Employee-transfer as an instrument of information-transfer through vertical relations?

Personnel policies and strategies of Japanese companies have gathered special interest for a long time. But in a crisis like the burst of the bubble economy in the beginning of the nineties these principles are handled more and more in a flexible way. With a growing number of people in transfer to other companies in the group or to affiliated firms, the Japanese companies try to maintain their competitiveness. Since long term relations are still significant in Japanese companies, employees cannot simply be dismissed. The transfer of employees, which is known as shukkô means not to cut, but to loosen the relations to them while going in closer contact with the group companies. One side of the transfer is to gain competitiveness in reducing the surplus of employees and to cut personnel expenses. The other side is to strengthen the relations in giving technical guidance and training in affiliated companies. This means a better flow of knowledge and information to the affiliates. The aim of this study, which is based on the Kaisha-Database at the Science Center Berlin, is to figure out and analyse these two intentions of employee-transfer.