Calls for papers

 

European Journal of International Management

 

Thematic Issue: "Electronic Human Resource Management in an International Context"

Guest Editors:
Huub Ruël and Tanya Bondarouk, University of Twente, The Netherlands

Electronic human resource management (e-HRM) is an umbrella term covering all possible mechanisms and interactions between human resource management (HRM) and information technologies (IT), aiming at creating value within and across organisations for targeted employees and management. As a research field, e-HRM is maturing as scholars have worked hard to understand the phenomenon of e-HRM and its multi-level implications within and across organisations.

However, an important characteristic of the current state of the field is the lack of comparative international studies. Traditionally, e-HRM studies have concentrated mainly on Europe and the USA, perhaps due to the relatively high adoption rates of e-HRM applications in North American and European organisations. More recently, some empirical research has come from Asian and South American countries and Australia and New Zealand. However, researchers still perform their empirical research in a country without paying attention to the cultural context; they concentrate on determining the status quo of e-HRM or a particular e-HRM activity in the country of interest.

This issue aims at pushing e-HRM research into ‘going international’, in order to deepen our understanding of the e-HRM phenomenon. The global financial crisis has clearly shown that we live in a global economy, that economies all over the world are intertwined, and that doing business is a global activity, even at the small and medium-sized level. This has serious consequences for e-HRM. There is a clear need for a better understanding of cross-boundary and cross-cultural issues related to e-HRM deployment and outcomes. Especially for multinational and global corporations, the key players in today’s global economy, these are emerging issues.

This issue on e-HRM in an international context will publish research papers on the intersection between HRM and IT with a cross-national or cross-cultural focus. The papers will all use a clear theoretical basis, which creates a framework that will help to explain cross-national and cross-cultural similarities and differences. This aspect is very important and new to e-HRM research, which has had a scarce cross-national or cross-cultural focus to date.

Subject Coverage
Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

• e-HRM and differences in implementation, adoption and outcomes between countries or cultures (in Europe, or between Western Europe , Central Europe and Eastern Europe)
• Standardisation and localisation of HRM policies and practices related to e-HRM implementation and adoption
• e-HRM and HRM transformation in multinational and global corporations
• Headquarter and subsidiary tensions related to HRM policy and practices and e-HRM
• Differences and similarities between multinational and global corporations in e-HRM deployment
• Organisational forms and cultures in multinational and global corporations and e-HRM strategies
• Language and e-HRM application usage in multinational and global corporations
• Access to e-HRM applications for different employee groups in multinational and global corporations

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper was not originally copyrighted and if it has been completely re-written).

All papers are refereed through a double-blind review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page

Important Dates

Extended abstract submission: 31 December, 2011

Paper submission: 1 April, 2012