INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN THE 21ST CENTURY: EMERGING THEMES AND CONTEMPORARY DEBATES

Abstract

There is little doubt that the empirical and theoretical foundations of international human resource management (IHRM), alongside their application in practice, have developed significantly since the 1980s when Laurent (1986) described the field as in its infancy. Indeed, in a recent review of the field, Lazorova (2006: 43) optimistically argues: “As an area of research, IHRM is vibrant and diverse and has grown even more so in the past decade”. In a similar vein, Björkman and Stahl (2006) note that not only has the degree of research in the field increased, but so too has the scope of the studies undertaken (see also Schuler and Tarique, 2007). In this special issue, we hope to contribute to the vibrancy and diversity of the field. While a thorough discussion of the state of the field of IHRM at the beginning of the 21st century is beyond the scope of this introduction (cf. Lazarova, 2006; Bjorkman and Stahl, 2006; Schuler et al., 2002; Scullion, 2004 for a discussion in this regard) we instead focus on the future prospects for IHRM. We also introduce the five papers in this special issue, each of which is written by leading figures in the field and each considering a key contemporary IHRM debate