This special issue is dedicated to examining some current issues in international HRM;
it contributes mainly to the field of HRM in the multinational enterprise. However, it
clearly also draws on knowledge from cross-cultural IHRM. The guest editors have
identified three topics that have gained tremendous importance due to the increasing
globalisation of the world economy and the war for internationally qualified talent.
This not only applies to multinational enterprises, but also to small and medium-sized
enterprises, as senior managers are challenged to attract, retain, and motivate global
talent: global assignments, global careers and global talent management. While all
fields are not new and have partly been subject to prominent publications (e.g., Scullion
& Collings, 2011; Cascio, 2013) new and highly relevant research questions continue
to emerge and there is still a lack of empirical research in these areas.