Abstract
This research sets forth the context in which HRM has emerged as a critical component of effective management theory and practice. Within a framework suited to culture-specific comparative analysis of the relevance of HRM to operations and behavior in the regional and industrial bases of the international political economy, including the world's newly industrializing countries (NICs), this paper focuses in detail on the distinctive features of HRM in Taiwan. The paper begins with the the origins and development of HRM in general. It then proceeds to discuss the case of Taiwan, with a view towards forecasting possible lines of future development of the discipline and theory, as the institutional and organizational lines of the global political economy continue to be drawn.

Chapter Headings:
Introduction and Background: HRM Theory
The Impact of Local Conditions
The Political Economy of the West: The U.S. and U.K.
Employment Practices and Labor Relations in the U.S. and U.K.
Anglo-American HRM Culture in Perspective
Problem Areas in Western HRM
Employment Practices and Labor Relations in Continental Europe
The Political Economy of Asia and HRM
The Japan Case
HRM in Developing Countries
The Political Economy of Taiwan and "The Taiwan Miracle"
HRM Development in Taiwan
Influences on Taiwan from Abroad
Is There a Taiwan Model?

From the Paper
"The fact that social attitudes may have a bearing on events in the workplace has been recognized by observers of HRM dynamics. Newland identifies a number of "current personnel issues" that are likely to have importance for the balance of the twentieth century: "cost limitations, alternative service delivery, labor relations, productivity and performance, and legalism and staffing" (Newland, 1984, p. 22). Focusing on public-sector employees, he suggests a program of "sustained action" to meet the responsibility of these issues, which in general speak to the morale of staff and indirectly imply that productivity may become an issue. But what is important to keep in mind is the cost orientation of the analysis, which tends to highlight the conception of labor as a commodity to be bought and sold like other commodities."

Tags:Adam, Smith, CEFCU, Common, Market, NIC