Intercountry differences affect a company's HR man- agement processes. Cultural factors such as assertive- ness and humane orientation suggest differences in values, attitudes, and therefore behaviors and reactions of people from country to country. Economic and labor cost factors help determine whether HR's emphasis should be on efficiency, or some other approach. Industrial relations and specifically the relationship among the workers, the union, and the employer influ- ence the nature of a company's specific HR policies from country to country.? L0254