International HRM — Winter 2025

ALL 7 Questions must be Compulsory.

PCN; HCN; TCN with suitable examples

Outsourcing Vs Offshoring with examples

Expatriate Vs Inpatriate Vs Non-Expatriate

Social dumping with examples

Ethnorelativism

Matrix structure

Equity & Non-equity cross-border alliance

Define IHRM & Briefly discuss the similarities and differences between Domestic and IHRM

State various Staffing Approaches in IHRM. What factors determine the choice of a staffing approach? Would MNE choose the same staffing approach worldwide? Place your arguments in the context of the model outlining determinants of staffing choices

What is your understanding on Expatriate failure? What can be various reasons associated with failures? Should MNEs be concerned about such failures? If so? Then Why?

Briefly discuss various types of international assignments that are given to Expatriates, Non-expatriates and Inpatriate and Roles they are supposed to play to deal with an International Assignment

Do you consider Dual Career couple as one of the challenges to IHRM? According to you, what are various challenges associated with dual career couples? What strategies can be used to break the expatriate glass ceiling?

Evaluate global HRM practices in terms of ethics, relevance of performance management, and their alignment with organizational strategy Page 1 of

Briefly explain various factors associated with the performance appraisal programme of Expatriate and Non-expatriate employees

Discuss the major components and approaches with its merits and demerits of an International Compensation Program.

Assume you are the HR Director for a SME that has begun to use international assignments. You are considering using an external consulting firm to provide Pre- Departure training for employees, as you do not have the resources to provide this ‘in- house’. What components will you need covered? How will you measure the effectiveness of the Pre-Departure training program provided by this external consultant?

What is Repatriation Process? What are the major factors that influence repatriate adjustments?

In what ways can Trade Unions constrain the strategic choices of Multinational? How have Trade Unions responded to MNEs? Have these responses been successful? Page 2 of

Case Study GlobalTech Solutions, a multinational IT and consulting company headquartered in the United States, operates in over 30 countries, employing more than 25,000 people. Over the past decade, GlobalTech expanded rapidly into Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe. While its global growth has brought new business opportunities, it has also created significant International Human Resource Management (IHRM) challenges. Recently, GlobalTech faced difficulties managing its international workforce, especially in its new subsidiaries in India, Germany, and South Africa. The company followed a policy of staffing key managerial positions with expatriates from the U.S. to maintain consistency in corporate culture and control. However, this approach soon began to backfire. In India, expatriate managers struggled with cultural adaptation. Many employees felt that the U.S.-based managers did not understand local work values or communication styles. Employee turnover rose by 20% within two years, as local staff felt undervalued and ignored in decision-making. Moreover, the expatriate failure rate increased — several managers returned home early, citing family adjustment issues and dissatisfaction with local living conditions. In Germany, issues of autonomy and work-life balance emerged. German managers expected high levels of independence, but the American headquarters insisted on strict adherence to standardized global policies. This clash led to frustration, decreased motivation, and strained relations between the headquarters and the German subsidiary. Meanwhile, in South Africa, GlobalTech faced ethical and diversity-related challenges. The company’s hiring and promotion practices were perceived as not aligning with local labor laws and post-apartheid employment equity standards. Local employees accused the firm of cultural insensitivity and lack of representation of historically disadvantaged groups. This created reputational risks and triggered an investigation by the local labor authority. GlobalTech’s HR department found itself overwhelmed. It became clear that a “one- size-fits-all” approach to managing human resources across different countries was not sustainable. The company needed to balance global integration with local responsiveness — a key tension in IHRM. Senior management began reconsidering its staffing policies, compensation systems, and cross-cultural training programs. The HR Director proposed a new “glocal” HR strategy: decentralizing some HR functions to local subsidiaries, increasing the use of local talent in leadership positions, and introducing intercultural competence training for both expatriates and local employees. However, some executives worried that such decentralization might reduce control and weaken the company’s global identity. GlobalTech now faces critical decisions about how to redesign its international HR practices to improve global performance while respecting local differences.