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Human resource management practices at foreign-affiliated companies in least-developed regions: US and Japanese Companies in Nepal

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Abstract

On the basis of 16 qualitative case studies of the US-affiliated, Japanese-affiliated and local Nepali companies, we investigate how the context of Nepal as a least-developed country influences the way MNC affiliates implement human resource (HR) practices. Our findings indicate that institutional distance can promote, rather than impede, the transfer of HR practices, as long as the practices are able to address local needs. The findings also suggest that the nature and needs of the local labor market are stronger predictors of the transfer of HR practices than those factors identified in extant international human resource management frameworks, such as institutional and cultural distance.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank the General Editor Michael A. Witt and two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. The authors would also extend their appreciation to Associate Editor, John Billingsley. This work was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (Grant Number: 26285085) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

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  1. Graduate School of Economics, Osaka University, 1-7 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, 560-0043, Osaka, Japan

    Mohan Pyari Maharjan & Tomoki Sekiguchi

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  1. Mohan Pyari Maharjan
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†One of the authors is also guest editor for this special issue. To avoid a possible conflict of interest, this article was taken through the review process and accepted by Michael A. Witt, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Business & Management.

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Maharjan, M., Sekiguchi, T. Human resource management practices at foreign-affiliated companies in least-developed regions: US and Japanese Companies in Nepal. Asian Bus Manage 15, 137–164 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1057/abm.2016.6

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