This thesis is concerned with HRM in Irish-owned multinational companies (MNCs). For the purpose of this research, HRM is understood in its broadest sense as encompassing the policies, processes and procedures involved in the management of people within organisations (Sisson, 1989). Adopting a head office-centred approach, this thesis specifically focuses on two dimensions of FIRM: (i) the collective management of non-managerial employees, that is the management of industrial relations (IR), and (ii) the management of non-operational human resources (HR), that is the management of managers. Chapter four will outline in greater detail the rationale for this focus. Finally, given the paucity of empirical research into the behaviour of Irish-owned MNCs and the broad leaning of the Irish HRM literature towards the practices of foreign-owned MNCs based within Ireland, this research is exploratory in nature.