ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the options for staffing foreign operations, including parent country nationals (PCNs), host-country nationals (HCNs), and third-country nationals (TCNs). It expresses that all human resource managers are global in form. They hire foreign nationals, use multicultural teams, and compete with other multinationals in their local markets. Among other things, those who work in international human resource management (IHRM) must grapple with a wider variety of legal and economic systems, a more diverse mix of employees, and a larger portfolio of human resource functions and activities. Quality human resource management can be a real competitive advantage—one that could be more difficult for competition to duplicate than even an advantage gained from buying technology or securing capital. The breadth of staffing options used by multinationals is often a function of how much revenue they earn abroad as well as practical and strategic issues. The chapter presents a brief discussion about international career paths.
