Global versus local managing human resources in the multinational company
Monks, Kathy
(1996)
Global versus local managing human resources in the multinational company.
DCU Business School Research Paper Series.
(Paper No. 3). Dublin City University Business School, Ireland. ISSN: 1393-290X
This paper considers the extent to which multinational enterprises adopt a global or
local approach in their management of human resources. Nine organisations, drawn
from a range of nationalities and sectors operating in Ireland, were examined. The
analysis revealed that the majority of organisations adopted a local approach, with
headquarters involvement in many cases limited to monitoring the financial implications
of human resource decisions. However, it appears that the transfer of human resource
management practices can be a two way process with some subsidiaries focusing on
human resource issues in order to maintain their competitive position within the
corporation. The findings also suggest that the integration of human resource issues in
strategic decision-making may need to be considered as a local, rather than a corporate
level, activity.