۱- Introduction

۲- Methods of data collection and analysis

۳- Key findings

۴- Research on HRM in MNCs: the state of key debates

۵- Discussion and avenues for future research

۶- Conclusions

References

Abstract

This article reviews the present state of research on multinational corporations (MNCs) in the international human resource management (IHRM) literature. Drawing on 342 articles from 39 English journals in the business and management field published over the period of 2000–۲۰۱۴, we identify three key strands within this section of the IHRM scholarly field (MNC country of origin/domicile effects; expatriate management; and, intra-organizational knowledge and strategy flows). Building up on our detailed assessment of trends in the literature based on a systematic review, we propose areas where the field could be developed and extended through drawing on insights from, and building synthesis with, cognate fields. We conclude that major developments on the ground – the increasing numbers of unskilled expatriate workers, the rise of MNCs from emerging markets, and the growth of transnational alternative investors – have the potential to transform the field of enquiry, yet are only starting to appear in the IHRM literature. In developing new major areas of enquiry – and in extending existing ones – insights may be drawn from the literature on comparative institutional analysis to take fuller account of trans-national actors.

Introduction

There is now a substantial body of research on human resource management (HRM) in multinational corporations (MNCs) as a result of individual and collective efforts from scholars in the field of international HRM (IHRM) since the mid-1980s. A number of review studies have also been conducted by leading scholars that provide insightful evaluations of the field in terms of thematic foci, analytical approaches and research gaps (e.g., Björkman & Welch, 2015; Brewster, Mayrhofer, & Smale, 2016; Cooke, Veen, & Wood, 2017; De Cieri, Cox, & Fenwick, 2007; Schuler, Budhwar, & Florkowski, 2002; Scullion & Paauwe, 2004). A major critique from earlier scholarly reviews is that research in IHRM, or more specifically, HRM in MNCs, has for too long focused rather narrowly on expatriate management (e.g., De Cieri et al., 2007). Other key concerns in the literature have been the effect of contextual circumstances (culture and institutions), and intra-organizational ties and knowledge flows. An emerging and open-ended challenge is broadening the scope of the traditionally quite closely circumscribed debates, opening the potential for more holistic and integrated accounts. However, the majority of the scholarly reviews of HRM in MNCs studies were based on the rich knowledge of the authors in the field or focused on particular aspects, often certain HRM functions, as the main focus of the review (see Table 1 for a summary).