Managing HR in multinational companies in Ireland: autonomy, coordination and control

Ireland is one of the world's most foreign direct investment (FDI) dependent economies. This research project addresses patterns of influence and control in multinational companies (MNCs) in Ireland, with particular emphasis on policy and practice in the areas of human resource management (HRM) and employment relations (ER). It seeks to establish the degree of influence and the extent of discretion of the Irish operations within the overall corporate framework of multinational corporations (MNCs). Are managers in these foreign-controlled MNCs simply executors of HR and ER strategies conceived and created at higher levels, or do they play a more strategic role, with autonomy to adjust HR and ER strategies and policies to the local context, and to change and develop the mandates for their firms beyond those initially envisaged at corporate level? It also, uniquely, focuses on Irish-owned MNCs that have established international operations and the autonomy afforded to these foreign subsidiaries by the Irish headquarters.