Strategic international human resource management or the ‘bottom line’- The cases of electronics and garments commodity chains in China文档精选.pdfVIP

The International Journal of Human Resource Management, Vol. 20, No. 2, February 2009, 348–371 Strategic international human resource management or the ‘bottom line’? The cases of electronics and garments commodity chains in China a b c Jonathan Morris *, Barry Wilkinson and Jos Gamble aCardiff Business School, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales, UK; bSchool of Management, Exeter University, Exeter, UK; cSchool of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK This paper draws on frameworks developed by the strategic international human resource management (HRM) literature to analyse human resource practices in foreign- invested enterprises in China and their affiliates. It argues that such strategies can be best understood in the context of global commodity chains. Drawing on data from a study of 27 China-based enterprises in two industries, garments and consumer electronics, it contests that strategy is a good determinant of HRM policies. Moreover, most of the enterprises are following cost reduction strategies but with certain quality levels, based on standardized mature products and production processes. Industry sector is also important, as is the institutional milieu of China. Keywords: China; commodity chains; electronics industry; garments industry; strategic international HRM Introduction The past two decades have witnessed an explosion of foreign direct investment activity (FDI) in China, following the late 1970s open-door policy. This has been accompanied by an interest in evolving human resource management (HRM) practices and strategies in Chinese organizations in both