Section Twolocated. These human resource managers are bilingual and
knowledgeable about the cultural and legal environment of
human resources in Mexico. Similar examples exist for Canada
as well. Some of the future challenges for human resources will
be to develop effective practices for their cross-border
operations, such as equitable compensation systems and the
ability to move key employees into their operations in all three
countries. They also will need to help develop managers and
key professionals who can work effectively in the cultures of
the other countries.
European Community
Access to this huge market has major human resource
implications for U.S. companies that have operations in
European Community (EC) countries or do business with them.
The relaxation of trade rules and the adoption of uniform
standards within the EC have produced efficiencies in moving
goods and workers across borders that have implications for
U.S. operations in Europe. Nonetheless, the European labor
environment remains highly unionized, and governmental
regulations make it very difficulty to lay off or terminate
employees. However, the EC may produce benefits for U.S.
operations in Europe through more unified regulations affecting
human resources. From another perspective, there also is the
possibility of a unified response from a huge market that can