ABSTRACT
In this chapter we combine ideas from human resource management (HRM), marketing, organisational theory and communications to show how employer branding might work in theory and practice in multinational enterprises (MNEs). In so doing, we hope to make a contribution to the research-practice gap in this field by showing how employer branding has become an essential element in global talent management. We have amended and developed our previous context, content and process framework of employer branding by linking it to signalling theory and incorporating new ideas on organisational identity and employee engagement. We illustrate certain features of our revised framework drawing on a case study of employer branding in the global motor vehicles industry. The case shows how Volvo Cars is developing a sophisticated approach to employer branding and talent management by drawing on subtle story-telling through social media and evaluating its impact using ‘big data’. Our key conclusions for theory and practice in the field of talent management in MNEs is to highlight the importance of signalling theory and identity theory as important frameworks for developing more sophisticated models of HR and global talent management.
