American multinationals in Europe : managing employment relations across national borders / edited by Phil Almond and Anthony Ferner ; with contributions by Phil Almond ... [et al.]

Some of the key questions in employment relations, comparative business, and globalization revolve around the extent to which businesses embody a national business system, and what happens when these employment models are exported to other national settings. By exploring the variety of ways in which US multinationals deal with these issues, and their reception, when operating in Europe, the editors and the contibutors examine the interaction between globalization and national 'varieties of capitalism'. Using findings of a four-year international exploration of the management of employment relations in US multinationals in the UK, Germany, Ireland and Spain, this book examines what is distinctively 'American' about these companies, and how this notion is exportes. The process is shown to be one that is not a technical managerial one, but one that is highly political, and 'negotiated', in which groups and individuals at different levels within the company try to influence the terms of transfer. These questions are not only of theorerical importance, but also of practical significance in terms of the transfer of management knowledge and 'best practice'. The book will be of interest to academics, researchers, and advanced students of HRM, international Business, and Organization Studies, as well as HR practitioners concerned with US multinationals operating in Europe.