Conclusion
Aoki (1988) and Jacoby (2004) stress the concentration of power in terms of
human resources lies with the headquarters human resources departments at
Japanese firms. Our research found that headquarters human resources
departments/business units of Japanese firms that we researched play weaker roles
on international human resources management than those of American firms that
we studied. Headquarters human resources departments/business units of the
Japanese firms tend to manage only Japanese expatriates at their subsidiaries in
Asia. The departments/business units are not involved with the management of
local employees, whom are managed by the subsidiaries. In addition, when strikes
occurred or new human resources management systems were introduced in the
subsidiaries, the headquarters human resources departments of the Japanese firms
provided some support to the subsidiaries.