Page 412 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

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International Employment

Discrimination: A Review
of Legal Issues, Human Impacts,

and Organizational Implications

Georgia T. Chao
Hannah-Hanh D. Nguyen
Michigan State University

International business has proliferated to a point where most major indus­
tries and services operate on a multinational level. Global organizations
encounter a wide assortment of laws, employment practices, and individ­
ual challenges as they manage human resources located in different coun­
tries and cultures. Within this global mix, local discriminatory practices
may not be salient to human resource (HR) professionals from a parent
organization. Furthermore, attempts to standardize or implement nondis­
criminatory HR practices may be resisted or prove counterproductive. The
purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of employment discrimi­
nation across countries from a variety of geographical and cultural settings.
Organizational discriminatory practices and targets of discrimination are
reviewed. Legal protections against employment discrimination and the
extent to which laws are enforced will be discussed. Finally, organizational
initiatives to ensure fair employment practices are presented to guide fu­
ture human resource management.

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