Title:
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Human resources development, transnational corporations and indigenous employees in a developing country : a case study of the beverage industry in Ghana
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In developing countries, human resources development (HRD) is central to improving
individual employment and life choices as well as the growth of national economies.
Transnational corporations (TNCs), a powerful private sector group owing to their
economic resources and knowledge, have the potential, through their HRD policies and
practices, to make an important contribution to developing the human resources of a
developing host country. They particularly have a potentially critical role to play in the
HRD of their host country employees.
Ghana is an African developing country where attracting transnationals is a current
government priority. This thesis sought to identify a Ghanaian economic sector with an
element of technological homogeneity and current TNC involvement to uncover the
experiences of HRD that indigenous employees have had with three TNC employers. A
number of research questions were asked relating to three research areas: training and
development, career development and work norms.
In the thesis, the HRD aspects of 3 established development theories are drawn out and
utilised. The three development theories were used to give analytical depth to the
fieldwork findings. Overall, the findings suggest that, with regard to the TNCs
researched in Ghana, the experience of indigenous people working for these
transnational operations did not lead to a significant potential for a considerable spread
of HRD into the wider Ghanaian economy. This was because few indigenous
employees left the transnationals as well as the indigenous TNC employees received
limited HRD from their TNC employers. In addition, feelings of exploitation and
pressure on valued norms were common amongst indigenous employees.
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