ABSTRACT
These chapters set the scene for International Human Resource Management: Policies and Practices for Multinational Enterprises, 4th Edition and explain why international human resource management is important for the success of international business. Together they describe the important components of the strategic context within which international human resource management policies and practices are designed and implemented. Each of these components represents an important part of the strategic context that determines the nature of IHRM. Chapter 1 describes the content and importance of international human resource management practices and policies. Chapter 2 links these international human resource management practices and policies to a multinational enterprise’s (MNEs) business strategy. Chapter 3 describes the various choices MNEs have in the ways they divide themselves across geographically dispersed units around the world and the implications for the design and implementation of international human resource management practices and policies. Chapter 3 also describes the various structure options available to the MNE in combining those geographically dispersed units and the implications for the design and implementation of international human resource policies and practices. Finally, Chapter 4 describes the role of international human resource management practices and policies in three unique international structures of MNEs: International Mergers and Acquisitions, International Joint Ventures, and International Alliances.
