Huub Ruël - Böcker

Organizations have increasingly been introducing web-based applications for HRM purposes, and these are frequently labeled as electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM). Much is expected of e-HRM in terms of improving the quality of HRM, increasing its contribution to company performance and freeing staff from administrative loads. The editors of this volume have been involved in a series of research projects, academic workshops, and conferences exploring the application of information technologies to various HR practices. Along with the "Special Issues of the International Journal of HRM", "International Journal of Technology and Human Interactions", and "International Journal of Training and Development", this volume is a tangible outcome of three European e-HRM Academic Workshops (2006, 2008, 2010), and two International Workshops on Human Resource Management (2007 and 2008). "Electronic HRM in Theory and Practice" brings a greater focus to the theoretical developments within the field of e-HRM research and clarifies the need to crystallize a theoretical framework for e-HRM research, raises further questions, and supports discussions.

International Business is vital to nations, to their economies. It brings wealth, it creates jobs, it opens views, it changes mindsets, and it creates economic and social stability. International Relations is important to nations too. It establishes relationships between nations, it exchanges political views between nations, it creates stability. International Business and International Relations are intertwined empirically as politicians need to boost economies through supporting entrepreneurship, international entrepreneurs need politicians and government representatives to get access to foreign markets, to deal with legal issues across borders. Commercial diplomacy is at the heart of the intersection between International Business and International Relations. Narrowly conceived, commercial diplomacy is the work of state officials in diplomatic service who carry out activities that support International Business. This book changes the conversation by studying the International Business - government relationship at the meso (organisational) and micro (individual) level, rather than focusing on the macro (national) level. This book aims to advance studies of commercial diplomacy by combing insights from two fields of study that to date have hardly spoken to each other. It brings insights from International Relations (and in particular the sub-field diplomatic studies) about the theory and practice of commercial diplomacy and it brings insights from business studies about the theory and practice of International Business. Combining the two, the book defines the field by being more holistic, it brings together in one place a thorough review of existing analysis of the subject from both fields, it outlines the basics of a new conceptual framework, it presents new empirical work based on data collected in five different countries (from the US to Indonesia), and puts forward a new research agenda.

Trade missions are a key commercial diplomacy instrument of governments around the world. Via trade missions, governments and politicians aim to promote their home country economy abroad as well as to support firms to explore and enter new markets. Despite its widespread usage, and the claims made by governments about the positive results of trade missions, actual robust evidence of trade mission effectiveness is scarce. The reason for this lack of evidence is that trade missions are mostly studied and organized in ‘isolation’, disconnected from the participating firms’ level of international experience and international business competences. This book presents a clear view on commercial diplomacy and defines trade missions as a firm internationalization learning experience. It outlines that trade mission's preparation, programme, and follow up, are key to making trade missions work. This book presents a research informed three-staged model of a trade mission and presents in detail how a real life trade mission was organized along this model. This example should inform and inspire organizers of trade missions. The book also aims to revamp and innovate trade mission research, and will therefore be a useful source for new trade mission research for international business scholars.

The HRM field is entering smart businesses where the human,digital and high-tech dimensions seem to increasingly converge, and HRM needsto anticipate its own smart future. Technological developments andinterconnectedness with and through the Internet (often called the “Internet ofThings”) set new challenges for the HRM function. Smartness enacted by HRMprofessionals – notions of “smart industries”, “smart things” and “smartservices” – all put new pressures on strategic HRM. Since the 1990s,organisations have increasingly been introducing electronic Human ResourceManagement (e-HRM), with the expectation of improving the quality of HRM andincreasing its contribution to firm performance. These beliefs originate fromideas about the endless possibilities of information technologies (IT) infacilitating HR practices, and about the infinite capacity of HRM to adopt IT.This book focuses on the progression from e-HRM to digital (d-HRM) –towards smart HRM. It also raises several important questions that businessesand scholars are confronted with: What kind of smart solution can and will HRMoffer to meet the expectations of thelatest business developments? Can HRM become smart and combinedigitisation, automation and a network approach? How do businesses futureprooftheir HRM in the smart era? What competences do employees need to ensurebusinesses flourish in smart industries? With rapid technological developments and ever-greater automation andinformation available, the HRM function needs to focus on non-routine andcomplex, evidence-based and science-inspired, and creative and value-addedprofessionally demanding tasks.

Multinational enterprises (MNEs) experienced ‘golden days’ during the 1990s and 2000s, they expanded globally and were major players in globalization. Today they have become powerful actors in the global economy. CEOs of international businesses are welcomed by heads of state as their counterparts, they are invited by governments to help solve global issues such as climate change and poverty, and they are facing dilemmas comparable to those of other international actors. However, MNEs are facing global legitimacy challenges. They are suspected of tax avoidance, using low wage countries for corporate benefits only, disrespecting privacy regulations, abusing consumer data, violating local community rights, exploiting natural resources, ignoring basic human rights, and employing too many lobbyists targeting national and international political decision-making processes for their own corporate interests. Although many of these challenges are not new, they have resurfaced and become more apparent during the past couple of years, partly due to the economic recession that many developed economies have faced and to the broader awareness of increasing global inequality and the importance of sustainability. How can international business respond? Strategic business diplomacy may be the answer. Business diplomacy involves developing strategies for long-term, positive relationship building with governments, local communities, and interest groups, aiming to establish and sustain legitimacy and to mitigate the risks arising from all non-commercial or exogenous factors in the global business environment.  Business diplomacy is different from lobbying or strategic political activity; it implies an (strategic / holistic) approach of an international business to look at itself as an actor in the international diplomatic arena. Representation, communication and negotiation are key in such an approach.One of the consequences is that MNEs are able to operate in and show respect for an international business environment that consists of multiple stakeholders. This demands a strategic perspective and vision on the sector and the business environments in which the company wants to operate, and requires a specific set of instruments, skills and competences.

The hospitality industry relies on the sourcing and development of talent to deliver excellent customer experiences and interactions in a 24/7 environment. Talent Management Innovations in the International Hospitality Industry explores both research and practical perspectives on contemporary talent management, presenting a diverse range of stakeholder views in a variety of international hospitality settings.This collection circumnavigates a wide range of subjects within the talent management field, including employer branding, creative talent, talent pools, and mentoring initiatives, along with a focus on talent identification, development, and retention.The new insights aid academics and professionals in gaining a greater understanding of the multifaceted nature of talent management in this people-centric industry and offers a comprehensive set of evidence-based research and practical examples of talent management innovation in the international hospitality industry.

Over the past two decades, increasing attention has been paid to the concept of business diplomacy. This is becoming more important for multinational corporations (MNCs) as they deal with an increasingly demanding and dynamic international business arena. Despite the growing literature on this phenomenon, there is no sound theory-based business diplomacy model that can help to understand MNCs' relationship-building activities in the global society and provide a normative, moral guide for MNCs on how to conduct business diplomacy successfully.In Business Diplomacy by Multinational Corporations, Huub Ruël turns to Catholic Social Thought (CST), an intellectual tradition extending back 2000 years that promotes the key principles of human dignity, the common good, solidarity and subsidiarity. According to CST, a business is a community of people and its purpose is to serve the common good. This clearly diverges from the dominant shareholder view of business and CST provides a basis for a normative business diplomacy model. This in turn provides a clear, distinctive instrument for MNCs to reflect on their purpose and role in the global society while also guiding and directing their relationship-building actions with other actors in the global society.This book is essential reading for researchers studying ethics and morality from an international business viewpoint.