Introduction

Labour relations took the central place in all the struggles for democracy and so the initial outcome of the democratic process was extended to the labour relations in many developing economies albeit this faced different contours (Nkomo in Organization 18: 365–386, 2011; Ayittey in Africa Betrayed. St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1992). Some of these are related to imperialism that took a prominent place in several African countries and robbed the continent of some key cultural underpinnings (Hack-Polay “Compassionate Investment?—Diaspora Contribution to Poverty Alleviation in Francophone West Africa” in African Diaspora Direct Investment: Establishing the Economic and Socio-cultural Rationale. Palgrave, London, 2018; Fanon in The Wretched of the Earth. New York, Grove Weidenfeld, 1963). This book is an exploratory effort on examining some of the perceived contextual issues that impact the management of some topical HR functions in most developing economies (with focus on Africa). The structure of the book is novel and captures the background, contemporary HR approaches, country perspectives, conclusions and implications as well as topical and discussion questions to capture the essence of each chapter. For many international students and multinational corporations with presence in Africa that are desirous to investigate appropriate approaches to managing the HR function, this book will serve as an outstanding ‘companion’ in the management of HRM.