Abstract: Over the past forty years, the international management studies have expressed
considerable interest in what has come to be known as ‘best-practices’ (Boxall
and Purcell, 2000, 2003). The concept of best-practices suggests
standardisation and homogenisation of the organisation’s human resources
through the employment of universally applicable managerial practices. This
idea has been extremely appealing for MNCs during the 1980s and 1990s
especially in industries like hospitality and tourism where pressures for
standardisation due to the rapid global expansion were enormous. There are
arguments however that it is difficult to imagine, that a single practice or set of
practices would emerge as ‘best’ in any sense of the word, particularly in
globalised organisations (Thomas, 2008). Moreover, a growing number of IHRM
studies argue that ‘a best practice is not best unless it incorporates contextual
elements in its application’ (Von Glinow et al., 2005, p.398). Thus, the dynamic and complex nature of the management function in global business today and
the realisation that what works effectively in one country may not be as efficient
in another, has led management scholars and practicing managers in
continuous efforts to enhance their understanding of this context and its effects
on international (hotel) managers. This is sought through the systematic study
and exploration of management across cultures (cross cultural management),
and international human resource management.