International Human Resource Management 7th Edition by Peter Dowling Solution manual

management and reviewing the evolution of these assignments to reflect increasing
diversity with regard to what constitutes international work and the type and length
of international assignments.
  Getting acquainted with the differences between domestic and international human
resource management and detailing a model that summarizes the variables that
moderate these differences.
  Understanding the complexity of IHRM and the increasing potential for challenges
to existing IHRM practices and current models, and developing an increasing
awareness of the wide number of choices within IHRM practices due to increased
transparency and the faster and more detailed diffusion of these practices across
organizational units and firms.
Chapter Summary: 2 2
The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the emerging field of international
HRM. This is achieved by:
  Defining key terms in IHRM and considering several definitions.
  Introducing the historically significant issue of expatriate assignment management
and reviewing the evolution of these assignments to reflect increasing diversity with
regard to what constitutes international work and the type and length of
international assignments.
  Outlining the differences between domestic and international human resource
management by looking at six factors (more HR activities; the need for a broader
perspective; more involvement in employees’ personal lives; changes in emphasis
based on variances in the workforce mix of expatriates and locals; risk exposure;
and more external influences) and detailing a model which summarizes the variables
that moderate these differences.
  Presenting the complexity of IHRM, the increasing potential for challenges to
existing IHRM practices and current models, and developing an increasing
awareness of the wide number of choices within IHRM practices due to increased
transparency and the faster and more detailed diffusion of these practices across
organizational units and firms.
We conclude that the complexity involved in operating in different countries and employing
different national categories of employees is a key variable in differentiating between domestic
and international HRM, rather than any major differences between the HR activities performed.
We also discuss four other variables that moderate differences between domestic and
2 Bullet points in the chapter summaries include important parts taken from the lecture, which
are covered by the PowerPoint materials provided to instructors.
international HRM: the cultural environment; the industry (or industries) with which the
multinational is primarily involved; the extent to which a multinational relies on its home
country’s domestic market; and the attitudes of senior management. These five variables are
shown in Figure 1.3. Finally, we discuss a strategic HRM model applied in multinational
enterprises (Figure 1.4), which draws together a number of external and organizational factors
that impact on IHRM strategy and practice and in turn on MNE goals.
Links to other chapters:
This introductory chapter provides the basis for all the other chapters. The definitions and
understanding of the differences between HRM and international HRM described herein are key
to understanding the other chapters of the book.
Discussion Questions:
1. What are the main similarities and differences between domestic and international
HRM?
This question is addressed in ‘Defining international HRM’ (pp. 2-3) and ‘Differences
between domestic and international HRM’ (pp. 4-5):
  HRM = ‘[...] those activities undertaken by an organization to utilize its human
resources effectively’ (p. 2), including at least: human resource planning, staffing
(recruitment, selection, placement), performance management, training and
development, compensation (remuneration) and benefits, and industrial relations
(similarities between domestic and international HRM).
Differences:
  Domestic HRM involves employees working within only one national boundary.
  IHRM also includes aspects pertaining to the national or country categories involved
in international HRM activities (the host country where a subsidiary may be located,
the parent country where the firm is headquartered, and ‘other’ countries that may
be the source of labor, finance, and other inputs), as well as the three categories of
employees of an international firm (host country nationals, parent country
nationals, and third country nationals).
  In IHRM, staff are moved across national boundaries into various roles within the