Globalization and employment relations in the Korean auto industry: the case of the Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, Canada and India

Citation

Lansbury, R.D. (2006), "Globalization and employment relations in the Korean auto industry: the case of the Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, Canada and India", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 14 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2006.04414fad.011

Globalization and employment relations in the Korean auto industry: the case of the Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, Canada and India

Globalization and employment relations in the Korean auto industry: the case of the Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, Canada and India

Lansbury R.D., Kwon S.H., Suh C.S.Asia Pacific Business Review, April 2006, Vol. 12 No. 2, Start page: 131, No. of pages: 17

Purpose – To address the interaction between globalization and employment relations at the Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, Canada and India. Design/methodology/approach – Discusses the development of the globalization process among Korean auto companies, before exploring the extent to which the Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) has employed Korean approaches to employee relations, or adapted to local custom practices in its overseas plants. Sets out the background to HMC, before undertaking an extensive examination and comparison of the company’s employment relation practices adopted in its plants in Korea, Canada and India. Focuses on HMC’s human resource policies and practices in relation to the selection of employees based on performance-related criteria, training programs which reinforce company norms such as loyalty and team spirit, and employee involvement in some aspects of decision-making at plant level; its industrial relations initiatives in the nature of the successful avoidance of collective agreements with unions, and flexible wages system linked to productivity and/or performance criteria; and its internal labor market arrangements in relation to high status differentiation between workers and managers at plant level, and opportunities for promotion from the shop floor to higher level positions within the plant. Findings – Demonstrates complex interactions between globalization pressures towards a uniform approach to employment relations across various countries and divergent tendencies at the local level in each country. Research limitations/implications – Has no stated implications for future research. Originality/value – Contributes to the literature on the impact of globalization strategies on employment relations, with a particular look at the experiences of the Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, Canada and India.ISSN: 1360-2381Reference: 35AL469

Keywords: Automotive industry, Employee relations, Globalization, National cultures, Trade unions