Introduction
WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK DIFFERENT?
This book provides a comprehensive, research-based, integrated and international
perspective of the consequences of internationalization for the management of
people across borders. The book’s comprehensivenessis evidenced by its wide
coverage. Although we will pay due attention to expatriate management in this
book, we will also look at the role of HRM in internationalization, the link
between strategy, structure and HRM in multinational companies (MNCs) and
the role of HRM in mergers and acquisitions. In addition, a discussion of
comparative HRM, which focuses on the extent to which HRM differs between
countries and the underlying reasons for these differences, will form a major
part of this book. Finally, the book offers a detailed treatment of the collective
aspects of the employment relation by looking at industrial relations from an
international and comparative perspective.
A second distinctive feature of this book is its solid research base. All chapters
have been specifically commissioned for this book and all authors are experts
and active researchers in their respective fields. Rather than having a final
chapter with ‘recent developments and challenges in IHRM’, we have given all
authors the clear brief to supplement classic theories and models with cutting-
edge research and developments. The chapter on cross-cultural training for
instance includes a discussion on recent development in electronic CCT and in
many chapters over two thirds of the references are less than five years old.
Although the book consists of 18 chapters written by a total of 23 authors,
it has been very carefully edited to provide an integrated perspective. Even
though the book is research-based, it is nota disparate collection of research
essays. All chapters are part of a carefully constructed framework and together
provide a coherent picture of the field of International HRM.
A fourth and final distinctive characteristic of this book is that it is truly
international, both in its outlook and in its author base. Authors use examplesIntroduction.qxd 10/29/03 2:33 PM Page 1