Continuities in human resource processes in internationalization and domestic business management

Article Abstract:

Internationalization is often seen as posing distinctive human resource problems that are difficult to overcome. This paper takes an alternative approach by considering the processes by which firms, large and small, internationalize and the way they sustain overseas activity at different stages of their internationalization. It does so by reference to six challenges faced by firms in the course of internationalization. The result is to highlight continuities and regularities between international human resource management and the creation of an effective domestic organization, along with common underlying processes and skills centred on networking, teams and organizational learning. It is argued that this shifts attention from the specific tasks of the human resources function to more broadly defined human resource activities and processes which affect the growth of firms internationally. Secondly, it helps firms to think more positively about becoming international and to address relevant skills. Thirdly, it identifies appropriate activities, tasks and situations that business schools need to provide as part of an international management education. However, the paper also recognizes the internationalization involves specific differences between domestic and international business management. A number of these are rooted in country-specific institutional factors which human resource management, the function, has to address. While processes may be common, knowledge is context-bound. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

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Autonomy and effectiveness of equity international joint ventures (EIJV's): an analysis based on EIJV's in Hungary and Britain

Article Abstract:

The paper utilizes data collected from 34 equity international joint ventures (EIJVs) located in Hungary and 49 EIJVs located in Britain to examine the effects of autonomy on EIJV effectiveness. Study results suggest that for the total sample, permitting an EIJV to develop local HRM policies and to implement business plans independently contribute to EIJV effectiveness. Additionally, there is a positive correlation between EIJV age and effectiveness. When the samples are broken up, the results are consistent except that developing local HRM policies is not a significant factor with respect to EIJV effectiveness in Hungary. This paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating that autonomy is a multidimensional construct and by providing initial support for the development of a theory relating EIJV autonomy to effectiveness based on a hierarchy of autonomy measures. The paper also suggests a model of relative recommended autonomy levels for different EIJV activities. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Business Personnel Management, Management Theory & Techniques, Case studies, Economic aspects, Joint ventures, Organizational effectiveness, Strategic alliances (Business), Human resource management )

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The impact of spouse's career-orientation on managers during international transfers

Article Abstract:

The increasing internationalization of business and the rise of dual-earner couples in the labour force combine to make the area of international human resource management and career development complex and important. This article examines results obtained from 67 American expatriate managers (EXM) in Japan of whom 47 per cent were part of a dual-earner couple in America. The study found that career-oriented spouses were almost seven times as likely to find employment after an international transfer as non-career-oriented spouses. It is argued that because career-oriented spouses in general were able to find employment and avoid major job interruptions, there was no significant difference between the adjustment of expatriate managers whose spouses worked in the US before the transfer but not after and EXMs whose spouses worked before and after the transfer. (Reprinted by permission of the publisher.)

Social aspects, Employment abroad, Overseas employment, Career development, Dual-career families, Employee relocation, Work and family

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