This course builds on the foundations of human resource (HR) and employment relations (ER) ideas by considering what the HRER concept actually means in different countries around the world. As companies and organizations become increasingly international, national culture and institutions can often stand in the way of a seamless progression of HR and ER across national boundaries. The extent of globalization today means that we do not have to be an international manager to experience its effects – our domestic organizations are also becoming increasingly diverse as the flow of business, money and people increases across national boundaries.

From a cultural perspective, the course therefore explores how people in different countries see themselves and others around them, and how expectations, values and beliefs can differ. From an institutional perspective, we will explore how national level legislation, state intervention, trade union influence, and the respective power of shareholders versus stakeholders all impact on patterns of HR and ER practices in different countries. This builds the foundation for understanding International HR/ER.

Ultimately, the course builds on this foundation and investigates how multinational organizations are managing their way through this complexity, making strategic choices in international HR/ER to ensure they achieve the ultimate balancing act of thinking global but acting local. Multiple perspectives are considered to find an answer to the question of whether there is one best way of achieving this balance for superior firm performance. In addition, you will have the chance to explore the impact of internationalization on HR/ER professionals and the HR/ER function itself.

After successfully completing this course, you will be able to:

• Comprehend the diversity of HR/ER in an international context and the key HR/ER challenges facing organizations working internationally.


• Define cross-cultural management, comparing the impact of national culture on how individuals react to HR/ER interventions in different countries.


• Define comparative HR/ER, comparing the impact of national institutions on designing HR/ER policies and practices in different countries.


• Define strategic International HR/ER, distinguishing the linkage between corporate internationalization strategies and international HR/ER strategies, and recognizing how multinational organizations manage the global-local dilemma.


• Identify the impact of internationalization on the role of HR/ER professionals in multinational organizations.


• Apply the outcomes of all of the above objectives to their own work situation.

Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can

• access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
• borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
• get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
• much more. 

Key Terms
Several content lessons in the course include a list of key terms. As you progress through the course readings, create a checklist of key terms and definitions where appropriate for each lesson for your own use, to make sure you understand their meanings. Some terms will appear in the lesson quizzes.

Quizzes
Each content lesson in the course includes a quiz. You may take each quiz only ONCE and graded feedback is immediate. The purpose of the quiz is to ensure you have grasped some of the core concepts of the lesson.

• Discussion forum assignments: questions will be posted and you will be graded on the level of insight in your response and the quality of discussion your response generates amongst participants.
• Drop box assignments: you will be asked to submit a short essay in response to a question or activity you have been asked to address. This will be graded by the instructor.
• Case studies: you will be given a short scenario from a company setting (either by video or in text) and will be asked to answer a number of questions about what the company is doing to address a challenge it is facing. This will be graded by the instructor.
• Article reviews: you will be asked to read a particular article in depth and then to summarize some of the key arguments and questions the paper is raising. This will be graded by the instructor.

Assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the date listed on the Course Schedule below, unless otherwise noted.

The World Campus follows the same grading system as the Penn State resident program. The grades of A, B, C, D, and F indicate the following qualities of academic performance:

A = (Excellent) Indicates exceptional achievement
B = (Good) Indicates extensive achievement
C = (Satisfactory) Indicates acceptable achievement
D = (Poor) Indicates only minimal achievement
F = (Failure) Indicates inadequate achievement necessitating a repetition of the course in order to secure credit

Grading Scale