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TUTORIAL GUIDE

SEMESTER 1 2015
REQUIRED TEXT
Dowling, P., Festing, M. and Engle, A. (2013): International Human Resource Management, 6th
edition, Cengage Learning, London [HF5549.5.E45.D69 2013] [hereafter Dowling et al
(2013)].
RECOMMENDED TEXT
Bamber, G., Lansbury, R. and Wailes, N. (eds) (2011): International and Comparative Employment
Relations, 5th edition, Allen and Unwin, Melbourne. [HD6971 I56 2011] [hereafter Bamber
et al (2011)].
Where identified, the Required and Recommended Texts should be your first port of call.
JOURNAL ARTICLES & BOOK CHAPTERS
For more information on the subject matter, students are encouraged also to check out the relevant
journal articles, news items and book chapters identified in the reading list for each tutorial. You
may find these on the Library course catalogue in the usual way.
CORE READING AND FURTHER READING
In some cases a distinction is made between Core reading and Further reading. The first is
recommended to all students; the latter is for students who are making a presentation on the topic or
who are considering writing an exam question or assignment on the relevant topic.
IMPORTANT DATES

Mid-semester Exam: Thursday 23 April (IN CLASS TIME, VENUE TBA)

Tutorial presentations begin from Tute 8. Students should note the attendance requirement:
three out of the first five tutorials.

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TUTORIAL 1: INTRODUCTION TO TUTORIALS, PLUS OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE
w/b 9 March
Tutorial discussion
Introduction and general discussion of international employment relations issues.
Reading
Course profile.
General advice for tutorials 2-7: it is not intended that tutorials will cover every one of the
following questions every week. Each week, your tutor will identify a selection from the list for that
week, depending on what they believe to be the most useful questions for the relevant class. Note
also that there is often no right answer to these questions, and so there are no model answers
provided.

THEME 1: MANAGEMENT ISSUES IN THE MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE


TUTORIAL 2: INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL HRM
w/b 16 March
Tutorial questions
1. What forces are driving the move to global Human Resource Management practices? Use one
industry sector to illustrate your answer.
2. Discuss two HR activities in which a multinational enterprise (MNE) must engage that would
not be required in a domestic environment.
3. What are the variables that moderate differences between domestic and international HR
practices?
Reading
Dowling et al (2013), Chapter 1
TUTORIAL 3: INTERNATIONAL HRM FUNCTIONS (i) Staffing International Operations/
Recruitment & selection
w/b 23 March
Tutorial questions
1. What are the benefits and limitations of the use by companies of expatriate managers and
professionals in economically developing countries (e.g. PNG, Vietnam)? Pick one country to
illustrate your argument.
2. How can the strategic disposition of a company influence its international strategic HR
decisions?
3. What are the main advantages and disadvantages of a polycentric approach to international
staffing? (debate).
4. Why is an ad hoc approach to international staffing invariably a dysfunctional strategy for
MNEs?
5. What are the most important criteria MNEs should use when selecting expat staff for overseas
postings?
6. What is the significance of dual career couples for the posting of expatriates in MNEs?
Reading
Dowling et al (2013), Chapter 5
Marston, R. (2011): The new job that means relocating your life, BBC News Business, 11
December 2011, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16067150

TUTORIAL 4: INTERNATIONAL HRM FUNCTIONS (ii) Training & Development


w/b 30 March
Exam guidance.
Provisional formation of groups for tute presentations.
Tutorial questions
1. What are some of the challenges faced in training expatriate managers?
2. Why is the training of host country nationals such an important issue for MNEs working in
developing countries?
3. Assume that you are the human resources manager of an Australian multinational technology
service company. In an attempt to develop future senior general managers with international
experience, it has been decided to move middle managers between branches in the Asia Pacific
region. All your managers have competent English. However none has worked abroad.
Recognising that there will be individual differences in all managers and that we should avoid
stereotypes, what training would you initially consider for:
an Anglo-Australian (PCN) manager moving to a non-Anglophone country in Asia
(exact country can be picked by group)?
a manager from Asia (as above) moving to Australia?
4. What role can international assignments play in developing individual talent and cultivating an
international management team?
Core Reading
Dowling et al (2013), Chapter 7.
Further reading
Harzing, A-W and Pinnington, A. (eds) (2011): International Human Resource Management, Sage,
London, 3rd edition, Chapter 11 [[HF5549.5.E45.I577 2011] [hereafter Harzing and
Pinnington (2011)].
Week beginning 6 April: EASTER BREAK
TUTORIAL 5: INTERNATIONAL HRM FUNCTIONS (iii) Compensation and remuneration
w/b 13 April
CENSUS WEEK for determining eligibility for group presentation (minimum attendance
requirement = 3 tutes out of the first 5).
Final allocation of students to groups for tutorial presentations and review of tutorial presentation
requirements.
Exam guidance.
Tutorial questions
1. What should be the main objectives of international compensation policies?
2. Are there differences in salary compensation consideration for PCNs and TCNs? Cite reasons
either for such differences or for the absence of differences.
3. In order to maintain a sense of equity when posting expatriates to operations in developing
nations, MNEs should always use the going rate approach when determining expatriate
compensation packages. Discuss.
4. Why might a one size fits all approach not be best for determining compensation packages for
expatriate staff? What considerations should the HR manager take into account when devising
an appropriate mix?
5. What compensation issues arise when repatriating staff from developing countries back to head
office?
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Core reading
Dowling et al (2013), Chapter 8.
Further reading
Harzing and Pinnington (2011), Chapter 14.
Mercer Consulting quality of living index:
http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving?siteLanguage=100
Mercer Consulting Cost of Living index:
http://www.mercer.com/costofliving?siteLanguage=100
23 APRIL: MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM (NO MGTS3606 TUTES OR LECTURES THIS
WEEK)
THEME 2: THE EMERGING GLOBAL WORKPLACE
TUTORIAL 6: THE EMERGING GLOBAL WORKPLACE
w/b 27 April
Tutorial questions
1. How has the process of globalisation affected labour markets for different types of worker
(skilled/ unskilled etc.)?
2. In what ways have labour markets been affected unevenly according to continent, country or
region (e.g. urban/rural)?
3. How has globalisation affected the relative power of business and labour, and why? What
impact has the economic crisis had on the power of trade unions?
4. Is globalisation a useful concept to describe recent trends in international business?
Reading
Dowling et al (2013), pp. 253-59.
Gorg, H. (2011): Globalization, offshoring and jobs, Chapter 1, in Bacchetta, M. and Jansen, M.
(eds): Making Globalisation Socially Sustainable, ILO-WTO, Geneva,
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/@dgreports/@dcomm/@publ/documents/publicat
ion/wcms_144904.pdf.
Lamont, L. and Washington, S. (2011): Offshoring: coming soon to a job near you, Weekend
Business, Sydney Morning Herald, 5-6 November 2011, at
http://www.smh.com.au/business/offshoring-coming-soon-to-a-job-near-you-201111041mzsh.html.
Case studies
Kwek, G. (2014): Toyota shutdown highlights shift to services, Sydney Morning Herald, 11
February 2014, http://www.smh.com.au/business/the-economy/toyota-shutdown-highlightsshift-to-services-20140211-32fqj.html
Gibson, O. (2013): Qatar 2022 World Cup workers 'treated like cattle', Amnesty report finds, The
Guardian, 17 November 2013, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/17/qatarworld-cup-worker-amnesty-report
Pomfret, James (2014): Thousands rally for Indonesian maid ill-treated in Hong Kong, Reuters, 19
January 2014, http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/19/us-hongkong-maid-protestidUSBREA0I04I20140119.
Elmer, D. (2013): Cambodias textile workers hang by a thread under Chinese bosses, South
China Morning Post, 27 July 2013,
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http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1291466/cambodias-textile-workers-hang-threadunder-chinese-bosses
TUTORIAL 7: INTERNATIONAL REGULATION OF THE GLOBAL WORKPLACE
w/b 4 May
Tutorial questions
1. What impact has globalisation had on the economic role of governments and established
processes of domestic labour regulation?
2. How do the activities of the World Trade Organisation affect the global workplace?
3. What is the role of the International Labour Organisation and how successful has it been?
Judged by what criteria?
4. What responsibility do Western companies have for labour conditions in companies in their
respective supply chains? Should cost always come first?
Core reading
Dowling et al (2013), Chapter 9, pp. 246-53, 259-60.
Bamber et al (2011), Chapter 1, pp.25-33.
UN Global Compact (2013): Human Rights and Business Dilemmas Forum: Living Wage,
http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/dilemmas/living-wage/
Quinlan, M. and Sheldon, P. (2011): The Enforcement of Minimum Labour Standards in an Era of
Neo-Liberal Globalisation: An Overview, The Economic and Labour Relations Review,
Vol. 22 No. 2, pp. 532.
SBS Dateline (2013): Fashion victims [on the clothing industry in Bangladesh], 26 November
2013, available at:
http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=TSM201311
260145;res=TVNEWS
Further reading
The International Labour Organisation provides more information about labour standards at:
http://www.ilo.org/global/standards/introduction-to-international-labour-standards/lang-en/index.htm
Some case studies
ABC Four Corners (2015): Apples broken promises, 2 March 2015, at:
http://search.informit.com.au.ezproxy.library.uq.edu.au/browseMediaTitle;title=219;res=TV
NEWS
Duhigg, C. and Barboza, D. (2012): In China, human costs are built into an IPad, New York Times,
25 January 2012, at https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/26/business/ieconomy-apples-ipadand-the-human-costs-for-workers-in-china.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all.
Batty, David (2013): Call for urgent labour reform after Observer reveals construction workers face
destitution, internment and deportation [Abu Dhabi], The Observer, 22 December 2013
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/22/abu-dhabi-migrant-workers-conditionsshame-west
Kan, M. (2013): Workers strike at Foxconn supplier in China, Macworld, 13 January 2013,
http://www.macworld.com.au/news/workers-strike-at-foxconn-supplier-in-china-84414/
Al Jazeera (2013): Factories ablaze as Bangladesh workers rally, 23 September 2013,
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/09/2013923143139644553.html
Deutsche Welle (2013): Cambodian garment workers demand higher wages, 30 December 2013,
http://www.dw.de/cambodian-garment-workers-demand-higher-wages/a-17330628

THEME 3: REGULATION OF THE GLOBAL WORKPLACE: COUNTRY STUDY GROUP


PRESENTATIONS
TUTORIAL 8: LABOUR RELATIONS IN A NEO-LIBERAL ENVIRONMENT: UNITED
STATES
w./b 11 May
Core reading
Bamber et al (2011): Chapter 3: `Employment Relations in the United States of America.
Further reading
Mishel, L., J. Bivens, E. Gould and H. Shierholz (2012): The State of Working America, 12th edition,
www.stateofworkingamerica.org/subjects/overview/?reader
Bronfenbrenner, K. (2009): No holds barred: the intensification of employer opposition to
organizing, Economic Policy Institute, Briefing Paper 235,
http://www.epi.org/publication/bp235/
Sustar, L. (2013): The state of the US working class - Part 1: Labor in an era of recession and
austerity, International Socialist Review, issue 88, http://isreview.org/issue/88/state-usworking-class-part-1
Greenhouse, S. (2013): Our economic pickle, New York Times, 13 January 2013,
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/13/sunday-review/americas-productivity-climbs-butwages-stagnate.html?_r=1&
TUTORIAL 9: LABOUR RELATIONS UNDER COMPANY DOMINANCE: JAPAN
w/b 18 May
Core reading
Bamber et al (2011), Chapter 10: `Employment Relations in Japan'.
Further reading
Suzuki, H. (2010): Employment relations in Japan: recent changes under global competition and
recession, Journal of Industrial Relations, 52 (3), 387-401.
Assman, S. and Maslow, S. (2010): Dispatched and displaced: rethinking employment and welfare
protection in Japan, The Asia-Pacific Journal, 15-3-10, 12 April 2010, at
http://www.japanfocus.org/-Sebastian-Maslow/3342.
Pudelko, M. (2009): The end of Japanese-style management?, Long Range Planning, 42, pp. 43962.
Ogoshi, Y. (2006): Current Japanese employment practices and industrial relations: the
transformation of permanent employment and seniority-based wage system, Asian Business
and Management, 5, 469-85

TUTORIAL 10: LABOUR RELATIONS UNDER CONDITIONS OF REPRESSION AND


LIBERALISATION: SOUTH KOREA
w/b 25 May
Exam advice
Core reading
Bamber et al (2011), Chapter 11: `Employment Relations in South Korea'
Further reading:
Lee, J. (2011): Between Fragmentation and Centralization: South Korean Industrial Relations in
Transition, British Journal of Industrial Relations, 49 (4), pp. 767-91.
Han, C., Jang, J. and Kim, S. (2010): Social dialogue and industrial relations in South Korea: Has
the tripartite commission been successful?, Asia Pacific Viewpoint, 51 (3), pp. 288-303.
Kong, T. (2012): Cooperation in Unlikely Settings: The Rise of Cooperative Labor Relations
Among Leading South Korean Firms, Politics and Society, 40 (3), 425-52.
TUTORIAL 11: LABOUR RELATIONS UNDER STATE-IMPOSED CORPORATISM:
CHINA
w/b 1 June
Exam advice
Core reading
Bamber et al (2011), Chapter 12: Employment Relations in China.
Further reading
Cooke, F. (2011), The enactment of three new labour laws in China: Unintended consequences and
the emergence of new actors in employment relations, in Lee, S. and McCann, D. (2011):
Regulating for Decent Work: new directions in labour market regulation, International
Labour Office, Geneva, pp. 180-205 (available as an EBook on UQ Library website).
Friedman, E. (2012): Getting through the hard times together? Chinese workers and unions
respond to the economic crisis, Journal of Industrial Relations, 54 (4), pp. 459-75.
Chan, K-C and Hui, S-L (2012): The dynamics and dilemma of workplace trade union reform in
China: the case of the Honda workers strike, Journal of Industrial Relations, 54 (5), 65368.
Malila, J. (2007): The great look forward: Chinas HR revolution, China Business Review, 34 (4),
pp. 16-19.
See also the website China Labour Bulletin: http://www.clb.org.hk/en/. See for example Frequently
asked questions about labour relations in China, and Searching for the union: The workers
movement in China, 2011-13.
And a final reading which reviews developments in collective bargaining in recent years.
Relevant to material covered in the final lecture:
Hayter, S., Fashoyin, T. and Kochan, T. (2011): Collective bargaining for the 21st century,
Journal of Industrial Relations, 53 (2), pp. 225-47.
Tom Bramble, Course Coordinator
3 March 2015
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