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Workforce diversity initiatives of U.S. multinational corporations in Europe
Author(s) -
Egan Mary Lou,
Bendick Marc
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
thunderbird international business review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.553
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1520-6874
pISSN - 1096-4762
DOI - 10.1002/tie.10098
Subject(s) - multinational corporation , subsidiary , workforce , diversity (politics) , internationalization , business , workforce diversity , european union , politics , competitive advantage , international trade , business administration , political science , economic growth , marketing , economics , finance , law
Although most U.S. multinational corporations have substantial workforce diversity management programs intheir U.S. operations, they are only beginning to consider parallel efforts in their overseas subsidiaries andaffiliates. The internationalization issue is particularly prominent in the European Union, where competitive,demographic, legal, and political developments make workforce diversity issues unavoidable within the next fewyears. Instead of simply replicating U.S. programs, however, diversity initiatives in Europe need to adapt toeach employer's strategic objectives, degree of organizational integration, and local needs. The experiencesof Lucent Technologies Inc. and The Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies illustrate two contrastingapproaches. The former has adopted a strongly multidomestic strategy, while the latter has a more globalapproach. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.