Unravelling Home and Host Country Effects: An Investigation of the HR Policies of an American Multinational in Four European Countries

The issue of employment relations in the foreign operations of US-owned multinational corporations (MNCs) has attracted the attention of researchers for many years. The extensive literature has pointed to MNCs of American origin being more standardised, formalised and centralised in international policy making when compared with those of other nationalities (cf. Harzing 1999; Negandhi 1986; Young et al 1985; Yuen and Kee 1994). It has also indicated that US MNCs are particularly hostile to collective worker representation, and more likely to deploy HRM practices such as direct forms of employee involvement (cf. Dunning 1998; Enderwick 1985; for a review, see Edwards and Ferner 2002).