Human resource management in foreign-owned subsidiaries: China versus India

Ingmar Björkman, Pawan S. Budhwar, Adam Smale, Jennie Sumelius

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study examines the HRM practices and the role played by the HR department in foreign-owned units located in China and India. The study of 170 Western-owned subsidiaries analyses the extent to which the HRM practices associated with the local professionals and managerial-level employees resemble those of local firms versus those of the (main) Western parent organization, and investigates the degree to which the unit's HR department was perceived to play a strategic role. The results indicate clear differences between HRM characteristics in Western-owned units in China and India, and suggest that the use of expatriates and the background of the HR managers are important determinants of subsidiary HRM.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)964-978
Number of pages15
JournalInternational Journal of Human Resource Management
Volume19
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - May 2008

Keywords

  • China
  • global standardization
  • HR department
  • human resource management
  • HRM
  • India
  • local adaptation
  • multinational corporations
  • strategic
  • subsidiaries

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