn term: Monday 20 September to Friday 10 December 2010
Date
28 September
5 October
12 October
19 October
26 October
2 November
9 November
16 November
23 November
30 November
7 December
Lecture
Comparative and international
HRM: an introduction
Organisational structures of
multinational companies
‘Home country’ effects on
IHRM
‘Host country’ effects on IHRM
Seminar Topic
No seminar
A framework for understanding
IHRM
Business systems and HRM in
the UK and USA
Business systems and HRM in
Germany
Employment policy of the
European Union
Employee participation and the
European Union
Business system and HRM in
PR China
Review of term one:
questions and answers
Lean production (rpt)
‘McDonald’s at work’
‘McDonald’s at work’ (rpt)
Lean production
Reading week – no seminar
The German system: is it under threat?
The German system: is it under threat? (rpt)
EWCs and international HRM
EWCs and international HRM (rpt)
No seminar
Dates of Spring term: Monday 10 January to Friday 25 March 2011
Date
Lecture
Seminar Topic
Business systems and HRM in No seminar
18 January
Japan
Skills, knowledge and
HRM and inter-organisational learning in
25 January
organisational learning: national international alliances
differences
Strategic international HRM
HRM and inter-organisational learning in
1 February
international alliances (rpt)
8 February
Culture and multinational HR
National culture and MNC culture- IKEA
management
International staffing policy in
National culture and MNC culture- IKEA (rpt)
15 February
MNCs
Expatriation and careers
International performance management
22 February
1 March
8 March
15 March
22 March
International compensation and
performance
Transferring HRM and work
practices across national borders
International CSR and global
labour standards
Conclusion and revision
2
International performance management (rpt)
Transferring high-performance work systems
Transferring high-performance work systems
(rpt)
No seminar
Organisation:
The course consists of twenty-one weekly one-hour lectures in MBLT (Tuesdays 1.002.00pm) and eight fortnightly two-hour seminars in WIN 1-03 (Tuesdays 2.00-4.00pm),
except in the first and last weeks of the teaching term, and in reading weeks, when there are
no seminars.
You are expected to contribute actively and make presentations in the seminars. These
presentations, though not formally assessed, are designed to stimulate class discussion,
deepen your understanding of your chosen topic and refine your presentational skills, as well
as give you relevant feedback.
Assessment:
Exam: 70%
Coursework: 30% (two written assignments of 1750 words at 15% each)
(Informal feedback given on seminar presentations)
Coursework deadlines:
Assignment one: noon, Thursday, 9 December 2010
Assignment two: noon, Thursday, 24 March 2011
Core texts:
Bamber, G. J., Lansbury, R. D. and Wailes, N. (2004) International and Comparative
Employment Relations, London: Sage Publications
Edwards, T. and Rees, C. (2006) International Human Resource Management: Globalization,
National Systems and Multinational Corporations, London: Prentice Hall
Harzing, A.-W. and Van Ruysseveldt, J. (2004) International Human Resource Management,
London: Sage Publications (third edition available in autumn 2010).
Other useful background texts
There are many books that cover international HRM, and these are just some suggestions to
get you started:
Briscoe, D. R. and Schuler, R. S. (2004) International Human Resource Management: Policy
and Practice for the Global Enterprise, London and New York: Routledge (or third
edition 2008).
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M. and Engle, A. (2008) International Human Resource Management,
London: Thomson Learning
Gold, M. (ed.) (2009) Employment Policy in the European Union. Origins, Themes,
Prospects, Basingstoke: Palgrave
3
Perkins, S.J. and Shortland, S. (2006) Strategic International Human Resource Management,
London: Kogan Page
Scullion, H. and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management. A Critical
Text, Basingstoke: Palgrave
Tayeb, M. H. (2005) International Human Resource Management: a Multinational Company
Perspective, Oxford: Oxford University Press
You should also read widely for the whole course amongst relevant journals, such as:
British Journal of Industrial Relations
European Journal of Industrial Relations
Industrial Relations Journal
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Journal of International Business Studies
Journal of Management Studies
Journal of World Business
4
Course Content and Reading List—Autumn Term
Lecturer: Dr. Michael Gold
Week 1: 28 September
Comparative and International HRM: an Introduction
What is comparative and international HRM? Why is it important? How has the process of
globalisation affected HRM? What are convergence and divergence? What are the key issues
in international HRM?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chaps. 1, 3
Supplementary reading:
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M. and Engle, A. (2008) International Human Resource Management,
London: Thomson Learning, chaps. 1, 2
Sklair, L. (2001) The Transnational Capitalist Class, Oxford: Blackwell, Introduction
Week 2: 5 October
Organisational Structures of MNCs
What is a multinational corporation? How do corporations structure themselves to do business
internationally? What sort of strategies do they use? How do MNCs relate to local areas?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chap. 2
Supplementary reading:
Bartlett, C.A. and Ghoshal, S. (2002) Managing across Borders. The Transnational Solution,
London: Random House, Introduction
Morgan, G. (2005) ‘Multinationals and Work’, in S. Ackroyd, R. Batt, P. Thompson and P. S.
Tolbert (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Work and Organisation, Oxford University Press
Royle, T. (2000) Working for McDonald’s in Europe. The Unequal Struggle? London:
Routledge, chaps.4, 5
5
Week 3: 12 October
‘Home Country’ or ‘Country of Origin’ Effects on IHRM
What are home/host country effects? To what extent is the greatest influence on an MNC the
national culture and institutions of the country from which it originated? Is it true that the
primary interests of most MNCs remain in their home country? To what extent are MNCs
able to impose their own HR policies across international borders?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chaps. 5, 6
Supplementary reading:
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M. and Engle, A. (2008) International Human Resource Management,
London: Thomson Learning, chap. 3
Ferner, A. and Hyman, R. (1998) Changing Industrial Relations in Europe, Oxford:
Blackwell, Introduction
Lane, C. (1989) Management and Labour in Europe, Aldershot: Edward Elgar, Introduction,
chap.1
Week 4: 19 October
‘Host Country’ Effects on IHRM
To what extent is the greatest influence on an MNC the national culture and institutions of the
country in which it is located? What theories of cultural determination are there? What
theories of institutional determination are there? To what extent do systems of production and
company policies adapt to host country influences?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chaps. 5, 6
Supplementary reading:
Hall, P.A. and Soskice, D. (eds) (2001) Varieties of Capitalism. The Institutional Foundations
of Comparative Advantage, Oxford University Press
Hancké, B., Rhodes, M. and Thatcher, M. (2007) Beyond Varieties of Capitalism, Oxford:
Oxford University Press
Kristensen, P.H. and Zeitlin, D. (2004) Local Players in Global Games: The Strategic
Constitution of a Multinational Corporation, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Whitley, R. (2000) Divergent Capitalisms. The Social Structuring and Change of Business
Systems, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
6
Week 5: 26 October
A Framework for Understanding IHRM
What are the main factors we have to understand, then, in studying International HRM? What
is meant by the terms ‘system effects’ and ‘societal effects’? How does diffusion of ‘best
practices’ take place across borders? What is meant by ‘dominance effects’, and how might
they be constrained?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chaps. 15, 16
Supplementary reading:
Edwards, T. and Rees, C. (2006) International Human Resource Management, London:
Prentice Hall, chap. 5
Elger, T. and Smith, C. (2005) Assembling Work: Remaking Factory Regimes in Japanese
Multinationals in Britain, Oxford University Press, chap. 4
Womack, J.P., Jones, D.T. and Roos, D. (1990) The Machine that Changed the World,
Oxford: Maxwell MacMillan International, chaps. 1-3
Week 6: 2 November
Business Systems and HRM in UK/USA
What are the key traits of the British and US business systems/HRM? How did they develop?
What current trends and challenges are faced by British and US businesses? What are the
respective impacts on British business of: the EU, the USA, the Commonwealth?
Core reading: Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes, chaps. 2 and 3
Supplementary reading:
Augar, P. (2000) The Death of Gentlemanly Capitalism, London: Penguin
EOC (2001) EOC Report: Women and Men in Britain No. 4: The Work-Life Balance.
London: Equal Opportunities Commission, available from www.eoc.org.uk
Giddens, A. (1998) The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy, Cambridge: Polity
Press
Week 7: 9 November
Business Systems and HRM in Germany
What are the key traits of the business systems/HRM in Germany? How did they develop?
What is ‘fortress Germany’? What is the ‘German model’, and is it under threat? To what
extent is it adaptable? How does the EU affect Germany?
Core reading: Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes, chap.8
7
Ferner, A., Quintanilla, J. and Varul, M. Z. (2001) ‘Country-of-Origin Effects, Host-Country
Effects, and the Management of HR in Multinationals: German Companies in Britain and
Spain’, Journal of World Business, 36(2): 107-128
Streeck, W. (2009) Re-Forming Capitalism. Institutional Change in the German
Political Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Supplementary reading:
Hutton W. (1995) The State We’re In, London: Jonathan Cape, pp. 262-268
Ferner, A. and Varul, M.Z (2000) ‘Internationalisation and the personnel function in German
multinationals.’ Human Resource Management Journal, 10(3): 79-97
Week 8: 16 November
Employment Policy of the European Union
Why is the significance of the European Union from an IHRM perspective? What are the
elements of social and employment policy in the EU? What is their rationale? How did the
system evolve and where is it heading? Does it represent a case of convergence or
divergence?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chaps. 7, 16, 17
Supplementary reading:
El-Agraa, A.M. (2004) The European Union. Economics and Policies, London: Prentice Hall,
chap. 23
Gold, M. (ed.) (2009) Employment Policy in the European Union. Origins, Themes,
Prospects, Basingstoke: Palgrave, chap.1
Hantrais, L. (2007) Social Policy in the European Union, Basingstoke: Palgrave, chaps. 1, 2
Week 9: 23 November
Employee Participation and the European Union
What role might European works councils play in IHRM? What is the significance of the
recent directives introducing the European Company and information and consultation
requirements across the EU?
Core Reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chap. 18
Supplementary Reading:
Cressey, P. ‘Employee Participation’, in Gold, M. (ed.) (2009) Employment Policy in the
European Union, Basingstoke: Palgrave, pp.139-59
Gold, M. (2003) ‘European works councils: who benefits?’ in Gold, M. (ed.) New Frontiers
of Democratic Participation at Work, Aldershot: Ashgate, chap.3
Lecher, W., Platzer, H-W., Rueb, S. and Weiner, K-P. (2001) European Works Councils.
Developments, Types and Networking, Aldershot: Gower, chap. 1
Whittall, M., Knudsen, H. and Huijgen, F. (eds.) (2007) Towards a European Labour
Identity. The Case of the European Works Council, London: Routledge, chaps. 2-3
8
Week 10: 30 November
Business System and HRM in PR China
What are the characteristics of Chinese business systems and HRM, and how did these
develop? How has Chinese HRM changed in recent years? Is China truly a ‘developing
country’?
Core reading: Harzing and Ruysseveldt, chaps. 8, 9
Wang, C. (2002) ‘Human Resource Management in Transition: a study of MNCs in China,’
MMU Working Papers no. WP02/08, available from
http://www.ribm.mmu.ac.uk/wps/papers/wp02_08.pdf#search=%22hrm%20in%20china%22
Supplementary reading:
Shen, J. and Edwards, V. (2004) ‘Recruitment and selection in Chinese MNEs.’ International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 15 (4): 814-835
Hong, J.F.L., Snell, R. S. and Easterby-Smith, M. (2006) ‘Cross-cultural influences on
organisational learning in MNCs: The case of Japanese companies in China.’ Journal of
International Management, 12: 408-429
King, F. (2000) Big Business, Small Hands: Responsible Approaches to Child Labour,
London: Save the Children Fund
Said, E. (1978) Orientalism, New York: Vintage
Week 11: 7 December
Review of Term One: Questions and Answers
Core readings: Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes, chap. 12 (conclusions) and Appendix
A review of the contents of Term One, and your chance to come along for a Question and
Answer session.
*******
9
Course Content and Reading list – Spring Term
Lecturer: Professor Alice Lam
Week 1: 18 January
Business Systems and HRM in Japan
Along with Germany, Japan is seen as a leading exemplar of the coordinated market
economies, according to the ‘varieties of capitalism’ literature. The Japanese business and
HRM model has aroused a great deal of controversy and interest since the 1980s, not only
because many of its distinctive features are associated with high employee commitment and
productivity, but also because it poses a fundamental challenge to many of the principles
underlying the Anglo-American model of management. This lecture will examine the
distinctive features of the Japanese enterprise and HRM system from a comparative
perspective, discuss how and why western evaluation of the Japanese model has shifted over
time.
Core reading: Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes, chap.10
Hayahsi, M. (2002) ‘A historical review of Japanese Management Theories: the search for a
general theory of Japanese management’, Asian Business and Management, 1(2)
Benson, J. and Debroux, P. (2004) ‘The changing nature of Japanese human resource
management’, International Studies of Organization and Management, 34(1): 32-51
Supplementary reading:
Arjan B. Keizer (2009) ‘Transformations in- and outside the internal labour market:
institutional change and continuity in Japanese employment practices’, International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 (7): 1521–1535.
Jacoby, Sanford, M (2005) ‘The Embedded Corporation: Corporate Governance and
Employment Relations’ in Japan and the United States. Princeton and Oxford:
Princeton University Press, chaps 1-3
Kanai, A. (2009) ‘“Karoshi (work to death)” in Japan’, Journal of Business Ethics, 84
(SUPPL. 2): 209-216
Benson, J, (2006) ‘Japanese management, enterprise unions and company performance’
Industrial Relations Journal, 37(3): 242-248
Morris, J. et al. (2006) ‘New Organizational Forms, Human Resource Management and
Structural Convergence? A Study of Japanese Organizations’, Organization Studies, 27(10):
1485-1511
Inagami, T, and D. H Whittaker (2005) The New Community Firm: Employment, Governance
and Management Reform in Japan, Cambridge University Press, chaps 1-3
Lincoln, J.R. and Y. Nakata (1997) 'The transformation of the Japanese employment system:
nature, depth and origins', Work and Occupations, 24(1)
10
Week 2: 25 January
Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Learning: National Differences
The development of workforce skills and knowledge are widely believed to be central to the
competitive performance of firms. The growth of the knowledge-based economy has led to a
growing interest in organisational learning and knowledge management. This session will
discuss the various approaches to skill development, patterns of organisational learning and
knowledge management, focusing on how these are shaped by wider societal factors,
especially nationally constituted organisational forms and labour markets. It will also explore
how differences in skills structure and organisation of knowledge between firms from
different countries create barriers to inter-organisational learning in international alliances.
Core reading:
Edwards and Rees, chap. 8
Lam, A. (1997) ‘Embedded firms, embedded knowledge: problems of collaboration and
knowledge transfer in global collaborative ventures’ Organization Studies, 18(6):
973-996
Supplementary reading:
Lam, A. (2000) ‘Tacit knowledge, organizational learning and societal institutions: an
integrated approach’ Organization Studies, 21(3): 487-513
Hong, J. and R. Snell (2008) ‘Power inequality in cross-cultural learning: The case of
Japanese transplants in China’, Asia Pacific Business Review, 14(2): 253-273
Bonachie, J. et al. (2008) ‘Determinants of the success of international assignees as
knowledge transferors: a theoretical framework’, International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 19(1): 1-18
Koike, K. (2002) ‘Intellectual skills and competitive strength: is a radical change necessary?’
Journal of Education and Work, 15(4): 391-408
Nonaka, I. and Takeuchi, H. (1995) The Knowledge Creating Company, Oxford University
Press, chaps. 1-3
Nonaka, I. and Toyama, Ryoko (2005) ‘The theory of the knowledge-creating firm:
subjectivity, objectivity and synthesis’, Industrial and Corporate Change, 14(3): 419436
Hansen Morten, T. et al. (1999) ‘What’s your strategy for managing knowledge?’ Harvard
Business Review, 77(2): 106-116
Week 3: 1 February
Strategic International Human Resource Management
The theory underpinning Human Resource Management is the belief that business strategy
and HR strategy need to be integrated if the firm wishes to sustain competitive advantage.
This session will examine the nature and directions of links between HRM and business
strategies, and the unique issues in strategic HRM that arise in firms that are operating in a
global environment. It will discuss the complexity and challenge of HR strategy formulation
in multinational corporations.
Core reading:
Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt, chaps. 2 & 3. or Edward and Rees, chap. 4.
11
Schuler, R.S., P.J. Dowling and H. de Cieri ‘An integrative framework of strategic
international human resource management’ in Schuler, R.S. and Jackson, S.E. (eds.)
(1999) Strategic Human Resource Management chap 17. (also available:
International J. of Human Resource Management December 1993, pp, 717-64.)
Supplementary reading:
Brewster, C. ‘Strategic human resource management: the value of different paradigms’ in
Schuler, R.S. and Jackson, S.E. (eds.) (1999) Strategic Human Resource Management
chap 18.
Briscoe, D.R. and Schuler S.S. (2004) International Human Resource Management, 2nd
Edition, (London and New York: Routledge), chaps 1 & 2.
Keating and Thompson (2004) ‘International human resource management: overcoming
disciplinary sectarianism’ Employee Relations, 26 (4): 595-612.
Scullion, H. and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management. A Critical
Text (Basingstoke: Palgrave), chap.2.
Week 4: 8 February
Culture and International HRM
Managing across borders raises key issues about whether there is one ‘best practice’ model of
HRM. Many writers have stressed the importance of culture. Hofstede is one of the few to do
so in such a way that can be tested. He argues that successful HR policies have to achieve a
good fit with national cultures, as well as with technology and markets. This lecture considers
what is meant by ‘culture’ and how important it really is that firms achieve good ‘fit’. It also
sets this set of issues in the context of differences in institutional environments.
Core reading:
Harzing in Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt chaps. 5 and 6
Newman, K.L. and Nollen, S. (1996) ‘Culture and congruence: the fit between management
practices and national culture’, Journal of International Business Studies, 27(4): 753779
Witt, M. A. and Redding, G. (2009) ‘Culture, meaning, and institutions: Executive rationale
in Germany and Japan’, Journal of International Business Studies, 40(5): 859-885
Supplementary reading:
Briscoe and Schuler (2004/2008), chap 5
Hofstede, G. (1985) ‘The interaction between national and organisational value systems’,
Journal of Management Studies, 22(4): 347-357
Hofstede, G. (1980) Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-related
Values, London: Sage, especially chaps 3-7 which explain his four key dimensions of
culture
Holden, R. (2001) ‘Managing people’s values and perceptions in multicultural organisations:
the experience of an HR director’, Employee Relations, 23(6): 614-626
Schuler, R.S. and Rogosvsky, N. (1998) ‘Understanding compensation practices across firms:
the impact of national culture’, Journal of International Business Studies, 29(1): 159177
Tayeb, M. H. (2005) International Human Resource Management: a Multinational Company
Perspective, Oxford University Press
12
Week 5: 15 February
International Staffing Policies in MNCs
As the strategies for conducting international business have become more complex and
difficult, so also have the staffing options for such firms. This session will introduce the
nature of and problems associated with the staffing of multinational firms’ international
operations. It will analyse the challenges in global workforce planning for MNCs and their
staffing options within the changing global business environment and labour markets. It will
also discuss the different approaches to managerial staffing and selection, the tensions
between global coordination and local adaptation, and problems in managing workforces
across borders.
Core reading:
Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt, chaps. 11 and 14
Harvey, M., Speier, C. and Novecevic, M. M. (2001) ‘A theory-based framework for strategic
global human resource staffing policies and practices’, International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 12(6): 898-915
Supplementary reading:
Tarique, I. and Schuler R. (2008) ‘Emerging issues and challenges in global staffing: a North
American Perspective’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 19(8):
1397-1415.
Ibraiz, T. et al. (2006) ‘A model of multinational subsidiary staffing composition’,
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(2): 207-224
Scullion, H. and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management. A Critical
Text, Basingstoke: Palgrave, chaps. 3 and 9
Briscoe, D.R. and S.S. Schuler (2004/2008) International Human Resource Management, 2nd
Edition, London and New York: Routledge, chaps 8 and 9
Tayeb, M. H. (2005) International Human Resource Management: a Multinational Company
Perspective, Oxford University Press, chap. 5
Evans, P. and Lorange, P. (1989) ‘The two logics behind human resource management’, in P.
Evans, Y.Doz and A. Laurent (ed.) Human Resource Management in International
Firms: Change, Globalisation, Innovation. Basingstoke: Macmillan, pp.144-61
Shen, J. (2006) ‘Factors affecting international staffing in Chinese multinationals’,
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 17(2): 295-315
Week 6: 22 February
Expatriation and Careers
Expatriate management constitutes a core area of international HRM in multinational firms.
Despite the high cost of expatriation, many MNCs continue to recruit internally instead of the
local labour market when seeking to hire managerial personnel for subsidiaries. This session
will look at the reasons behind this and explore the changing role of international assignments
in MNCs global HR and knowledge management strategies. It will also examine the
implications of expatriation for employee career development.
13
Core reading:
Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt, chaps 11 and 13, or Edwards and Rees, chaps 9 and 10
Gollings, D.G. et al. (2007) ‘Changing patterns of global staffing the multinational enterprise:
challenges to the conventional expatriate assignment and emerging alternatives’, Journal of
World Business, 42: 198-213
Supplementary reading:
Harzing, A-W. (2002) ‘Of bears, bumble –bees, and spiders: the role of expatriates in
controlling foreign subsidiaries’, Journal of World Business, 36(4): 366-379
Tungli, Z. and M. Peiperl (2009). ‘Expatriate practices in German, Japanese, U.K., and U.S.
multinational companies: A comparative survey of changes.’ Human Resource
Management, 48(1): 153-171
Vo, A. N. (2009). Career development for host country nationals: a case of American and
Japanese multinational companies in Vietnam. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management 20(6), 1402 - 1420.
Scullion, H. and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management. A Critical
Text, Basingstoke: Palgrave, chaps 7 and 9
Minbaeva and Michailova (2004) ‘Knowledge transfer and expatriation in multinational
corporations’, Employee Relations, 26(6): 663-679
Foster, N. (2000) ‘The myth of the international manager’, International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 11(1): 126-142
Stroh et al. (2000) ‘Triumphs and tragedies: expectations and commitments upon
repatriation’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11(2): 681697.
Week 7: 1 March
International Compensation and Performance Management
This session will deal with the compensation and performance management of staff in MNCs.
It will discuss the factors influencing MNCs international compensation policies, problems of
cost control, the complexity and difficulty in maintaining consistency across international
locations, and issues of equity between workforces in multiple countries, and between local
nationals and expatriates.
Core reading:
Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt chap. 12, or Edwards and Rees, chap 11
Toh and Denisi (2003) ‘Host country national reactions to expatriate pay policies: a model
and implications’, Academy of Management Review, 28(4): 606-621
Supplementary reading:
Scullion, H. and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management. A Critical
Text, Basingstoke: Palgrave, chap. 6
Briscoe, D.R. and Schuler, S. (2004/2008) International Human Resource Management, 2nd
Edition, London and New York: Routledge, chaps 11 and 12
Leung, K., Zhu, Y. et al. (2009) ‘Compensation disparity between locals and expatriates:
Moderating the effects of perceived injustice in foreign multinationals in China’,
Journal of World Business, 44(1): 85-93
Jansen, E. P., Merchant, K. A. ,Van der Stede, W. A. (2009). National differences in incentive
compensation practices: The differing roles of financial performance measurement in
14
the United States and the Netherlands. Accounting, Organizations and Society
34(1),58-84.
Suutari and Tornikoski (2003) ‘The challenge of expatriate compensation: the sources of
satisfaction and dissatisfaction among expatriates’, International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 12(3): 389-404
Schuler, R.S. and Rogosvsky, N. (1998) ‘Understanding compensation practices across firms:
the impact of national culture’, Journal of International Business Studies, 29(1): 159177
Shen, Jie (2004) ‘International performance appraisals: policies, practices and determinants in
the case of Chinese multinational companies’, International Journal of Manpower
25(6): 547-563
Week 8: 8 March
Transferring HRM and work practices across borders
This lecture will explore the theme of transfer of HRM and work practices across national
borders by discussing the case of global diffusion of lean production and high performance
work practices.
Core reading:
Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt, chap 15. or Edwards and Rees, chap 5 .
Friel, D. (2005) ‘Transferring a lean production concept from German to the United States:
the impact of labour laws and training systems’, Academy of Management Executive,
19, 2: 50-58.
Supplementary reading:
Doeringer, P.B. et al (2003) ‘The adoption and diffusion of high-performance management:
lessons from Japanese multinationals in the West’ Cambridge Journal of Economics,
27, 265-286.
Maccoby, M. (1997) ‘Is there a best way to build a car?’ Harvard Business Review,
November-December 1997: 161-171.
Brown, G. D. and O’Rourke, D. (2007) ‘Lean manufacturing comes to China: A case study of
its impact on workplace health and safety’ International Journal of Occupational
Evironment and Health, 13(3): 249-257.
Elger, T. and Smith, C. (2005) Assembling Work: Remaking Factory Regimes in Japanese
Multinationals in Britain (Oxford: Oxford University Press), Chaps. 1 & 12.
Edwards, T, and Kuruvilla, S. (2005) ‘International HRM: national business systems,
organizational politics and the international division of labour in MNCs’
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16 (1): 1-25.
Morris, J. et al (2000) ‘Farewell to HRM? Personnel Practices in Japanese manufacturing plants
in the UK’ International Journal of Human Resource Management, 11 (6): 1047-1060.
Berggren C. (1993) 'Lean production: the end of history?' Work Employment and Society, 7:2
June, pp. 163-188.
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Week 9: 15 March
International CSR and Global Labour Standards
This session will look at the development of regional and international labour regulations that
impact on IHRM and multinationals, debates on decent work and the difficulty of formulating
labour standards in the twenty-first century. It will also discuss the issue of ethical conduct for
HR managers in the conduct of their enterprises around the globe.
Core reading:
Edwards and Rees, chaps 12& 13.
Kolk, A. and Tulder, R. (2004) ‘Ethics in multinational approaches to child labour’, Journal
of World Business, 39: 49-60.
Supplementary reading:
Briscoe and Schuler (2004), chaps 6 & 7. ‘Global employment law and labour relations’,
‘Global ethics and labour standards’.
Hartman, Laura, P. et al (2003) ‘Exploring the ethics and economics of global labour
standards: a challenge to integrated social contract theory’ Business Ethics Quarterly,
3 (2): 193-220.
Kolk, A and van Tulder, R. (2002) ‘The effectiveness of self-regulation: corporate codes of
conduct and child labour’, European Management Journal, 20(3): 260-271
Preuss, L., Haunschild, A. and Matten, D. (2009) ‘The rise of CSR: implications for HRM
and employee representation’, International Journal of Human Resource
Management, 20(4): 975-995
Verma, A. (2003) ‘Global labour standards: can we get from here to there’, The International
Journal of Labour Law and Industrial Relations, 19/4
Week 10: 22 March
Conclusion and Revision
Core reading: Edwards and Rees, chap 14.
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Further Reading
Please note that the following are merely suggested sources. Many other books not quoted
here cover these topics just as well, and you should aim to read as widely as possible.
Bartlett, C.A. and Ghoshal, S. (2002) Managing across Borders. The Transnational Solution,
London: Random House
Brewster, C. Sparrow, P. and Vernon, G. (2007) International Human Resource Management,
London: CIPD
Edstrom, A. and J. Galbraith (1977) ‘Transfer of managers as a co-ordination and control
strategy in multinational organisations’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 22: 248-63
Elger, T. and Smith, C. (2005) Assembling Work: Remaking Factory Regimes in Japanese
Multinationals in Britain, Oxford University Press
Ferner, A. and Hyman, R. (1998) Changing Industrial Relations in Europe, Oxford:
Blackwell
Hall, E.T. (1976) Beyond Culture, New York: Doubleday
Held, D., et al. (1999) Global Transformations: Politics, Economics and Culture, Cambridge:
Polity Press
Hofstede, G. (1994) Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind, London: Harper
Collins
Jackson, T. (2002) International HRM. A Cross-cultural Approach, London: Sage
Katz, H.C. and Darbishire, O. (2000) Converging Divergences: Worldwide Changes in
Employment Systems, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press
Lane, Christel (1989) Management and Labour in Europe: The Industrial Enterprise in
Germany, Britain and France, Aldershot: Edward Elgar
Morgan, G., Kristensen, P. H. and Whitley, R. (2001) The Multinational Firm: Organizing
Across Institutional and National Divides, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Micklethwait, J. and Wooldridge, A. (2000) A Future Perfect: The Challenge and Hidden
Promise of Globalisation, London: William Heinemann
Moore, F. (2005) Transnational Business Cultures: Life and Work in a Multinational
Corporation, Aldershot: Ashgate
Royle, T. (2000) Working for McDonald’s in Europe. The Unequal Struggle? London:
Routledge
Tayeb, M. (2003) International Management. Theories and Practices, London: Prentice Hall
Trompenaars, F. (1992) Riding the Waves of Culture, London: Nicholas Brealey
Womack, J.P., Jones, D. T. and Roos, D. (1990) The Machine that Changed the World.
Oxford: Maxwell MacMillan International
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Whitley, R. (2000) Divergent Capitalisms: The Social Structuring and Change of Business
Systems, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Whittall, M., Knudsen, H. and Huijgen, F. (eds.) (2007) Towards a European Labour
Identity. The Case of the European Works Council, London: Routledge
General information
Please ensure that you keep all course outlines as they may prove valuable in obtaining
exemptions for professional qualifications. Note that the School of Management keeps
previous year's outlines only for a limited period.
Current outlines and other course materials are available from the School of
Management Web Site - http://www.ms.rhbnc.ac.uk/courses/index.htm
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