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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Log onto the McDonald's web site and you'll immediately see pictures of happy, smiling staff and a comment that the corporation is proud of its long‐standing commitment to its workforce. “Oh, really?” might be some people's incredulous response.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.

Focuses on the workforce characteristics of the German and UK operations of McDonald’s Corporation. The UK workforce is characterised by predominantly young workers with very limited work experience, the German workforce is much older and mostly foreign workers. The analysis suggests that despite these differences and differences in labour market regulation, there is a key similarity between the workforces. The corporation is able to draw on similarly “weak” and marginalised segments of the labour market and these segments are likely to be particularly acquiescent to managerial prerogative. National institutional arrangements can still constrain the employment relations policies of multinational enterprises (MNEs). However, this analysis supports the notion that there is a growing diversity within national systems increasingly explained by MNE policies and practices. This does not necessarily mean that national systems are becoming redundant, but that there is a dynamic relationship between such systems and the needs of MNEs.

Presents over sixty abstracts summarising the 1999 Employment Research Unit annual conference held at the University of Cardiff. Explores the multiple impacts of globalization on work and employment in contemporary organizations. Covers the human resource management implications of organizational responses to globalization. Examines the theoretical, methodological, empirical and comparative issues pertaining to competitiveness and the management of human resources, the impact of organisational strategies and international production on the workplace, the organization of labour markets, human resource development, cultural change in organisations, trade union responses, and trans‐national corporations. Cites many case studies showing how globalization has brought a lot of opportunities together with much change both to the employee and the employer. Considers the threats to existing cultures, structures and systems.

As the interest in talent management (TM) gathers momentum, this paper aims to unravel how talent is managed in multinational corporations, what factors mediate the talent management process and what computerised systems may contribute to the management of talent.

The study employs a single case study but multiple units of analysis approach to elucidate the factors pertaining to the transmission and use of talent management practices across the German and Irish subsidiaries of a US multinational corporation. Primary data for this study derive from a series of in‐depth interviews with key decision makers, which include managers at various levels in Germany, Ireland and The Netherlands.

The findings suggest that the diffusion of, and success of, talent management practices is contingent on a combination of factors, including stakeholder involvement and top level support, micro‐political exchanges, and the integration of talent management with a global human resource information system. Furthermore, the discussion illuminates the utility and limitations of Cappelli's “talent on demand” framework.

The main limitation of this research is the adoption of a single case study method. As a result, the findings may not be applicable to a wider population of organisations and subsidiaries. Additional research will be required to substantiate the relevance of these findings in the context of other subsidiaries of the same and other corporations.

This paper accentuates a number of practical implications. Inter alia, it highlights the complex nature of institutional factors affecting the talent management process and the potential efficacy of a human resource information system in managing talent globally.

The paper extends the body of knowledge on the transfer of talent management practices in the subsidiaries of multinational corporations. The discussion presented herein may engender further academic debate on the talent management process in the academic and practitioner communities. The link between talent management and the use of human resource information systems established by this research may be of particular interest to human resource practitioners.

Drawing on institutional theory and existing international business practice transfer and e-HRM models this paper develops an e-HRM diffusion model to ascertain the institutional factors that determine the successful diffusion of e-HRM practices in multinational corporations (MNC). The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The research is based on the analysis of 25 semi-structured interviews with 15 key stakeholders in the German and Irish subsidiaries of a single US-based MNC as well as two interviews with a senior manager in one of its main competitors.

The findings suggest that the successful transfer of e-HRM is mediated by an interchange of various institutional-level factors (external, relational, organizational and individual) within the corporation and its subsidiaries. Successful implementation of e-HRM is synonymous with the successful integration and institutionalization of e-HRM practices in the subsidiaries.

As this analysis is founded upon a single case study, it is difficult to make assumptions concerning the broad population of all MNC and their subsidiaries. Further research may be required to test the model and the findings presented in this paper.

The findings and the model presented in this paper demonstrate the impact of the institutional context and of key success factors of technology implementation on e-HRM diffusion success. These findings may be of particular relevance to organizations and practitioners who are embarking on an e-HRM installation in an international context.

This paper enriches the e-HRM and international management debate by identifying the key institutional factors impacting the diffusion of e-HRM practices in the subsidiaries of an MNC. In addition, the model put forward in the paper shows how these factors interact and how successful e-HRM diffusion can be characterized.

This paper focuses on the employment practices of both multinational corporations (MNCs) and large national competitors in the German fast‐food industry, such as Burger King, Pizza Hut, Nordsee, McDonald’s, Churrasco and Blockhaus. The paper poses a number of questions. Have the activities of MNCs affected the employment practices of national companies? Are companies adopting union exclusion policies and if so why and to what extent? Does the “country of origin effect” help explain the activities of MNCs? What changes are evident in workers’ terms and conditions and how effective are statutory systems of employee representation in practice? The findings suggest that Anglo‐Saxon‐based MNCs are more likely to adopt anti‐works council and non‐union policies in the sector, suggesting that MNCs may indeed be able to transfer their management practices across borders, imposing their employer‐based systems with little regard for German institutional arrangements.

Examines the human resource policy of one US multinational company (MNC) (the McDonald′s Corporation) operating in the hospitality industry in Germany and the UK. Focuses on the makeup of the workforce, levels of unionization and worker participation. These issues are analysed in the context of the debate about the convergence or divergence of behaviour in organizations and the increasing globalization of economic activity. Suggest that although the company has been unable to avoid union involvement at industry level in Germany (as it has in the UK) unionization and industrial democracy are still seen as highly undesirable in both countries. Concludes that, while there are aspects of societal culture which cannot be totally evaded or overridden, the meaning and value of societal culture are continually and consistently being undermined by the pressure for convergence as represented in this case by one MNC′s corporate culture.

This paper suggests that motives for engaging in affiliative‐promotive “helping” extra‐role behavior is related to cross‐cultural differences. The cultural dimensions of in‐group collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, performance orientation, and humane orientation, and their differential effect on helping extra‐role behavior in a diverse workforce are examined. Theoretical implications provide guidance for future empirical research in this area, and provide managers with more realistic expectations of employee performance in the workplace.