Oxford Handbook of Human Resource Management

(Steven Felgate) #1

and Table B. 3 ,p. 376 ). The ever expanding reach of MNCs in an increasingly
competitive and uncertain global market place puts the multinational enterprise
at the center of a widening public debate and scrutiny regarding the impact of
MNCs on the global economy, on the well-being of workers and communities
across the globe, and on the earth’s natural resources and environment. This
broader and heated debate notwithstanding, the continual expansion of multi-
national operations undoubtedly raises a host of questions about the critical role of
managing human resources across borders.
The focus of this chapter is on the salient human resource strategy issues and
dynamics that come into play as a function of the multinational reach of companies.
Although the overall objectives of formulating and implementing HR strategies as
described throughout this volume are the same for national and multinational
companies, global HR strategies must take into account factors germane to direct
investments made abroad and the management of cross-border operations.
At question herein, therefore, is: What factors or considerations are unique to
companies operating across borders and what are the implications of these factors
in regard to the successful development and deployment of global HR strategies?
The existing literature in regard to global HR strategies can be characterized as
being in an early stage of development. To date, there have been important insights
into the management of human resources on a global basis but as a body of
literature it remains somewhat fragmented in its foci and suVers from the lack of
attention to building a widely embraced and comprehensive analytical framework;
one that pulls together the varied mix of decision-making that goes into the
formulation and implementation of global HR strategies. My primary objective
in this chapter, therefore, is to oVer a reasonably coherent and comprehensive
(albeit, highly simpliWed) analytical framework that captures and integrates the
salient strategic decisions MNCs face informulatingglobal HR strategies. This
broader focus precludes any detailed review and analyses of the various compon-
ents of such a framework and underlying issues of strategy implementation.
Nevertheless, my aim in venturing to articulate a fairly encompassing framework
is to stimulate further discussion and debate about how we can better frame our
enquiries and analyses to improve our broader theoretical and practical under-
standing of global strategic HR issues.


24.2 An Analytical Framework
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Understanding the decision-making and choices made by MNCs in regard to
global HR strategies requires understanding both the primary objectives that


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