IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/csg/ajrcwp/1502.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Do Japanese MNCs use Expatriates to Contain Risk in Asian Host Countries?

Author

Listed:
  • Jean-Pascal Bassino
  • Marion Dovis
  • Pierre van der Eng

Abstract

We investigate the impact of host country risk on the expatriation strategies of multinational firms, using data on Japanese subsidiary firms in manufacturing industry in 13 host countries in Asia. We find that country risk is negatively correlated wiht the degree of expatriation and that, rather than hostry country risk, firm-specific factors (particularly capital intesity, ownership share of parent firms in subsidiaries and the age of the venture) explain most of the variation in the degree to which subsidiaries rely on Japanese expatriates. Contrary to previous studies, the capital intensity of production is a key explanatory firm-specific variable that correlates positively wiht the degree of expatriation. Japanese MNCs do no rely on expatriates to off-set host country risk, but to mitigate risk to parent investment in subsidiaries

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Pascal Bassino & Marion Dovis & Pierre van der Eng, 2015. "Do Japanese MNCs use Expatriates to Contain Risk in Asian Host Countries?," AJRC Working Papers 1502, Australia-Japan Research Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    • Handle: RePEc:csg:ajrcwp:1502
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://crawford.anu.edu.au/pdf/ajrc/wpapers/2015/201502.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chen, Edward K. Y., 1983. "Factor proportions of foreign and local firms in developing countries : A theoretical and empirical note," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 12(1-2), pages 267-274.
    2. Timothy Dean Keeley, 2001. "International Human Resource Management in Japanese Firms," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-0-230-59765-5, December.
    3. Peng, George Z. & Beamish, Paul W., 2014. "MNC subsidiary size and expatriate control: Resource-dependence and learning perspectives," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 51-62.
    4. Konopaske, Robert & Werner, Steve & Neupert, Kent E., 2002. "Entry mode strategy and performance: the role of FDI staffing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(9), pages 759-770, September.
    5. Timothy Dean Keeley, 2001. "International Human Resource Management," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: International Human Resource Management in Japanese Firms, chapter 4, pages 98-140, Palgrave Macmillan.
    6. René A Belderbos & Mariëlle G Heijltjes, 2005. "The determinants of expatriate staffing by Japanese multinationals in Asia: control, learning and vertical business groups," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 36(3), pages 341-354, May.
    7. Paik, Yongsun & Sohn, Junghoon Derick, 2004. "Expatriate managers and MNC's ability to control international subsidiaries: the case of Japanese MNCs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 61-71, February.
    8. Schon Beechler & John Zhuang Yang, 1994. "The Transfer of Japanese-Style Management to American Subsidiaries: Contingencies, and Competencies," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(3), pages 467-491, September.
    9. Nakiye Boyacigiller, 1990. "The Role of Expatriates in the Management of Interdependence Complexity and Risk in Multinational Corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 21(3), pages 357-381, September.
    10. Oetzel, Jennifer M. & Bettis, Richard A. & Zenner, Marc, 2001. "Country risk measures: how risky are they?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 128-145, July.
    11. Yulin Fang & Guo‐Liang Frank Jiang & Shige Makino & Paul W. Beamish, 2010. "Multinational Firm Knowledge, Use of Expatriates, and Foreign Subsidiary Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 27-54, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Iwashita, Hitoshi, 2022. "Language and identity in the shadow: A multi-case study of a Japanese multinational corporation," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 31(2).
    2. Farah, Bassam & Chakravarty, Dwarka & Dau, Luis & Beamish, Paul W., 2022. "Multinational enterprise parent-subsidiary governance and survival," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    3. Eduardsen, Jonas & Marinova, Svetla, 2020. "Internationalisation and risk: Literature review, integrative framework and research agenda," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tomoki Sekiguchi & Fabian Jintae Froese & Chie Iguchi, 2016. "International human resource management of Japanese multinational corporations: Challenges and future directions," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(2), pages 83-109, April.
    2. Moreira, Márcia Zabdiele & Ogasavara, Mário Henrique, 2018. "Formal and informal institutions and the expatriation assignment: The case of Japanese subsidiaries in Latin America," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 18-26.
    3. Lee, Jong Min, 2019. "Intra- and inter-regional diversification, subsidiary value chain activities and expatriate utilization," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 1-1.
    4. Naoki Ando & Dong Kee Rhee & Namgyoo Park, 2008. "Parent country nationals or local nationals for executive positions in foreign affiliates: An empirical study of Japanese affiliates in Korea," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 113-134, January.
    5. Riaz, Suhaib & Glenn Rowe, W. & Beamish, Paul W., 2014. "Expatriate-deployment levels and subsidiary growth: A temporal analysis," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 1-11.
    6. Lipeng Gary Ge & Cuili Qian & Jiatao Li, 2019. "Mimicry, Knowledge Spillover and Expatriate Assignment Strategy in Overseas Subsidiaries," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(6), pages 981-1007, December.
    7. Kawai, Norifumi & Strange, Roger, 2014. "Subsidiary autonomy and performance in Japanese multinationals in Europe," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 504-515.
    8. Grazia D. Santangelo & Anupama Phene, 2022. "Knowledge sourcing by the multinational enterprise: An individual creativity-based model," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 434-448, April.
    9. Naoki Ando, 2016. "Similarity to successful peers and the implications for subsidiary performance," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 15(2), pages 110-136, April.
    10. Jelena Cerar & Benoit Decreton & Phillip C. Nell, 2023. "What's in a Name? How Senior Managers use Name‐Based Heuristics to Allocate Financial Resources in Multinational Corporations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(5), pages 1147-1177, July.
    11. Dutta, Dev K. & Beamish, Paul W., 2013. "Expatriate Managers, Product Relatedness, and IJV Performance: A Resource and Knowledge-based Perspective," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 152-162.
    12. Jong Min Lee, 2022. "MNCs as dispersed structures of power: Performance and management implications of power distribution in the subsidiary portfolio," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(1), pages 126-155, February.
    13. Mei, Maggie Qiuzhu & Wang, Le & Yan, Jie, 2023. "Maintaining product quality consistency when offshoring to emerging markets: The role of subsidiary control," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(1).
    14. Kawai, Norifumi & Chung, Chul, 2019. "Expatriate utilization, subsidiary knowledge creation and performance: The moderating role of subsidiary strategic context," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 24-36.
    15. Caligiuri, Paula & Bonache, Jaime, 2016. "Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 127-141.
    16. Heather Berry, 2017. "Managing valuable knowledge in weak IP protection countries," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(7), pages 787-807, September.
    17. Farah, Bassam & Chakravarty, Dwarka & Dau, Luis & Beamish, Paul W., 2022. "Multinational enterprise parent-subsidiary governance and survival," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(2).
    18. Jesper EDMAN & Riki TAKEUCHI, 2021. "Do Japanese Expatriates Matter for Foreign Subsidiary Performance? A Role-Based Analysis of Three-Wave Panel Data," Discussion papers 21046, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    19. Johannes Meuer & Marlies Kluike & Uschi Backes-Gellner & Kerstin Pull, 2018. "Using expatriates for adapting subsidiaries' employment modes to different market economies: a comparative analysis of US subsidiaries in Germany, the UK and Switzerland," Working Papers 372, University of Zurich, Department of Business Administration (IBW).
    20. Renshaw, Phil St John & Dickmann, Michael & Parry, Emma, 2022. "The value of international assignments through the lens of real-options-reasoning," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 423-434.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M16 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - International Business Administration
    • N85 - Economic History - - Micro-Business History - - - Asia including Middle East

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:csg:ajrcwp:1502. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Akira Kinefuchi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/ajrccau.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.