What are the main difficulties faced by multinational firms in developing their international managers? Suggest how management should respond.

Essay by liuf55University, Master'sB, February 2005

download word file, 8 pages 3.0

Downloaded 379 times

'Currently, the topic of human resource management (HRM) has become one of the most documented in the management literature'. (Schuler & Jackson, 1999). Moreover, the increased level of globalisation and internationalisation of business, the growth of new markets, such as in Eastern Europe, China, India, South East Asia, and Latin America, and an increased level of competition among firms at both national and international level has resulted in an increase in comparative HRM studies. (Budhwar & Sparrow, 2002).

For organisational global strategies to be successful, developing international managers is essential to achieve the goal, because they play a vital role in crucial competition. For example, managers (top management) construct the strategies which the organisation will carry out, and the implementation of the firm's policies. Baron and Kreps (1999) states 'company policy including human resource is best done at least the participation of line managers in the field.' Therefore, HRM to developing international managers, whether they come from parent, host or third party countries, has a strong linkage to corporate strategy, organisational behaviour, and management.

However, there are numerous problems to develop international managers. Hence, in this essay, difficulties in cultural differences, managing host country manager and building corporate language will be analysed, thereafter relative response will be suggested.

Firstly, taking an overview to the difficulties in developing international managers, the significant issue is high rate failure, which is mainly concerned in confusing and misunderstanding local culture. An explicit description of culture can be identified as the differences among art, literature, symbol, and food etc. Simultaneously a subjective culture might be concerned in believes, attitude and value. 'Characteristic of culture is so subtle a process that one is not always conscious of its effect on values, attitudes, and behaviours' (Warner, 1993). There is a misleading assumption that it is...