In this fourth annual review issue published by The International Journal of Human Resource Management (IJHRM), we are delighted to present five articles that cover some of the important areas in people management in contemporary work settings. Our review articles cover topics that are less well-researched, compared with some popular themes, as the trend of the ‘psychologisation’ of human resource management (HRM) continues in momentum (Godard, 2014; Kaufman, 2015). At IJHRM we can see that there is continued strong interest in HRM and international HRM (IHRM), although the HR topics and geographical origins of submitted manuscripts become more diverse. With this review issue, we would like to reflect on three aspects related to current research trends that impinge on the field of international HRM.