MN327 International Human Resource Management: 2013/14
Lecturers
Prof. Michael Gold
(Coordinator: autumn term)
Founder’s FE156
m.gold@rhul.ac.uk
Prof. Alice Lam
(Coordinator: spring term)
Founder’s FE148
alice.lam@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 the European Union in
regulating regional employment relations? And what is the roe of 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 2013/14
Dates of Autumn term: Monday 23 September to Friday 13 December 2013
Date
1 October
8 October
15 October
22 October
29 October
5 November
12 November
19 November
26 November
3 December
10 December
Lecture
Comparative and international
HRM: an introduction
Organisational structures of
multinational companies
Culture and IHRM
National business systems and
IHRM
Frameworks for understanding
IHRM
HRM in the UK and USA
HRM in Germany
Cross-border mergers and
acquisitions
Employment policy of the
European Union
Employee participation and the
European Union
Review of term one:
questions and answers
Seminar Topic
No seminar
‘Liability of foreignness’: McDonald’s and WalMart
‘Liability of foreignness’: McDonald’s and WalMart (rpt)
Cultural diversity in a Danish MNC
Cultural diversity in a Danish MNC (rpt)
Reading week – no seminar
The German system of HR: is it under threat?
The German system of HR: is it under threat?
(rpt)
EWCs and international HRM
EWCs and international HRM (rpt)
No seminar
Dates of Spring term: Monday 13 January to Friday 28 March 2014
Date
14 January
21 January
28 January
4 February
11 February
18 February
25 February
4 March
11 March
18 March
Lecture
Business systems and HRM in
Japan
Skills, knowledge and
organisational learning: national
differences
Strategic international HRM
International staffing policy in
MNCs
Expatriation and careers
Seminar Topic
No seminar
HRM and inter-organisational learning in
international alliances
HRM and inter-organisational learning in
international alliances (rpt)
International staffing
International staffing (rpt)
International compensation and
performance
Transferring HRM and work
practices across national borders
Global labour mobility
International performance management
International CSR and global
labour standards
Conclusion and revision
Transnational communities (rpt)
2
International performance management (rpt)
Transnational communities
No seminar
Organisation
The course consists of twenty-one weekly one-hour lectures in MX 001 (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.
Basic reading for each seminar is contained in the reading packs posted on Moodle. Each
pack is accompanied by a set of questions for discussion. To make the seminars as productive
as possible, please read the pack and questions in advance, and bring them along with you.
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 1,750 words at 15% each)
Informal feedback given on seminar presentations
Coursework deadlines
Assignment one: noon, Thursday, 16 January 2014
Assignment two: noon, Thursday, 20 March 2014
Core texts
Bamber, G. J., Lansbury, R. D. and Wailes, N. (2011) International and Comparative
Employment Relations: Globalisation and Change, London: Sage Publications [5th
ed.]
Edwards, T. and Rees, C. (2011) International Human Resource Management: Globalization,
National Systems and Multinational Companies, London: FT/ Prentice Hall [2nd ed.]
Harzing, A.-W. and Pinnington, A.H. (2011) International Human Resource Management,
London: Sage Publications [3rd ed.]
Other useful background texts
There are many books that cover international HRM, and these are just some suggestions to
get you started (you’ll find a fuller list at the end of this course outline):
Briscoe, D. R. and Schuler, R. S. (2008) International Human Resource Management: Policy
and Practice for the Global Enterprise, London and New York: Routledge
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
Gooderham, P.N., Grøgaard, B. and Nordhaug, O. (2013) International Management. Theory
and Practice, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar
Hollinshead, G. (2010) International and Comparative Human Resource Management,
Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education
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
Economic and Industrial Democracy
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
People Management
And don’t forget to read the business pages of the quality press on a regular basis to keep
yourself up to date with views and trends.
4
Course Content and Reading List—Autumn Term 2013/14
Lecturer: Prof. Michael Gold
Week 1: 1 October
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: Bamber et al., chap.1; Edwards and Rees, chaps. 1, 2; Harzing and Pinnington,
chaps. 1, 2
Supplementary reading:
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M. and Engle, A. (2008) International Human Resource Management,
London: Thomson Learning, chaps. 1, 2
Hollinshead, G. (2010) International and Comparative Human Resource Management,
Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education, chap.1
Week 2: 8 October
Organisational Structures of MNCs
What is a multinational corporation? How do corporations structure themselves to do business
internationally? How have their structures changed over time? What sort of strategies do they
use? How do MNCs relate to local areas?
Core reading: Edwards and Rees, chap. 5
Supplementary reading:
Royle, T. (2000) Working for McDonald’s in Europe. The Unequal Struggle? London:
Routledge, chaps. 4, 5
Christopherson, S. (2007) ‘Barriers to “US style” lean retailing: the case of Wal-Mart’s
failure in Germany’, Journal of Economic Geography, 7: 451-69
Ghoshal, S. and Bartlett, C. (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
Week 3: 15 October
Culture and IHRM
What is meant by the term ‘culture’? What theories of cultural determination are there? How
reliable are they? To what extent is the greatest influence on an MNC subsidiary the national
culture of the country from which it originated?
Core reading: Edwards and Rees, chap.3; Harzing and Pinnington, chap. 3
Supplementary reading:
5
Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and
Organizations across Nations, Thousand Oaks: Sage
Hofstede, G. (2002) ‘Dimensions Do Not Exist: A Reply to Brendan McSweeney’, Human
Relations 55(11): 1355-61
Hollinshead, G. (2010) International and Comparative Human Resource Management,
Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education, chap. 2
McSweeney, B. (2002) ‘Hofstede’s Model of National Cultural Differences and their
Consequences: A Triumph of Faith – A Failure of Analysis’, Human Relations 55(1):
89-118
Week 4: 22 October
National Business Systems and IHRM
What is meant by the terms ‘national business systems’ and ‘varieties of capitalism’? What
theories of institutional determination are there? How reliable are they? To what extent is the
greatest influence on an MNC subsidiary the institutions of the country in which it is located?
Core reading: Edwards and Rees, chaps. 3, 4; Harzing and Pinnington, chap. 7
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
Streeck, W. and Thelen, K. (2005) Beyond Continuity. Institutional Change in Advanced
Political Economies, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Whitley, R. (2000) Divergent Capitalisms. The Social Structuring and Change of Business
Systems, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Week 5: 29 October
A Framework for Understanding IHRM
What are the main factors we have to understand in studying International HRM? What
approaches are there to studying IHRM, and how helpful are they? 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: Edwards and Rees, chap.7; Harzing and Pinnington, chap. 5
Supplementary reading:
Elger, T. and Smith, C. (2005) Assembling Work: Remaking Factory Regimes in Japanese
Multinationals in Britain, Oxford University Press, chap. 4
Metcalfe, B.D. and Rees, C.J. (2005) ‘Theorising Advances in International HR
Development’, HR Development International, 8(4): 449-65
Rowley, C. and Warner, M. (2007) ‘Introduction: Globalising IHRM’, International Journal
of Human Resource Management, 18(5): 703-16
Smith, C. and Meiksins, P. (1995) ‘System, Society and Dominance Effects in Cross-national
Organisational Analysis’, Work, Employment and Society 9(2): 241-67
6
Week 6: 5 November
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 and the Commonwealth?
Core reading: Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes, chaps. 2 and 3
Supplementary reading:
Augar, P. (2000) The Death of Gentlemanly Capitalism, London: Penguin
Crouch, C. (2011) The Strange Non-death of Neo-liberalism, London: Polity
Hollinshead, G. (2010) International and Comparative Human resource Management,
Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education, chap. 7
Hutton, W. (2010) Them and Us: Politics, Greed and Inequality – Why We need a Fair
Society, London: Little, Brown & Co
Week 7: 12 November
HRM in Germany
What are the key traits of the business systems/HRM in Germany? How did they develop?
What is the ‘German model’, and why has it appeared so attractive to many observers? What
pressures is it under? To what extent is it adaptable?
Core reading: Bamber, Lansbury and Wailes, chap.8
Supplementary reading:
Doellgast, V. and Greer, I. (2007) ‘Vertical disintegration and the disorganisation of German
industrial relations’, British Journal of Industrial Relations 45(1): 55-76
Ferner, A., Quintanilla, J. and Varul, M. (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
Haipeter, T. (2011) ‘“Unbound” Employers’ Associations and Derogations: Erosion or
Renewal of Collective Bargaining in the German Metalworking Industry?’, Industrial
Relations Journal 42(2): 174-94
Streeck, W. (2009) Re-Forming Capitalism. Institutional Change in the German Political
Economy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Week 8: 19 November
Cross-border Mergers and Acquisitions
What is the role of HRM in cross-border mergers and acquisitions? To what extent is it
possible, desirable or necessary to integrate the HR policies of the companies involved? How
do they handle the employment consequences of restructuring across national boundaries?
Core reading: Edwards and Rees, chap. 8; Harzing and Pinnington, chap. 4
Supplementary reading:
Dowling, P.J., Festing, M. and Engle, A. (2008) International Human Resource Management,
Andover: Cengage Learning, chap. 3
7
Aguilera, R. and Dencker, J. (2004) ‘The role of human resource management in cross-border
mergers and acquisitions’, International Journal of Human Resource Management
15(8): 1355-70
Bower, J. (2001) ‘Not all M&As are alike – and that matters’, Harvard Business Review
March: 93-101
Child, J., Faulkner, D. and Pitkethly, R. (2001) The Management of International
Acquisitions, Oxford: OUP
Week 9: 26 November
Employment Policy of the European Union
What 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 Pinnington, chaps. 7, 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 10: 3 December
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: Edwards and Rees, chap. 12
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
Greer, I. and Hauptmeier, M. (2012) ‘Identity Work: Sustaining Transnational Collective
Action at General Motors Europe’, Industrial Relations 51(2): 275-297
Timming, A.R. and Veersma, U. (2007) ‘Living Apart Together? A Chorus of Multiple
Identities’, in M. Whittall, H. Knudsen and F. Huijgen (eds) Towards a European
Labour Identity. The Case of the European Works Council, London: Routledge, pp.
41-54
Week 11: 10 December
Review of Term One: Questions and Answers
Core readings: Everything you’ve covered so far!
A review of the contents of Term One, and your chance to come along for a Question and
Answer session.
8
Course Content and Reading List—Spring Term 2013/14
Lecturer: Prof. Alice Lam
Week 1: 14 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, ‘Employment relations in Japan’
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
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.
Supplementary reading:
Schaede, Ulrike (2012) ‘From developmental state to the “New Japan”: the strategic
inflection point in Japanese business’, Asia Pacific Business Review, 18(2): 167-185.
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.
Peltokorpi, V. (2013) “Job embeddedness in Japanese organizations” The International
Journal of Human Resource Management, 24:8: 1551-1569.
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
Lincoln, J.R. and Y. Nakata (1997) 'The transformation of the Japanese employment system:
nature, depth and origins', Work and Occupations, 24(1).
Week 2: 21 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
9
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:
Lam, A. (1997) ‘Embedded firms, embedded knowledge: problems of collaboration and
knowledge transfer in global collaborative ventures’ Organization Studies, 18(6):
973-996
Harzing and Pinnington (2011), chapter 10.
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
Scully, J. W. et (2013) “The role of SHRM in turning tacit knowledge into explicit
knowledge: a cross-national study of the UK and Malta”, The International Journal
of Human Resource Management, 24:12, 2299-2320
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
Week 3: 28 January
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 (2005), chaps. 2 and 3, or Harzing and Pinnington (2011) chap.
5
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 Journal of Human Resource Management, December 1993, pp, 71764.)
Supplementary reading:
10
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: 4 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 Pinnington (2011) chap.6 or Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt (2005), chap. 10
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
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.
Supplementary reading:
Global talent management (2010), Journal of World Business, special issue, 17, 1.
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
11
Week 5: 11 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.
Core reading:
Harzing and Pinnington (2011) chap 11. or Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt (2005), 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
Pinto, L.H. (2012) ‘Compelled to go abroad? Motives and outcomes of international
assignments’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 23, 11: 22952314.
Supplementary reading:
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
Harzing, A-W. (2002) ‘Of bears, bumblebees and spiders: the role of expatriates in
controlling foreign subsidiaries’, Journal of World Business, 36(4): 366-379
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 6: 18 February
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:
12
Harzing and Pinnington (2011), chap 14, or 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:
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
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
Briscoe, D.R. and Schuler, S. (2004/2008) International Human Resource Management, 2nd
Edition, London and New York: Routledge, chaps 11 and 12
Scullion, H. and Linehan, M (2005) International Human Resource Management. A Critical
Text, Basingstoke: Palgrave, chap. 6
Week 7: 25 February
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 Pinnington (2011), chap. 8 or Harzing and Van Ruysseveldt (2005), chap 15. or
Edwards and Rees, chap 7 .
Friel, D. (2005) ‘Transferring a lean production concept from Germany to the United States:
the impact of labour laws and training systems’, Academy of Management Executive,
19, 2: 50-58.
Supplementary reading:
Zhang, L. (2008) ‘Lean production and labour controls in the Chinese automobile industry in
an age of globalization’, International Labour and Working Class History, 73: 24-44.
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.
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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.
Berggren C. (1993) 'Lean production: the end of history?' Work Employment and Society, 7:2
June, pp. 163-188.
Week 8: 4 March
Global Labour Mobility and Transnational Communities
Human mobility plays a critical role in the transfer of advanced knowledge across national
borders. In the postwar decades, the migration of highly skilled individuals from developing
to advanced economies was viewed as ‘brain drain’ that exacerbated global inequality.
However, recent research suggests that the global migration of skilled workers has been
shifting from a one-way ‘brain drain’ to a two-way ‘brain circulation’. Since the late 1980s,
growing numbers of foreign-educated technical/managerial professionals from Asia have
been returning to their home countries and are playing a critical role in upgrading the
innovative capabilities of home-based firms by transferring the latest technological and
business knowledge. This session will examine the role of returnee migrants as transnational
agents in global knowledge diffusion and regional economic development.
Core reading:
Tung RL (2008) ‘Brain circulation, diaspora, and international competitiveness’. European
Management Journal 26(5): 298-304.
Saxenian A and Hsu JY (2001) ‘The Silicon Valley-Hsinchu Connection: Technical
Communities and Industrial Upgrading’. Industrial and Corporate Change 10(4):
893-920.
Williams AM (2007) ‘Listen to Me, Learn with Me: International Migration and Knowledge
Transfer’. British Journal of Industrial Relations 45(2): 361-382.
Supplementary reading:
Beaverstock JV and Hall S ‘Competing for talent: global mobility, immigration and the City
of London's labour market’. Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society
5(2): 271-288.
Docquier Fdr, Lohest O and Marfouk A (2007) ‘Brain Drain in Developing Countries’. The
World Bank Economic Review 21(2): 193-218.
Freeman RB ‘Globalization of scientific and engineering talent: international mobility of
students, workers, and ideas and the world economy’. Economics of Innovation and
New Technology 19(5): 393-406.
Horwitz, Frank M. (2013) “An analysis of skills development in a transitional
economy: the case of the South African labour market”, The International Journal of
Human Resource Management, 24:12, 2435-2451.
JÖNs H (2009) ‘Brain circulation’ and transnational knowledge networks: studying long-term
effects of academic mobility to Germany, 1954–2000. Global Networks 9(3): 315338.
Tung RL and Lazarova M (2006) ‘Brain drain versus brain gain: an exploratory study of exhost country nationals in Central and East Europe’. The International Journal of
Human Resource Management 17(11): 1853-1872.
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Week 9: 11 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 or Harzing and Pinnington (2011), chap. 17-18
Kolk, A. and Tulder, R. (2004) ‘Ethics in multinational approaches to child labour’, Journal
of World Business, 39: 49-60.
Shen, J. (2011) ‘Developing the concept of socially responsible international human resource
management’, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 22(6): 13511363.
Supplementary reading:
Briscoe and Schuler (2004), chaps 6 and 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
Parkes, C. & Davis, A.J. (2013) “Ethics and social responsibility– do HR professionals have
the ‘courage to challenge’ or are they set to be permanent ‘bystanders?’, The
International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24:12, 2411-2434.
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: 18 March
Conclusion and Revision
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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.
Altman, Y. and Shortland, S. (2008) ‘Women and International Assignments: Taking Stock –
A 25-year Review’, Human Resource Management, 47(2): 199–216.
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
Doellgast, V. (2012) Disintegrating Democracy at Work. Labor Unions and the Future of
Good Jobs in the Service Economy, Ithaca and London: ILR Press
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
Gold, M. (ed.) (2003) New Frontiers of Democratic Participation at Work, Aldershot:
Ashgate
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
Lecher, W., Platzer, H-W., Rueb, S. and Weiner, K-P. (2001) European Works Councils.
Developments, Types and Networking, Aldershot: Gower, chap. 1
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
Sparrow, P. (ed) (2009). Handbook of International Human Resource Management, London:
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John Wiley and Sons
Streeck, W. and Thelen, K. (2005) Beyond Continuity. Institutional Change in Advanced
Political Economies, Oxford: Oxford University Press
Tayeb, M. (2003) International Management. Theories and Practices, London: Prentice Hall
Trompenaars, F. (1992) Riding the Waves of Culture, London: Nicholas Brealey
Waddington, J. (2011) European Works Councils. A Transnational Institution in the Making,
London: Routledge
Womack, J.P., Jones, D. T. and Roos, D. (1990) The Machine that Changed the World.
Oxford: Maxwell MacMillan International
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.rhul.ac.uk/courses/index.htm
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