International Human Resource Management Report: Solstice Mobile Case

This report provides an executive summary of International Human Resource Management (IHRM), focusing on the challenges and strategies involved in managing employees in a globalized environment. It delves into the concept of pre-departure training, highlighting its importance for successful international assignments, using Solstice Mobile as a case study. The report outlines key components of pre-departure training, including cross-cultural awareness, preliminary visits, language instruction, and day-to-day assistance. It also evaluates the effectiveness of these training components, examining cognitive, affective, experimental, and language training methods. The study emphasizes the necessity of these trainings to enhance communication, cultural adaptation, and overall employee performance in foreign environments, with recommendations for optimizing these programs.

INTERNATIONAL
HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
International human resource management has been increasingly developed these days
due to increased globalization and easy mobility and communication between countries. Also,
company operates its businesses into international level where they face concern to manage
employee behavior. In order to that, Organization required to approach and build the best
productive HR team to handle all the HR issues and working task. Present study has been based
on (IHRM) which based on the case study of Solstice Mobile. , company has been planned to
build a team and let them trained for the foreign project. Study, described the brief concept of
human resource department in the respect of international companies. Further study also
described about training of pre-departure concept and their techniques for the development.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................4
2. COMPONENTS OF THE TRAINING WHICH IS PRE-DEPARTURE...................................4
2.1 Cross Culture Awareness......................................................................................................5
2.2 Preliminary visits..................................................................................................................6
2.3 Language instructions ..........................................................................................................6
2.4 Day to day assistance ...........................................................................................................7
3. EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS OF PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING ...............................7
3.1 Cognitive :.............................................................................................................................7
3.2 Affective................................................................................................................................8
3.3 Experimental training............................................................................................................9
3.4 Language training ................................................................................................................9
4. CONCLUSION ...........................................................................................................................9
5. RECOMMENDATION ............................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

1. INTRODUCTION
International human resource refers to a procedure which is conducted with the purpose
of managing human resource at global level in order to accomplish set business objectives1. It
can also be considered to be as comprehensive approach which is utilised for managing people as
well as workplace culture across the national boundaries. International human resource
management. The practices of Global Human Resource Management deals with diverstiy
management within a workforce across the world. On HRM, globalization is having a variety of
impacts including managing cultural diversity. The training which is pre-departure can be
defined as the orientation which intends to prepare employees for exchange. Such types of
training include sharing of information on the meaning of experience. It is crucial in order to
ensure successful completion of international assignment.
The report will have focus on identifying the components of departure training in context
of Solstice Mobile. Business entity develops apps for their retail customers. An organisation has
implemented the project in overseas market for which they are preparing their employees. The
earlier projects at international market has failed due to inappropriate training given to workers.
Study also emphasizes on measuring the pre-departure training provided by external consultant's
effectiveness.
2. COMPONENTS OF THE TRAINING WHICH IS PRE-DEPARTURE
Solstice Mobile. Has new business project which is to be launched in UK, theretofore,
management in an enterprise is planning to provide the cross culture awarenesses as well as
language training to their employees. The main objective of training program is to assist
expatriates in adapting communication practices as well a leadership style in host country. Its
other purpose is to make people feel comfortable during their stay in a country which is foreign2.
In context of Solstice Mobile, consultant hired by organisation is required to conduct need
assessment before planning to provide the cross culture training to employees. According to the
Mendenhall, Dunban and Oddou the components of pre-departure training includes preliminary
visits, culture awareness program, practical assistance and language training, training for the
training role, non-traditional assignments and training.
1 (Gutierrez-Gutierrez, Vanesa Barrales-Molina and Hale Kaynak 2018).
2 (Collings Wood and Leslie Szamosi 2018)

2.1 Cross Culture Awareness
Cross culture awareness can be defined as a foundation of communication. It includes the
ability of an individual to make themselves aware about the cultural values as well as beliefs of
people living in other nation. In context of the training of pre-departure, the cultural awareness is
very much important in order to enable employees to develop the understanding about the
difference between themselves and other people belonging to different nation 3. In addition to
this, cross culture training is also crucial in order to help workers in developing cross culture
skills as it will further assist them in improving their performance in context of overseas
assignment. The purpose of including the Cross Culture Awareness training of pre-departure is
to support an individual in preparing themselves for adjusting in new culture. The main benefit
of cross culture training is to generate the awareness about the policies a swell as practices by
foreign countries. Cross culture training is very much essential as some employees or manager
might resign the job due to the failure to fulfil their responsibilities because of failure in adapting
to culture of other country4. According to the Mendenhall, Dunban and Oddou cross culture
training model, there are different approaches which can be utilised for providing cross culture
training expatiating these are information giving, affective and immersion approaches. In context
of Solstice Mobile.Consultant will use the affective cross culture training approach. It is
considered to be as an cost effective cross culture approach. During the time of cross cultural
training, coach will assist expatriate in identifying their own feeling as well as behaviour pattern
which is caused by the culture5. All the employees participating in the cross culture training will
be asked to perform self -assessment exercises. As per the Mendenhall, Dunban and Oddou
there are different methods which can be utilised by management in an organisation for
providing training to employees these are didactic, experiential, attribution training, language
training, cultural , interaction and cognitive behavioural modifications.
2.2 Preliminary visits
Preliminary visits can be defined as to make visit unexpectedly. Main purpose of
Preliminary visits is to introduce the team to staff of participating schools and where possible to
3 (Analoui 2018 )
4 (Brewster, Chris, Wolfgang Mayrhofer, and Elaine Farndale, eds., 2018)
5 (Brueller, Abraham Carmeli and Gideon Markman 2018 )

the children, and to hold final discussions about the content of the project.It includes employees
themselves visiting host country with the intention to gain experience. Sometimes companies
also allows employees to visit the host country and realistic assess the assignment compatibility6.
The main benefit of preliminary visit is that it enables employees to gain experience of host
country business. It also assists an individual in increasing the cultural awareness 7. In context of
Solstice Mobile. , it is required by management to conduct cost benefit analysis before planning
to send workers to host country for gaining the business experience.
2.3 Language instructions
As the language English has seen to become a language which is global, in context of
business transactions. Language instruction during the time of Pre-department training is very
much important in order to avoid translation issues. In addition to this, Language instructions
also assist an individual in eliminating the communication barriers. It is very much important for
expatriates to know that few words used in Australia can be related to the culture of other
country. The main purpose of language training will be to assist expatriate in improving their
communication skills. The trainings which are situation focused needs to incorporated in order to
ensure that our employees are feeling comfortable with the set of skills that they hold.
Communicative based approach will be used by consultant for teaching the classroom based
foreign language to expatriate8. It is the approach which has focus on learners potential to
communicate different functions such as asking as well as answering questions, making request,
describing as well as narrating the tasks etc.
2.4 Day to day assistance
Management in enterprise is required to provide inter communication training
expatriating before entering into foreign country. In context of Solstice Mobile. , management in
an organisation particularly human resource manager is required to have great interference in life
of worker once they relocate, as this strategy will assist them in making sure that employees in
happy as well as secure9. It will also assist management in making sure expatriate will generate
6 (Amarakoon, Jay Weerawardena and Martie-Louise Verreynne 2018)
7 (Boon, Corine, David Lepak and Paul Boselie 2018)
8 (Nieves, Julia and Agustin Quintana 2018)
9 (Glaister, Mehmet Demirbag and Ekrem Tatoglu 2018)

positive result for organisation. Consultant will provide all the essential information to expatriate
which will assist employees in relocation. In addition to this, expatriate will further be provided
with language training. According to the U-curve adjustment theory, when the individual is
assigned overseas work, a period of learning about business of country as well as social norm is
very much essential. In many of the cases, company do not scale back the compensation given to
these people and therefore, there is long period during which the inducement offered by an
enterprise exceeds the contributions provided by people. The longer inducement significantly
exceeds contributions and result into higher cost to business.
3. EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS OF PRE-DEPARTURE TRAINING
3.1 Cognitive :
There are basically two types of techniques which can be utilised by management in
Solstice Mobile. For Providing Pre- departure training for expatriate these are cognitive and
experimental. Cognitive technique mainly emphasizes on knowledge acquisition. Some
cognitive techniques are reading, lectures, case study, computer based training etc. This method
of training is considered to be as less effective as employees are absorbing less information in
case if they have to assume a role that is passive to the listeners with a very minute chance of
interacting. But cognitive training technique can also be considered to be as effective as it
provides trainees with detailed information which can be helpful for them in context of adjusting
themselves in culture of hist country 10. In addition to this, the films and pictures have seen to be
useful in order to demonstrate an aspect of training material, which is not possible for a trainer to
describe it adequately.
3.2 Affective
Effective types of learning reach directly to the individual belief aspects of those who
facilitate and participate in it. This training defined by the objectives of educational concepts and
theories. Practitioners attempt to reach the effective domain when they present their interest
level, values and emotional set or biases 11. This training helps people to adopt the change when
they introduce itself in the other place. The domain which is effective is one of three in the
taxonomy of Bloom' motivations, and attitudes. It includes the manner under which the things
10 (Gutierrez-Gutierrez, Vanesa Barrales-Molina and Hale Kaynak 2018)
11 (von Bonsdorff, Mikaela , von Bonsdorff and Taina Rantanen 2018 )

are dealt emotionally, that includes enthusiasms, appreciation, feelings, values, attitudes and
motivations as well. According to the theory proposed by Krathwohl the objectives which are
effective are also divided in a hierarchy. This area is often concerned with the emotions or
feelings. Along with it, the taxonomy is also arranged from the feelings which are simpler to the
ones which are complex. These are :
 Receiving: the learner’s sensitivity to the existence of stimuli – awareness, willingness to
receive, or selected attention.
 Responding: The active attention of the learner to stimuli and his/her learning motivation
– acquiescence, willing responses, or feelings of satisfaction.
 Valuing: learner’s beliefs and attitudes of worth – acceptance, preference, or
commitment. An acceptance, preference, or commitment to a value.
 Organization: It includes the conceptualization of values and the organization of a value
system. As values or beliefs become internalized, the leaner organizes them according to
priority.
 Characterization: It refers to the learner’s highest of internalization and relates to
behavior that reflects a generalized set of values and a characterization or a philosophy
about life. At this level the learner develops capability of acting and practicing their
beliefs and values.
3.3 Experimental training
Such type of training emphasizes on learning through practices. The methods which will
be utilised by consultant are allowing employee to pre visit the host country. In addiction to this,
other methods which can be utilised is role play, simulation and workshops etc. Pre-visiting is
considered to be as an effective method of training as it enables an individual to gain practical as
well as valuable experience in context of living in Host county12. Interview method will be used
for effectiveness measuring of experimental training. Interview method has been selected for
measuring the effectiveness of experimental training, as it will help management in getting the
detailed information about the experience gained by individual in context of the Experimental
training, as this tactic will help manager in making decision related to execution of further such
types of training programs in the future. It will also support management in identifying the needs
12 (Banfield, Paul, Rebecca Kay and Dean Royles 2018)

for improvement in training program13 . Experimental is also a technique which cal also be
utilised for measuring the Pre-departure training effectiveness. It is the technique which
emphasizes on acquisition of skills.
3.4 Language training
Language training refers being an essential part of pre-departure training. The methods
which is used in teaching host country language to the Expatriate are Audio, Lingual method,
grammar translation, total physical response etc .
4. CONCLUSION
As per the above study it has been evaluated that the department of human resource tends
to play a role which is important in within the organization in order to handle the training which
is pre-departure of employees at the time when they introduced to the other country for a project
or work. Study has been described the components of per-departure training where they
described about the cross culture awareness, the preliminary visits, and language instructions of
daily assistance and their effectiveness. Furthermore, the overall study explained about the
human resource structure where they required to meet out the best employee development plan.
5. RECOMMENDATION
Pr-departure training is the most significant methods or ways to let employee more
trained and make them more effective and learning. Company should need to organize different
techniques and training session for the development of employee skills and training methods.
Besides, in order to trained employees, company can also adopt training for employees who are
specialist in their field (Ayentimi, Burgess and Brown, 2018). In order to develop the training
session, company should have required to analyze the individual requirement and their views on
that basis they required to fill the company working task.
13 (Schmidt, Joseph and Joshua Bourdage 2018 )

REFERENCES
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Analoui, Farhad, ed. 2018.Human resource management issues in developing countries.
Routledge,
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Glaister, Mehmet Demirbag, and Ekrem Tatoglu. 2018. "HRM and performance—The role of
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von Bonsdorff, Mikaela B. von Bonsdorff, and Taina Rantanen. 2018."Employee age and
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