International human resource management - Essay Example

At the same time the HRM should be flexible enough such that the differences in the HRM policies and practices can accommodate the different cultural and business settings (Sims, 2007). Marginson and Sisson (1994) have argued that industrial relations are deep rooted in the national system, which obstructs the penetration of transnational practices by Multi National Enterprises (MNEs). The increased pressure of globalization has made the MNEs to standardize their HRM procedures internationally such that the internal consistency is maintained and ‘best practices’ are percolated to the subsidiaries.

This has raised the question of whether the standardized approach for labor relation framed by the MNEs actually caters to the type of employment. In this context the case study has examined the various workforce characteristics of McDonald’s operating in United Kingdom (UK) and Germany. An in detailed analysis about their appraisal, recruitment and characteristics of workforce has been studied. McDonald’s Corporation is one of the most renowned companies in the world. It is the fast food chain, symbolized by a golden arch and has spread its business all over the world.

It is recognized as a foremost franchising company, with 80% of its restaurant operating and owned by the franchisees (McDonald's, 2013; Briscoe, Schuler and Tarique, 2012). Interbrand has positioned McDonald’s at the seventh place among the top 100 brands in the world. McDonald’s is operating in different countries, which signifies that it has to adopt its product and services in such a way that it matches not only the cultural, political and economical factors of the country but also the HR practices adapted by them.

The HR professional at McDonald’s, before opening their operation in any country conduct an extensive research in order to understand and determine the ways in which the HR activities may be adjusted (Aswathappa and Dash, 2007). As pointed by Love (1995) McDonald’s is well known across the globe for its standardized level of image and product. McDonald’s tends to impose the practices followed in the home country in relation to the trade unions, employee participation and control over the operations of the franchisee.

In this context two aspects are studied to analyze the extent to which the standardized approach of labor relation designed by McDonald’s caters to the type of people employed and accommodation of different type of workers by McDonald’s, available in the different labor markets. Recruitment and Appraisal Studies suggest that the business organizations in Germany have a lower level of staffing as compared to the organization in UK. The reason was that the restaurant in Germany has more number of full time workers as compared to that of UK.

This was due to the introduction of the German collective agreement that was introduced in the year 1989 for the employees of McDonald’s. Recruitment for McDonald’s was done through the process of application. Then the applicants had to undergo lie detection process. But it was abolished after there were changes in the labor laws of US. McDonald’s was also in headlines due to the charges bought by a investigative journalist that if during the interview process the interviewing manager finds that the applicant has any