The Asia-Pacific industrial relations context of international business

Abstract

[Extract] This chapter is concerned with industrial relations. It is included here because there is a prima facie case that an understanding of international and comparative industrial relations is relevant to understanding the conduct of international business. The focus is on the Asia-Pacific region, where the transformation of industrial relations and the democratisation of industrialising societies are contemporary and related issues. Within the region, where industrialisation was and is based on export-oriented enterprises, the forces of globalisation are often generalised as the context of industrial relations.

The fields of industrial relations and human resource management - the criteria for delineation are contentious - together encompass the varied arrangements, methods and processes of the management of people at work. They include rules, attitudes and behaviour in and around the employment relationship. The main parties or 'actors' in these fields are: employees (workers, if you prefer) and their organisations (especially unions); employers (including managers) and their associations; the state, especially its government institutions that regulate employment matters; values, attitudes and behaviours arising from the employment relationship.