Essentials of International Human Resource Management: Managing People Globally

Balancing American and non-American schools of thought, Thomas (international business, U. of New South Wales, Australia) and Lazarova (global workforce management, Simon Fraser U., Canada) examine international human resource management (HRM) within cultural, institutional, and organizational contexts, in terms of the multinational firm and other types of global organizations. They introduce advanced undergraduate and graduate students and scholars to HRM and trends in the global context, then address challenges facing global HRM, the cultural and institutional factors influencing it in a national context, differences in national business systems, and models of HRM and the differences in institutional constraints and choices available to managers. They consider the institutional context; transferring policies and procedures across boundaries; issues in joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions; attracting, engaging, and retaining employees; training and development activities; performance management and compensation; mobility, expatriates, and the relationship to firm and individual outcomes; employee representation and corporate social responsibility; and issues such as firm performance, sustainable business, and talent management. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The book is an essentials volume that extracts key concepts in the management of people in a global context and presents them in a concise volume. In doing so it seeks to balance the various perspectives on the topic while reflecting the most current research available. Extensive references will allow readers wishing to explore concepts in more depth an avenue to do so. Each chapter begins with an introductory vignette (short case) that exemplifies the core issues to be discussed in the chapter. The vignette is referred to later in the chapter as the topic is developed. This approach is designed to make the reader immediately aware of how the knowledge can be applied. This device is in addition to end-of-chapter cases, which are used to reinforce concepts presented. Each chapter closes with a set of discussion questions designed to reinforce and/or apply key points in the chapter.