Human Resource Management in the Japanese Financial Institution Abroad: The Case of the London Office.

The evidence on human resource management in overseas offices of Japanese multinational service-sector firms is far less abundant than that for manufacturing firms. Existing studies describe employment practices that vary, both between firrns and over time. To supplement the existing body of evidence, the present study investigates employment practices at two Japanese financial services firms in the City of London through the use of interviews and questionnaire surveys. It focuses on those facets of the 'Japanese' management system that may be considered fundamental characteristics: recruitment and selection procedures, training methods, pay and promotion policies, employment security, company culture, and the position of workers within the overall organization. The study considers the implications of changes over time within the two firms when viewed in the context of the existing evidence; such comparison suggests that both corporate strategy and human resource management policy in Japanese financial organizations may have changed during the 1980s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]