International human resource management: diversity, issues and challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to introduce the special issue which considers the impact that the global world has had on the profession of HRM. Design/methodology/approach – In June 2009, the International Human Resource Management Conference was held in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Various IHRM papers were presented, and of these, many were subjected to a second round of reviews for this special issue. This special issue is made up of the best papers. Findings – The article highlights that as IHRM has emerged as an academic discipline, a variety of debates and issues have come to dominate the literature. For practitioners, a long‐standing issue has been the delineation of specific practices to be used in the management of people within international organizations. Over time, practices have emerged, and texts today can readily be found that represent such practices for those working in MNCs as HR managers. Originality/value – A number of concerns about HRM are raised in this issue, most of which are addressed by the papers chosen.