The fourth and final part of this book (Industrial Relations: a Comparative
and International Perspective) looks at the collective aspects of the employ-
ment relationship. First, Chapter 15 links back to Chapters 2 and 3 by
discussing the transfer of HR practices – or more generally employment prac-
tices as they are called in this chapter – within MNCs. It provides explanations
for variations between MNCs in terms of the extent of transfer and a discussion
of the likely nature of the relations between different groups within MNCs in
the transfer process. Chapter 16 then draws on the recent literature on ‘varie-
ties of capitalism’ to show that national economies can be structured in many
different ways, and that these differences are associated with different indus-
trial relations systems. It also disentangles the challenges inherent in globali-
zation, and considers whether they imply convergence towards a more
market-driven model, or whether distinctive forms of social regulation are
likely to persist. In Chapter 17, we take this analysis of convergence and diver-
gence one step further by moving to the regional level of analysis and reflecting
about the prospects for the ‘Europeanization’ of industrial relations. In the
final chapter of this book – Chapter 18 – we take our analysis back to the
company level by examining the relevance of the concept of the Eurocompany
and the role of European Works Councils within European industrial relations.
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