Success of IHRM in Recruitment and Selection of Expatriates

Article Critique: IHRM
Name
Institution
Article Critique: IHRM
International human resources management (IHRM) has become a crucial area in the field of business and management because firms are now conducting business at a global level. Thus, the activities that are employed to facilitate successful international business operations, especially on a human resource aspect, need to be researched and addressed constantly to ensure that HR managers are up to date with the changes in the field. The article by Canhilal, Gabel Shemueli, and Dolan (2015) focuses on those factors that are necessary for a successful international assignment, which is an important area in IHRM. The article is specific to the Peru region, although it focuses on respondents who have been or are still on international assignment.
Main Question
The article’s main question is: what are the most relevant factors that are necessary for a successful expatriate assignment? To answer this question, the authors adopted a qualitative research method where 45 participants with experience in international assignments were interviewed. The information provided by the interviewees provided a list of factors that were classified in the individual, organizational, and contextual categories. This main question is also very imperative in the topic of recruitment and selection of expatriates as it provides information on the factors that recruiters should consider first during the selection of expatriates.
Intended Audience
The authors of the article aimed at providing information to two key groups of users. First, the article provides rich information for scholars in the field of business, specifically in human resources management at an international level. For instance, students and scholars who are researching the success factors of expatriate assignment can use this article as part of their literature review. Second, the information provided in this article is also focused on practitioners in the field of international business management. According to Collings, Wood, and Caligiuri (2015), IHRM risks being irrelevant in the future if further theoretical information is not provided because the issues of managing people at an international level keep getting broader and complex. The authors of the article understand that broadening the field of IHRM will require more research on key areas such as the success factors of international assignments to prevent failure of expatriates. Therefore, by targeting the practitioners and the scholars in this field as their audience, they are providing them with necessary information that facilitates the continuity of IHRM.
Summary of the Article
The article by Canhilal, Gabel Shemueli, and Dolan (2015) focuses on the pre-existing factors that account for a successful expatriate assignment. Qualitative research was adopted in the study, and an interview conducted on 45 participants reveals that the factors can be classified into individual, contextual, and organizational factors. The individual category relates to the factors that are specific to an individual on an expatriate assignment. In particular, Canhilal, Gabel Shemueli, and Dolan (2015) reveal that cross-cultural prowess, spousal adjustment, the time ...