An exploratory study of the role of HRM and the transfer of German MNC sustainability values to Brazil

Sustainability, defined here its the triple bottom line, is rapidly gaining importance its a societal and strategic business concern. Research oil sustainability linked with Human Resource Management (HRM) is very limited. Although HR is often tasked with training and transferring values related to corporate strategy, an investigation of 10 German multinationals and their Brazilian Subsidiaries found varying levels of HR involvement in the organisation of sustainability programmes or the transfer of Gentian sustainability values to Brazilian Subsidiaries. Content analysis of company reports resulted in an original model that includes five core components that characterise sustainability management ill this sample: rationale, conceptual framework, direction, transfer and evaluation. Follow-up interviews with German and Brazilian executives specified the role of HRM in sustainability and the Geman-Brazilian transfer process. We Conclude with Suggestions for future research directions and a discussion of the model's practical HR implications for implementing sustainability initiatives.