New trends in an old sector: exploring global knowledge and HR management in MNCs and the North–South divide in human capital formation

Abstract

Multinational Companies (MNCs) from the global North still are major players in globalization. In response to increased competition based on knowledge and innovation, MNCs are currently trying to implement new forms in ‘transnational’ knowledge and human resource (HR) management which are appropriate to the company's knowledge base. The paper focuses on the specifics of a synthetic knowledge base in the automobile sector, and presents an explorative analysis of new tools in global knowledge and HR management, using the example of three German companies. These tools refer both to skill enhancing on the shop floor and improvements in global knowledge sharing among engineers in R&D. The paper concludes by discussing the interplay of MNC management and national education and training policies in the shaping of globalization.