The competitive forces generated by globalization act to promote the cross-national diffusion of human resource management 'best practices'. In particular, high performance work practices have come to be viewed as the standard as companies in many parts of the world have endeavored to 'Americanize' their employment and management systems. Yet cultural, institutional, and ideological forces continue to offer resistance to the global convergence of HR practices. This volume contains papers from authors in Europe, Asia, Africa, and US who explore diffusion in a variety of national contexts. Different methodologies and perspectives provide a range of interpretations regarding diffusion and convergence.

The past decade has seen renewed devotion on the part of many unions to the organizing process. Yet management opposition has been equally intense. This book explores the nature of the strategies pursued by unions and management during both new organizing drives and employer ""deunionization"" efforts. The elements of well-designed strategies are described within a framework developed by the author. The book addresses a number of issues, including the manner in which employers and unions formulate strategies, the specific tactics utilized by both sides, and the impact of strategies and tactics on union organizing effectiveness. The study relies both on published research and data assembled by the author. Significant features of the book are its thorough analysis of a variety of nonconventional union organizing tactics (eg. ""blitz"" campaigns, associate membership programmes, corporate campaigns, in-plant strategies, internal organizing); an in-depth examination of the role of labour relations consultants in organizing drives and deunionization efforts; and assessment of the ways in which internal politics inhibit many unions and the ways in which tactics are linked together in a variety of settings. The book provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging treatment of what is known about why and how unions and management act during unionization and deunionization efforts. It should be useful to practitioners and researchers alike.