Strohmeier, S.; Diederichsen, A. (Eds.), Evidence-Based e-HRM? On the way to rigorous and relevant research, Proceedings of the Third European Academic Workshop on electronic Human Resource Management, Bamberg, Germany, May 20-21, 2010, CEUR-WS.org, ISSN 1613-0073, Vol. 570, online: CEUR-WS.org/Vol-570/ , pp. 289-306. © 2010 for the individual papers by the papers´ authors. Copying permitted only for private and academic purposes. This volume is published and copyrighted by its editors Global Integration versus Local Adaption of an e-HRM System in a US MNC Ralf Burbach, Institute of Technology Carlow, Ireland ralf.burbach@itcarlow.ie Tony Royle, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland tony.royle@nuigalway.ie Abstract. Research in e-HRM appears to purport that e-HRM practices are diffused and adopted uniformly in the subsidiaries of multinational corporations (MNC). This paper argues that the transmission e-HRM practices, like the diffusion of other HRM practices, is subject to a multitude of institutional factors. This paper also proposes institutional theory as a macro theoretical research paradigm for e-HRM research. Based upon an analysis of interview data garnered in the German and Irish subsidiaries of a single US MNC, a palpable divergence in e-HRM practices could be discerned. Moreover, this research identifies a number of forces for standardisation and isomorphic pressures in the institutional environment of the MNC. Keywords: e-HRM, Institutionalist Theory, Institutional Factors, Germany, Ireland, International HRM 1 Introduction Despite a growing body of research underpinning the field of electronic Human Resource Management (e-HRM), a distinct paucity of studies founded on macro theories emerges when this body of research is examined [89]. This paper argues that e- HRM diffusion in the subsidiaries of a Multinational Corporation (MNC) is, similar to other HRM practices, subject to a broad range of institutional factors, even though the nature of an e-HRM would necessitate a high level of integration and standardisation across the MNC to attain expected effectiveness and efficiency gains. It has frequently been argued that particularly US MNCs‟ are characterised by standardised, centralised and formalised HR policy-making processes and the introduction of US style HRM practices in their host countries [e.g. 1, 25, 50]. The level of diffusion of HRM practices in general across MNCs appears to diverge considerably and various attempts have been made to understand these differences. For a number of years, the international HRM (IHRM) literature has provided a forum for an ongoing debate, which has given rise to a host of institutional factors that may arbitrate the transfer of employment practices among multinational corporations‟ subsidiaries. These factors comprise home and host country effects [1, 34, 70], sector effects [13, 78, 79], the institutional context and national business system [e.g. 10, 13, 13, 14, 24, 25, 26], dominance effects [35, 62,