ABSTRACT
Multinational enterprises that operate in Latin America must recognize several contextual factors that influence organizational practices and behaviors. There is a need for both centralization and local responsiveness (Bartlett and Goshal, 2002); therefore, organizations must compromise the cost savings associated with generalizing a practice in a region with the greater degree of local responsiveness. Although this is true for many business practices, the management of human capital is subject to localized needs in greater detail than other business functions. In particular, a major concern for both organizations and their employees is the physical and psychological well-being of this human capital. Universally, unsafe work conditions affect the well-being of employees, but dealing with national context reveals the importance of localizing the implementation of risk management and prevention systems.
