International Human Resource Management, 7th edition

Introduction

Although International Human Resource Management by Peter J. Dowling, Marion Festing and Allen D. Engle, Sr. is written primarily for MNEs, expatriates, students in Schools of Business and any manager who is looking to understand how to effectively manage a workforce.

The book is divided into 10 chapters. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the emerging field of international HRM. There are defining key terms in international human resource management (IHRM) and, considering several definitions, introducing the historically significant issue of expatriate assignment management. Chapter 2 addresses conducting a systematic assessment of international HRM decisions and, summarizes ideas about the cultural context and gives examples of environmental differences that could lead to problems when MNEs attempt to introduce worldwide-standardized HRM practices.

Chapter 3 of the book introduces the pressures that globalization places on management and the variables that affect how managers of global companies handle and demonstrates that there is an interconnection between IHRM approaches and activities and the organizational context and that HR managers have a crucial role to play. Chapter 4 provides an overview of the demands placed on management by MNEs’ international expansion and IHRM implications of other modes of international operations become our center of interest. Consequently, we move from an internal perspective on structure, control mechanisms and managerial responses to a global perspective, which includes external partners. These extend the discussion about the organizational context of MNEs conducted to other organizational forms. Chapter 5 focuses on sourcing human resources for global markets in staffing, recruitment and selection. Chapter 6 compiles the pertinent research on international performance management in relation to IHRM. Although the focus is expanding, the emphasis is still on the subsidiary setting, reflecting the literature’s historical bias in favor of subsidiary management in international business and performance management.

Chapter 7 addresses international training, development, careers and talent. It concentrates on the issues relating to training and developing expatriates for international assignments and the repatriation process. Chapter 8 discusses how recent changes in global compensation patterns have taken place well outside of the initial scope of expatriate pay. In addition to explicitly connecting performance outcomes with related costs, compensation is increasingly seen as a primary source of corporate control, a mechanism for fostering a global corporate culture and the hub of public discourses on important aspects of corporate governance in a global setting.

Chapter 9 is about international industrial relations and the global institutional context. In terms of international labor relations, the debate over the creation of regional economic blocs like the European Union and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) reinforces the idea that trade unions have not yet achieved transnational collective bargaining. Finally, IHRM trends and future problems are discussed in Chapter 10, which identifies current trends and potential future developments in the following areas: international business ethics and HRM, IHRM and operational mode, safety, security and terrorist concerns.

The book contains IHRM in action cases, which can aid students in better understanding the chapter’s models and guiding concepts and in applying them to a variety of situations or circumstances. The eight in-depth instances at the end of the text offer a variety of in-depth applications for all of the key functional areas of IHRM.

Book synopsis

From a practical and interesting perspective, this book describes the IHRM activities that all managers need to be aware of when managing a workforce. Moreover, the book provides a clear description of the legal and ethical environment of IHRM.

The book begins with an overview of the emerging field of international HRM. There are defining key terms in IHRM and considering several definitions of IHRM, Introducing the historically significant issue of expatriate assignment management and reviewing the evolution of these assignments to reflect the increasing diversity with regard to what constitutes international work and the type and length of international assignments. Chapter 1 examines the international dimensions of HRM, drawing on the HRM literature and concludes that the complexity involved in operating in different countries and employing different national categories of employees is a key variable differentiating domestic and IHRM, rather than any major differences between the HR activities performed.

Chapter 2 summarizes ideas about cultural context and gives examples of environmental differences which could lead to problems when MNEs attempt to introduce worldwide-standardized HRM practices. Chapter 3 of the book explains the pressures that globalization places on management and the variables that affect how managers of global companies handle these issues.

Chapter 4 discusses about the organizational context of MNEs conducted to other organizational forms, which pose specific problems to IHRM, i.e. cross-border alliances and global SMEs. Cross-border M&As have seen a tremendous growth in the course of globalization. Chapter 5 examines the various approaches taken to staffing international operations and the allocation of human resources to the various international operations of the firm to ensure effective strategic outcomes. Chapter 6 makes the point that there are many aspects of international business operations that need to be taken into consideration when designing an effective performance management system in a multinational context by extending the discussion to the level of the multinational and addressing performance management and appraisal concerns related to non-expatriates and those on non-standard assignments.

International training, development, careers, talent and global compensation patterns are discussed in Chapters 7 and 8. The final section of Chapter 7 discusses the post-assignment period and how it affects employees who have been on an international assignment more broadly in terms of their careers. Both the expatriate and the MNE have problems upon returning home, some of which may be related to things that happened while they were on assignment abroad. Chapter 8 addresses the challenges businesses face when switching from domestic compensation to compensation in an international setting.

Chapter 9 addresses international labor relations. The debate over the creation of regional economic blocs like the European Union and the APEC reinforces the idea that trade unions have not yet achieved transnational collective bargaining. Chapter 10 describes the effects that the process of internationalization has on the activities and policies of HRM as well as IHRM concerns related to managing people internationally.

By using a combination of theory, practical examples, ethical dilemmas and current topics in IHRM, the author makes of this book a reading that is not only informative but also attractive. The quotes of several HR professionals, as well as real business situations, foster the critical thinking skills of the reader.

Media abstract

International Human Resource Management, 7^th Edition by Peter J. Dowling, Marion Festing and Allen D. Engle, Sr. aims to describe the international human resource management functions existing in every organization from a very practical and dynamic perspective. By incorporating throughout the book real examples of how well-known companies approach HR functions, the reader focuses more on the practical application of these functions rather than on the theories behind them.

Different from many books used for pedagogical purposes, this book is written using a tone that is stimulating, practical, engaging and overall realistic about IHRM. After reading each chapter of the book, the reader not only learns new IHRM concepts, but also starts thinking in a critical manner about these concepts. The numerous themes covered in the book are supported with pertinent exercises that help readers understand the value of generalization across a range of studies. The book offers a complete framework for thinking about global human resource management, as well as various stories from the experiences of other academics.

Evaluation

The book’s goal is to investigate the effects that internationalization is having on HRM practices and regulations. The book’s 10 chapters and 368 pages are organized well. A glossary, index and nine in-depth case studies produced by the authors and international specialists are included in this book. They offer a range of in-depth applications for all of the key functional areas of IHRM. This book provides a thorough overview of some of the present and emerging difficulties addressed when managing human resources in international organizations (MNEs).

The book effectively promotes critical awareness as opposed to merely exploring IHRM topics. The authors give the audience a chance to conceptually evaluate problems that may lead to the frequently present disconnect between long-term goals and day-to-day activities by using thoughtful discussion questions. Although the writing style and content clearly show how the information can be used in a variety of HRM programs, it would have been better for readers if the content had been open and hyperlinked.

Overall, the seventh edition demonstrates the authors’ continued success in producing a top textbook in the industry. The authors’ dedication to encouraging practitioners, executives, academics and many other groups to critically evaluate personnel issues in MNEs makes strongest recommendation.