management

With more than 100 subsidiaries in its global operation, AstraZeneca which is headquartered in London is considered as one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies hiring about 61,000 employees. The breakdown of staffs is as follows: 32 percent in the Americas, 51 percent in Europe, and 17 percent in Asia, Africa, and Australia.  Its total sales reached in excess of $30 billion. A key strategic imperative for this multinational is to build a talented global workforce, led by managers who have a global perspective, are comfortable moving around the world, interacting with people from other cultures, and doing business in different nations. It is not easy to build international bench strength by moving experienced managers to another country. It can cost two to four times an employee’s annual salary to cover expenses.

Assuming you are being hired by AstraZeneca as a consultant for formulating their international human resources strategies, what will you recommend to the senior management for implementing the international staffing and career development based on the appropriate concepts, approaches and theories? Justify your answers with relevant examples.