In addition to this strategic understanding of the firm, the follow-up study to the Michaels et al., Study (2001) concluded that most HR professionals can make a better contribution in a firm’s global talent management initiatives by measuring the impact of HR policies and practices using metrics that are aligned with business strategies: ‘‘Only HR can translate a business strategy into a detailed talent strategy: for instance, how many people does the company need in order to execute its business strategy, where does it need them, and what skills should they have’’. Thus, for example, a firm might track the performance records of employees who have participated in global management training programs and compare them to those who have developed global skills on the job and/or compare them to people with no global exposure. Performance metrics that reflect desired strategic business outcomes may include revenue, profit targets or retention of direct reports.