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The rise of emerging country multinationals (EMNEs) is opening new perspectives for the study of international operations management (IOM). Research may address issues which are inexistent when the object of study is longestablished developed country multinationals (DMNEs). One of the issues that may be noticed, and will be studied in this article, has to do with the design and implementation of new international operations networks. In contrast to DMNEs, internationalisation of EMNEs is strongly influenced by two further factors: country-of-origin effects and role in global production networks. Therefore, studies of EMNEs' international operations networks must embrace two other analytical levels besides the network level: the strategic level of the headquarters and the operational level of the subsidiaries. The analytical framework in this study has been developed through the use of constructs and concepts from both IOM and international business literatures. Such framework applied to three Brazilian multinationals leads to relevant insights on the internationalisation of EMNEs as well as the design and implementation of international operations networks for such late-moving firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional sources of sustainable competitive advantages are very rare in today's heterogeneous and hypercompetitive global business environment. This article identifies and illustrates three dynamic capabilities- sensing local opportunities, enacting global complementarities, and appropriating local value-by which MNEs are able to operate successfully across emerging and established markets. For MNEs in these markets, strategic agility is a meta-capability that enables them to create and deploy these three capabilities in a dynamic balance over time. Doing so demands embracing the tensions between these capabilities effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many manufacturing firms are expanding their global footprint to explore new opportunities for efficient and effective production. The strategic perspective on international manufacturing networks involves both the network level and the plant level. A key aspect is the relationship between the network and the role of plants. In this research, we investigate the relationship between the network and plant perspectives in international manufacturing networks. We use an embedded case study that includes five plants in two product networks over a period of three years. We analyse how changing the role of one plant affects the network as well as the roles of the other plants in the networks. We find that decisions on plant roles are, to a very high degree, network decisions and not decisions for individual plants. Based on the insights into the case study, we also develop a framework for mapping manufacturing networks, including market coverage, plant location and site competence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The authors examine whether U.S. multinational companies (MNCs) are distinctive in the degree to which they exert direct control over policy on human resources and employment relations (HR/ER) in their foreign subsidiaries. The results confirm the distinctiveness of U.S. MNCs in their greater degree of direct control of policy, compared not only with non-U.S. firms but with every other major nationality or national grouping of MNCs: France, Germany, the Nordic group, the rest of Europe, and Japan. U.S. control of HR/ER policy is greater not just in the aggregate, but for most individual items. Finally, while levels of control over subsidiaries vary among host countries studied (Canada, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom) the greater U.S. orientation to control relative to non- U.S. MNCs holds regardless of host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationships among employee representation, formal union status, and employer strategies within and across institutional regimes offer a variegated landscape in the context of globalization. Key questions remain as to the relative weight of macro- and micro-level influences on union status at subsidiaries of multinational companies (MNCs). This study analyzes data gathered through coordinated surveys of MNC subsidiaries in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom and tests the extent to which union status and double-breasting depend on home-country variation, host-country influences, and particular organizational characteristics. The authors find support for a combination of effects on both union status and double-breasting. Further analyses test explicit variations on union status within each host context and support arguments that effects depend on the particularities of national industrial relations regimes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors use comparable data on employment practices in multinationals located in four countries-Canada, Ireland, Spain, and the United Kingdom-to examine the question, How can we explain variation among national subsidiaries of MNCs in the extent and form of control on employment matters? In accounting for variation in both output and social control, the authors explore three potential influences: the functions of the national subsidiaries within the wider companies; the role of host country constraints; and the structures of the multinational, including the HR function. They examine the effect of each set of factors in the presence of the others, something that previous research has been unable to do, and show that each is a significant influence. Their study breaks new ground by investigating the functions of subsidiaries and the link with control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we explain how multinational enterprises (MNEs) respond to pressure to conform to their stakeholders' expectations for greater attention to corporate social responsibility (CSR). We invoke institutional theory to propose that mounting stakeholder pressure in an MNE's home country leads to the transfer of socially irresponsible practices from its headquarters to its overseas subsidiaries. This transfer is more pronounced when a subsidiary is apparently unconnected to an MNE, yet is controlled by an MNE's headquarters through the appointment of the subsidiary's board members; the institutional environment of the MNE's home country enforces compliance; and the degree of institutional enforcement, vigilance, and sanctions for noncompliance in the subsidiary's host country is low. Our hypotheses are empirically supported using panel data on 269 subsidiaries in 27 countries belonging to 110 MNEs from 22 countries. Results are robust to alternative measures, explanations, and sample. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unstated assumption in most business research is that a primary goal of managers is profit maximisation. Recently, managers have faced additional pressure to also address environmental issues, while maintaining profits. The literature (Russo, M. and Fouts, P., 1997. A resource-based perspective on corporate environmental performance and profitability. Academy of Management Journal, 40 (3), 534–559 and Pagell, M. and Gobeli, D., 2009. How plant managers' experiences and attitudes towards sustainability relate to operational performance. Production and Operations Management, 18 (3), 278–299) suggests these goals are compatible and that organisations can and indeed need to address environmental issues as part of their profit maximisation efforts. However, institutional theory suggests that managers may have other goals that drive their decisions, beyond the desire to maximise profits. This research explores two institutions, the nation or country and industry, and their effects on the decision to make environmental investments. The results indicate that managers do indeed respond to institutions when making these decisions and that in some countries there is a general level of underinvestment in the environment, which is likely harming both organisational and environmental outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the importance of dynamic capabilities in shaping the nature of international strategies of emerging market multinationals from mid-range economies. We argue that dynamic capabilities theory provides an insightful approach to understanding the internationalization of emerging market multinationals and their strategic choices. Drawing on dynamic capability theory and unpacking dynamic capabilities into four distinct but related dimensions or facets, we develop a typology of three internationalization strategies available to emerging market multinationals in their international expansion: sequential international ambidexterity (from exploitation to exploration, and vice versa) and structural international ambidexterity (simultaneous exploration and exploitation). Success factors associated with each of the ambidextrous internationalization strategies are also considered. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the dynamic capabilities framework for theoretical implications and fruitful areas for future research endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents primary data from the GLOBE study in Pakistan and compares them with secondary data from the 61 GLOBE societies, in an effort to increase the interest of scholars of cross-cultural management in Pakistan and also provide a practically useful overview for businesses. Results based on data collected from 152 middle managers using the original GLOBE research instruments indicate that Pakistani society exhibits high power distance and in-group collectivism but low assertiveness and gender egalitarianism. The results also indicate a desire to create a more egalitarian society; however, people appear to treasure the lack of assertiveness and high in-group loyalty. In light of these findings, the authors offer implications for management in Pakistan, in accordance with cross-cultural management literature. In-depth research within Pakistan, as well as comparative cross-national studies, are needed to develop a deeper understanding of the impact of the culture on human resource practices in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the role of entrepreneurial social and business networks in the internationalization of high-technology firms. The authors present case study evidence from born-global information and communication technology firms that shows that established and newly formed social networks can be instrumental in exploring internationalization opportunities. These social networks potentially lead to collaborative cooperation and form part of an entrepreneur's broader business network that facilitates exploitation of internationalization opportunities culminated by successful entry into foreign markets. The study incorporates contemporary literature and offers an internationalization opportunity exploration-exploitation model emanating from the entrepreneur's network configuration. In doing so, it takes a process approach and provides much needed qualitative evidence in network research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses strategic planning by international business enterprises and its relationship to environmental law and regulations in countries in which those companies operate. The challenge posed to international business enterprises by the widely varying stringency of such laws and regulations and their variability within specific countries due to political changes is acknowledged. International business enterprises in energy industries, the chemical industry, electronics industry and construction industry are examined for their environmental issues management. It is noted that the improvement of companies' environmental practices often involves a relatively low level of investment.

Market-based social governance schemes that establish standards of conduct for producers and traders in international supply chains aim to reduce the negative socio-environmental effects of globalization. While studies have examined how characteristics of social governance schemes promote socially responsible producer behavior, it has not yet been examined how these same characteristics affect consumer behavior. This is a crucial omission, because without consumer demand for socially produced products, the reach of the social benefits is likely to be limited. We develop a comprehensive model that links two characteristics of market-based social governance schemes—( 1 ) stringency and enforcement of requirements, and (2) promotion—to two conditions required for governance schemes to generate significant social benefits: (1) socially responsible behavior of participating firms; and (2) consumer demand for socially produced products which, in turn, expands products produced according to social governance schemes, and thus, the quantity of social benefits. We discuss market-based social governance schemes in the context of fair trade coffee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing attention to the role of social ties in emerging economies, few studies have explicitly distinguished the differential roles of business versus political ties. Drawing on relational governance and institutional theories, this study offers a contingent view of business and political ties in China. The findings from a survey of 241 Chinese firms indicate that business ties have a stronger positive effect on performance than political ties, and both effects depend on institutional and market environments. Business ties are more beneficial when legal enforcement is inefficient and technology is changing rapidly, whereas political ties lead to greater performance when general government support is weak and technological turbulence is low. These findings indicate that firms operating in China should be cautious in their use of business and political ties and adapt their tie utilization to changing institutional and market environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although firms from emerging markets are becoming significant global players, our knowledge about how these latecomers catch up with existing multinational firms remains limited. This article summarizes the patterns of internationalization strategies pursued by firms from these markets. These leading emerging markets firms can be best understood in terms of their levels of R&D intensity and marketing intensity and represent four types of firms: multinational challengers; global exporters and importers; OEM/ODM technology leaders and followers; and regional exporters and importers. Based on these analyses, this article develops a set of propositions that summarize the internationalization strategies of these firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores what it is that managers actually do to successfully lead IT-enabled change. It is based on a three-year case study of the practice of leading IT-enabled change inside the global telecommunications company Ericsson. This organization managed to successfully change their finance and accounting department from an independent structure of numerous local finance and accounting organizations with their own information systems and their own way of doing things into one interdependent global network of shared service centers enabled by a single information system. Based on this and other studies, this article develops a commonality framework for IT-enabled change, which offers important guidelines to improve managerial practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there are several studies on human resource management (HRM) at the inter-firm dyadic relationship level, the HR aspects of intra-firm strategic supply relationships have been largely ignored. Yet interdependence requires coordination among functions, sites, and stages of the internal supply chain (SC). Drawing on a case study of a large European pharmaceutical company, which we call Tyrenco, we explore how HR practices evolve within the strategic intra-firm supply relationship. Our findings illustrate the disruptive effects of HR practices when they are focused on site-based objectives and the improved coordination that results from redesigning HR processes to achieve internal operational integration. We highlight the tension between site-based, financial controls and an emergent SC logic. Drawing on recent interest in cooperative approaches to HR practices, this study seeks to operationalize the need to align HR practices with end-to-end objectives at different stages of the intra-firm supply chain. Our findings have practical implications for designing HR practices within multinational corporations (MNCs) that are characterized by complex and fragmented internal environments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors analyze data from two cross-national studies to explore differences in organizational buyers' normative expectations of supplier performance. These normative expectations encompass what buyers perceive as business standards or norms, regardless of product/service, supplier, or industry. The first study (four countries) pinpoints the normative expectations that help explain why managers across countries may evaluate the same supplier performance differently. The second study provides an illustrative example of these differences in a separate sample drawn from the same four countries. The inclusion of such normative expectations of supplier performance has the potential to add explanatory power to models of performance evaluation in international business-to-business relationships. The findings suggest that if differences in normative expectations of supplier performance are not taken into account, performance ratings may be distorted indicators of actual performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how multinational companies can manage their critical customer assets through key or strategic account management programs. The focus is on the challenges presented by international customers who are globalizing their procurement operations and on the implementation of global customer management (GCM) programs. The discussion includes the four categories of GCM programs which are pilot, dead-end, spring-board, and embedded. Organizational commitment to GCM is also discussed. The GCM programs developed by International Business Machines Corp. and Xerox Corp. are mentioned.

As business leaders increasingly understand the importance of effectively managing a global workforce, attention turns to the human resource (HR) function. But as HR groups focus largely on best practices, they lose sight of the constantly shifting demands of a global environment that requires next practices. We propose a new Dynamic HR framework that allows HR managers constantly to renew and reintegrate their practices throughout the organization in a way that focuses on flexible entrepreneurship and coordinated networking among dispersed HR managers. Such demands require HR managers who not only are connected with one another across the globe, but also are one step ahead of shifting local and global demands. Using practical examples from IBM, we discuss techniques that might help HR become more dynamic. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses partnerships between multinational corporations (MNCs) and nongovernmental organizations as related to global-level supply chains, examining the manner in which this alliance can include small-scale businesses in developing countries rather than excluding them. Sustainability standards set by NGOs that are meant to reform social and environmental norms can create barriers of entry for such small companies, the article indicates. Also discussed is how MNC-NGO alliances can include poor suppliers in the global supply chain.

I discuss the implications of postcolonial studies for examining and expanding the study of international management. First, I outline various debates and approaches within the postcolonial field. Following this, I summarize key theoretical concepts emanating from three seminal postcolonial scholars--Said, Spivak, and Bhabha--whose works have helped define the field. I rely on each of their lenses--Orientalism, gendered postcolonial subject, and hybridity, respectively--to discuss possibilities and new directions for international management research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multinational corporation's (MNC's) competitive advantage depends increasingly on control over intangible resources, such as knowledge and relational capital. Although prior research has suggested that cross-border knowledge transfer in MNCs is critical to their new product outcomes, the conditions under which such knowledge transfer can serve to induce positive outcomes remain unclear. This study builds on resource-based theory to suggest that knowledge and MNC network strength are the two critical firm resources individually and collectively influencing new product outcomes. Because MNCs are subject to the pressures on various environmental changes, the authors rely on the contingency theory to examine when knowledge transfer works in differential global market and technological turbulence. The results of a survey of MNC headquarters show that the impacts of cross-border knowledge transfer on new product outcomes are not always positive, depending on the levels of network strength and environmental turbulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global supply chain management presents some special challenges and issues for manufacturing companies in planning production: these challenges are different from those discussed in domestic production plans. Globally loading production among different plants usually involves substantial uncertainty and great risk because of uncertain market demand, fluctuating quota costs incurred in the global manufacturing process, and shortening lead times. This study proposes a dual-response production loading strategy for two types of plants—company-owned and contracted—to hedge against the short lead time and uncertainty, and to be as responsive and flexible as possible to cope with the uncertainty and risk involved. Three types of robust optimization models are presented: the robust optimization model with solution robustness, the robust optimization model with model robustness, and the robust optimization model with the trade-off between solution robustness and model robustness. A series of experiments are designed to test the effectiveness of the proposed robust optimization models. Compared with the results of the two-stage stochastic recourse programming model, the robust optimization models provide a more responsive and flexible system with less risk, which is particularly important in the current context of global competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section provides information on the international management research history of the Academy of Management Journal (AMJ). Several trends evident in past international management research are discussed, and the successful transition of AMJ from being primarily North American in focus to being a truly international journal is described. This transition is evident by the dramatic increase in international management research in the 1990s and the continuing growth in international management research in the first half-decade of the 21st century.

HR portals are complex information technology (IT) applications that can be accessed by all employees of a given organization. By placing more applications and information online, HR portals reduce the reliance employees have on HR personnel. Given this relational change, from human to computer, the HR portal implementation process must take into account the challenges of both change management and technology acceptance. By integrating change management theories with IT user acceptance models, this article adds to HR's collective knowledge of ways to effectively implement HR portals. In addition, this article describes the cross-national challenges that exist when a global firm attempts to implement an HR portal around the world. Thus, this article will present a model that (1) integrates change management theories and IT user acceptance models and (2) illustrates the ways in which change management plans may need to be adapted to be effective in various subsidiaries. A case study of Hewlett-Packard's (HP's) worldwide implementation of their @HP Employee Portal in the Italian subsidiary of HP illustrates the key issues of these theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internationalisation of large multinational retailers is well documented and much research attention has been given to their processes, motives and strategies for expansion. However, a successful international retailer does not necessarily have to be a large retailer. Dynamic smaller retailers with strong concepts, formats and products have shown themselves capable of rapid international growth. To date there has been a distinct lack of research on the internationalisation of small to medium-sized companies (SMEs) operating in the retail sector. Any discussion of SME internationalisation within the retail industry should recognise that research on large multinational corporations is not directly transferable to small and medium-sized firms who by their very nature and characteristics embrace a very different set of opportunities in the international market. To address this gap in research, this paper draws upon broader established international SME and entrepreneurship literatures to provide a framework for examining some of the key aspects of the internationalisation of retail SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How likely are multinational enterprises (MNEs) to use expatriate parent country nationals to staff culturally distant subsidiaries? How does their employment affect subsidiary performance? The agency theory prediction is that MNEs will rely more heavily on parent country nationals as cultural distance increases and that this reliance will weaken over time. Both agency theory and the "resource-based view" suggest that a positive effect of expatriate staffing on subsidiary performance increases with cultural distance but decreases over time. Results largely supported the predictions in data on Japanese foreign subsidiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1995, the World Trade Organization bound member countries to new standards of foreign trademark protection. Developed countries were given a year to bring their national trademark regimes into compliance. Other countries were allowed from 5 to 11 years. In the past 7 years, governments have taken many steps to reach compliance. Nonetheless, many countries fall short of the envisaged global norm. To better understand the challenges of the past several years, the authors focus on the state of national trademark regimes on the eve of the establishment of the World Trade Organization. The authors particularly address how contagion influence, resource constraints, and xenophobia affected treaty participation, domestic trademark law, application processing, and the relative treatment of foreign and domestic applications. The authors analyze data for 62 countries, which suggest that distinct patterns of foreign trademark protection existed for developed countries, newly industrialized countries, less developed countries, and transitional economies. The authors explain the managerial implications of these findings and argue that there is evidence that countries are moving toward global norms in trademark protection. However, an international treaty is the beginning, not the end, of this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the nature and extent of organizational change in the context of globalization through a longitudinal matched-pair analysis of two leading pharmaceutical companies. The structures of common process in each firm were empirically characterized over time. Findings suggest that MNCs respond to complex global competitive environments by increasing internal structural complexity, a systematically differentiated structural response to relevant process subenvironments. Though supporting the existence of characteristics associated with projected MNC models, the study showed systematic variations in these characteristics across internal structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core competency theory is used to develop a framework to analyse how firms' leverage their resources meets the demands of international competition. Key competencies for services differ from those used in product marketing and include nurturing, empowerment, operating, data management, new service development, alliancing, communication, and market sensing. A framework for strategic analysis using service competencies and a perceptual grid is developed and illustrated with data from an international market. The grid maps the current marketplace in terms of both positive and negative determinant resources and facilitates the development of new strategic moves. The paper yields fresh insights into strategic marketing for high-service industries with multinational competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores how emerging market service firms, operating in developed markets, approach human resource management (HRM). Data analyzed in this article were drawn from a longitudinal case study of the Australian subsidiary of a Chinese multinational bank. We find that subsidiary HRM follows host country and global best practices. However, the way that this hybrid HRM system was implemented shows traces of Chinese origin. A key finding from this study is that although our case bank officially adopted a polycentric approach to subsidiary staffing, employing host country nationals, the subsidiary predominantly employed locals with a Chinese ethnic background. We also find the case bank's strategy in international HRM has evolved from a focus on localization to global standardization. This global standardization, however, is shaped in line with global best practices rather than home country management model. These findings highlight the need for future studies to adopt a more nuanced approach to examining international HRM strategies, especially when analyzing host country effect or localization strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Engineering operations contribute to international manufacturing networks (IMN) capabilities and thus improving their performance in an international context. The literature has recognized engineering networks (EN) with different strategic orientations (e.g. efficiency, innovation and flexibility); explored IMN capabilities in four key areas (i.e. accessibility, thriftiness ability, manufacturing mobility and learning ability); but provided diverse views on their possible connections. Especially, the received wisdom offers less guidance on how EN may enhance IMN capabilities. At the same time, the challenges of making effective decisions at the EN-IMN interface are compounded by a large number of influencing factors that are interrelated in a very complex manner. To cope with these challenges, the article reveals four ways that EN may contribute to IMN capabilities, identifies 15 key influencing factors and suggests optimal paths to enhance IMN capabilities based on the interpretive structure model (ISM) method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the network synergies available from the configuration of highly dispersed, global production networks (GPNs). Synergy theory from the literature on intra-firm and inter-firm GPNs is examined in terms of drivers, mechanisms and outcomes. An explanatory model is developed and enriched via a series of extended case studies of firms undertaking re-configuration of their GPNs during the period 2003–2014. The primary finding is that firms create synergy in their GPNs by selecting specific configuration mechanisms, in response to a certain set of external drivers, in order to achieve certain synergistic outcomes. The paper classifies the main types of drivers, mechanisms and outcomes in terms of key variables and discusses their inter-connections and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of this article are to provide a brief overview of the research on international manufacturing networks (IMNs), identify corresponding gaps and provide background for the papers published in this special issue. First, this article shows the importance of addressing the management of IMNs, especially in times of global turbulence as a result of new economic, political and technological trends. Second, it highlights research into the management of IMNs as a missing link in the Operations Management (OM) discipline, as most of the current OM research neglects the fact that the internal structures and relationships of multi-plant organizations inside firms play a critical role in how a supply chain/network operates and relies mostly on scholars in other fields for insights into high-level and strategic issues in the management of global operations. Finally, this article argues there is still a lot to do in order to develop new theories towards the total management of global networks that can holistically analyze different global (intra- and inter-firm multi-functional) networks and address the complex interdependencies between them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promotion planning is difficult in lesser-developed countries because of a lack of marketing information and the wide range of consumer sophistication. The correlation between buying experience of consumers and their proximity to urban environments provides marketers with opportunities to target messages. This article contrasts promotion strategies used in urban, urban/suburban, and urban/suburban/rural areas. Also presented is an analysis of likely primary and support promotions used in each market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Written by several executives of the International Advertising Association, "The Global Challenge to Advertising" was first made public at the 23rd IAA World Congress in Dublin in early June of 1973. The study, with detailed examples from many areas, brings into focus the two main currents of world-wide opposition to advertising: mounting consumer dissatisfaction with product quality and claims, and increasing government regulation and control of advertising. It is reprinted here by permission of the International Advertising Association, 475 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the conflict between cultural heritage and the current forces of global competition in Europe. The nature of management in European organizations is in a state of transition, influenced by competing forces of economic, social, and political integration or disintegration. A review of European research is used to question the idealistic picture of the Single European Market as a unifying force that will simplify international human resource management in multinationals. Taking a comparative rather than international human resource management perspective, the paper identifies the factors that have created national patterns of HRM within Europe. A dynamic and comparative force field framework of HRM is developed in order to understand the managerial frames of reference that are currently guiding the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the future roles of human resource (HR) management in respect to globalization. The author notes that there seems to be a wide-ranging agreement among HR scholars and practitioners alike that HR in the future will be increasingly global. Firms competing in the global environment are facing a multitude of new demands on their organizations and people, often being pushed simultaneously in several contradictory directions.

This article discusses the future of human resources (HR) in an era of rapidly emerging information technology and globalization. The author suggests that these factors are requiring HR departments to design new agendas and focus on new practices. The author examines how globalization and new technology are driving this trend by increasing competition and reducing the pool of available skilled labor and discusses how agendas and practices are shifting to adapt to these changes.