Transcript Slide 1

International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Exhibit A
Tex-Mark Corporation
Pre-departure activities
1. ‘Country briefings’, outsourced to a consulting firm in San Antonio that had experience dealing
with the countries in which Tex-Mark operated. Tex-Mark was prepared to pay for four sessions
each lasting one hour.
2. ‘Reading Assignments’. Three to four books (depending on region of assignment) on national or
regional culture and/or doing business in the focal region. Accompanying spouses/partners had
access to a similar library.‘Interviews and conversations’ with Tex-Mark employees with country
experiences.
3. ‘Language courses’. Attendance at elective ‘survival level’ language classes. These courses last from
eight to twelve weeks, with three course meetings a week. Tex-Mark will pay for spouses/partners
as well.
In-country training and development
Upon arrival, Tex-Mark staff in the local operation will assist the accompanying spouse/partner with
job search activities. They will assist with finding children acceptable schooling situations. Where
possible, Tex-Mark staff will endeavour to provide a social support network.
Repatriation
Upon return all expatriates are required to go through a debriefing and career counselling
session with HR staff. This should be held within two months of the person’s re-entry to the home
location.
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IHRM Case 1 – Spanning the Globe
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Case 1 Activity
In the role of Eric
1. Summarize your thoughts on the problems at hand, alternative
solutions and your strategy on how to proceed at the forthcoming
meeting.
2. How will your proposal solve the problems you have defined?
3. How can you defend your solution from budgetary concerns? In
what way is your approach both a solution to the problems of
expatriates at Tex-Mark and a good economic investment?
Step back out of the role and answer the following
1. Does Eric’s personal background assist in his assessment of the
problems he faces?
2. Would you have approached this situation differently? If so, what
benefits would your different approach provide for Tex-Mark?
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International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Exhibit A
Alistair Mackay’s short list of possible candidates
‘First candidate. Marie Erten-Loiseau. Born in Prague, her family moved to Toulon when Marie was twelve
years old. Brought up in France, she was educated as an aeronautical engineer in France and Germany.
Marie worked for Trianon for 13 years, in two divisions within France and Germany with increasing levels
of project responsibility. Her leadership of two projects over the last three years in Lodz, Poland, and two
sites in the Czech Republic has been marked by remarkable success. Married, her husband is semi-retired.
They have one child in university.
Second candidate. Janos Gabor. Born in Gyor, Hungary, Janos was educated at University of Pecs, Hungary.
He has a good background in the production of cathode ray tube and display systems technologies,
albeit from the Central European perspective. He has worked at Trianon for nearly four years, and has just
been transferred into the cathode ray tube division as a Senior Engineer. His family is reportedly very well
connected with national government officials, particularly the old, ex-party members of multiple
ministerial
bureaucracies. Janos is single.
Third candidate. Sinead Marrinan-McGuire, a production engineer on loan to Trianon’s London office for
joint venture analyzes and ‘due diligence’ reviews on technical and legal grounds. She has spent three
years in the R&D development team in Dublin and London, working on the very technologies to be applied
in this Hungarian joint venture project. Alistair met and talked with her today in Limerick and was
very impressed with her understanding of corporate level concerns and strategic issues. Most of her career
has been in Ireland and around London, with only short, tactical trips to France. Married, her husband
is a solicitor in Dublin. They have three children, ages 7, 9 and 13.
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IHRM Case 2 – Quality compliance at the Hawthorne Arms
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Case 2 Activity
1. Consider the three candidates in Exhibit A. If forced to make a
decision tomorrow, which candidate should Alistair choose for
the job? What major factors should determine his choice?
2. We are told nothing of the process that Trianon uses to recruit
candidates for this level of final selection. Given what you know
about the firm from the case, outline a general recruitment and
selection process for Trianon. Describe how your proposed
process fits with ‘best’ selection practices as well as the
strategic needs of this company.
3. Should HR staff be involved in strategic decisions relating to
international business operations such as finalizing a joint
venture agreement?
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International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Case 3 Activity
Discuss whether Mark should stay overseas or
return home after his expatriate asssignment.
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IHRM Case 3 – Jaguar or bluebird? (A)
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International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Case 4 Activity
Discuss Mark’s realizations and his options.
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IHRM Case 4 – Jaguar or bluebird? (B)
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International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Table 1
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Key data on the Healthcare Group
IHRM Case 5 – Wolfgang’s balancing act
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Table 2
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Net sales by region of the Healthcare Group
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Table 3
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Employees by region of the Healthcare Group in 2005
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Table 4
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Personnel costs of the Healthcare Group
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Table 5
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HR policies of the Healthcare Group
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Figure 1
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Recent developments in the internationalization strategy of Healthcare
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Figure 2
Balancing global integration and
local responsiveness in
Healthcare’s compensation
strategy
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IHRM Case 5 – Wolfgang’s balancing act
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Question block A:
Standardization vs local responsiveness of compensation systems
Wolfgang reconsiders the degree of global standardization
and local responsiveness of the current global compensation
system.
1. Should he move some of the existing pay elements across
the T account in Figure 2, shifting them from globally
standardized to locally customized?
2. Should he add or delete some existing practices from the
T account?
3. Should he change the weights or emphases (percentages)
of existing elements of the pay system?
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Question block B:
job-based vs competency-based compensation
If Healthcare’s job-based pay dominated the existing system, while other such
as competency-based compensation have not been pursued, then what
advantages might a competency based system have for Healthcare?
1. How can the firm communicate to the geographically dispersed executives
the need to acquire and maintain those management competencies that
have been defined in the competency set (in folder three)?
2. Would a purely competency-based pay system be somehow more flexible?
3. But then again, what about the standardization Healthcare has just achieved
through standardizing the job descriptions across units?
4. How would he take these three competency categories and use them to
develop a series of measurable, behavioral indicators to be used to assess
an executive’s contributions to Healthcare? In what sense should these new
behavioral indicators be customized to local (regional) contexts? How can
Wolfgang go about this process to ensure a balance of organizational
standardization and local relevance?
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International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Figure 1
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Instruments of employee development
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Figure 2
Kazakhstan’s
geographic
location
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Figure 3
Form for
situation
analysis
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Figure 4
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Planning Chart
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Case 6 Activity
Taking the role of HR manager at Bosch, address these issues:
1. Analyze the company and country-specific situation by
using the steps outlined in Figure 3.
2. Plan the number and nature of short/medium-term (2007–
2010) as well as long-term (2011–2014) staffing
requirements on the basis of the figures in the chart on
facing page and the described situation. Fill in your figures
in the chart (Figure 4).
3. Finally, prepare an action plan describing how you will
meet managerial staffing targets. Look especially at
information provided in the ‘employee development’ and
‘talent management’ sections of the case for activities and
timetables. Write down your action plan.
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International Human Resource Management
Managing people in a multinational context
Appendix A
Map of Portugal
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IHRM Case 7 – Norge Electronics (Portugal), SA
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Appendix B Organization chart, Norge Electronics (Portugal), SA
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Appendix C Climate study factors
SAT – JOB SATISFACTION
The degree to which employees are satisfied with their current jobs.
CLAR – CLARITY OF MISSION AND OBJECTIVES
The degree to which employees understand and accept the organization’s mission and
objectives.
ESTRUT – STRUCTURE
The degree to which the organizational structure supports, rather than interferes
with, getting information, making decisions and getting the work done.
SIN – SYNERGY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION
The degree to which people in different parts of the organization work together,
support each other and do not duplicate activities.
AMB – BUSINESS AMBITIOUSNESS
The degree to which the mission and objectives are perceived as lofty and
challenging.
ESTILO – MANAGEMENT STYLE
The degree to which managers’ styles are supportive of employees and helpful in
getting the work done.
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Appendix C Climate study factors
REMUN – REMUNERATION
The degree to which remuneration is perceived as (a) internally equitable, (b)
competitive with other organizations, and (c) supportive of individual and team
performance.
IDENT – CORPORATE IDENTITY
The degree to which employees (a) perceive the organization as having a unique
identity and (b) accept and support the identity.
EMPOW – EMPOWERMENT OF EMPLOYEES
The degree to which employees feel empowered to take the actions and decisions
they need to take in order to get the job done. Also, the perception of how much the
organization empowers, rather than controls, employees.
RH – HUMAN RESOURCE POLICIES
The degree to which human resource policies and practices are perceived as (a)
supportive of getting the work done, (b) appropriate to employee needs, and (c)
appropriate to prepare the organization for the future.
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Appendix D Preliminary results of the climate study
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Appendix E
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Norge Portugal Grades
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Appendix F
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Job evaluations, Norge Electronics (Portugal), SA
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Case 7 Activity
Discuss João Silva’s actions to professionalize HR
management in the Portuguese subsidiary.
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