International Human Resource Management
Full course description
This course explores the importance of international business management in the context of international human resource management, including topics on culture, compensation and benefits, international organisations and their structures, international assignment management and the legal and regulatory considerations that global organizations face. This course will help students identify differences in operating a domestic versus and international business and how business practices will need to be adapted to operate successfully in foreign markets.
The following topics will be presented (starting literature):
- Globalization of HR Management (Briscoe, ch. 1)
- Creating the international organization: Strategy and structure (Briscoe, ch. 2)
- International HRM and culture (Briscoe, ch. 3)
- Sourcing HR for global markets – Staffing, recruitment, and selection (Dowling, ch. 5)
- International training and development and careers (Dowling, ch. 7)
- International industrial relations (Dowling, ch. 9)
- Global compensation, benefits, and taxes (Briscoe, ch. 7)
- International employee performance management (Briscoe, ch. 8)
The final assessment for this course is a numerical grade between 0,0 and 10,0.
Course objectives
Students will gain knowledge by actively participating in the presentation of the different topics. Students will be provided with empirical results from the most recent relevant scientific literature as well as textbooks on International HRM (e.g., Briscoe et al., Dowling et al.). Additionally, students will be responsible for running interactive sessions with their fellow students about selected topics under guidance of the professor. Students will benefit from academic and training feedback from the professor as well as from their fellow students. Students learn how to identify the most recent peer-reviewed literature using databases, e.g., Web of Knowledge, PsychInfo etc.
The objective of this course is to help students gain insight into and appreciation for the complexities and differences of operating a business in an international context as it applies to HRM. Upon completion of this course, the students will gain an understanding of the:
1. Various facets of the IHRM function, including:
- Global workforce planning
- International assignee selection and management
- Performance management
- Compensation and benefits
- Training, teams and management development
2. Legal and regulatory environment and implications of operating in an international organization:
- International laws and regulations,
- Extra-territorial US laws
- Important foreign laws, including specific EU requirements
- Regulatory bodies
- International ethics
3. The intricacies of global organizations:
- International orientation and strategies along with modes of entry
- Organizational design and structure
- Cultural implications and differences
- Global HR structure and support
In interactive course sessions, Students will improve their social competencies by critically discussing and presenting latest cutting edge research. Students will learn social competencies in face-to-face interactions and presentations.