International Hr

Following the presentation of the data, hierarchical regression analysis is employed to analyse and test the Conceptual Model of Factors Affecting HCN Integration. The goal of this analysis is to examine the relationships between the factors that are postulated to influence or predict the integration of HCN managers in the management process at Japanese overseas subsidiaries in terms of their participation in decision-making.

6.1 RESEARCH METHODS

This section describes the research instruments, data collection, demographics, and the scales developed for measuring the variables in the Conceptual Model of Factors Affecting HCN Integration.

6.1.1 Research Instruments

In the pilot study, two questionnaires were developed, one in English to be completed by HCN managers employed at Japanese subsidiaries in Malaysia and Australia as well as one in Japanese to be completed by the PCNs at the same companies. I developed the questionnaires with the co-operation of Kazuo Doi, a colleague of mine at Kyushu Sangyo University in Fukuoka, Japan. The English and Japanese versions of the questionnaires fundamentally ask the same set of questions. However, there are certain questions that logically apply to only HCN or PCN managers and these types of questions were also included.

The pilot study served to validate the research instruments and offered insights into how the study could be improved. A number of questions employed in the pilot study that did not provide particularly useful insights were omitted from the questionnaire used in 1996. While considering the results of the first study, additional questions were formulated to seek more precise data. For example, additional items to be used in the scale for HCN participation in decision-making were added to the 1996 questionnaire. In addition, I developed a separate questionnaire concerning the staffing of the subsidiary and various IHRM policies and practices to be filled out by human resource managers.

6.1.2 Data Collection

Data collection for the pilot study was carried out over a period of about 10 weeks beginning 17 July 1994 while data collection for the study took place from 5 June 1996 for a period of about 16 weeks. The target subsidiaries were selected from the list of Japanese subsidiaries in foreign countries published in Kaigai Shinshutsu Kigyo Soran (Guide to Japanese Foreign Direct Investment). The 1994 edition was used for the pilot study and the 1996 edition for the main study.

In the pilot study, priority was given to what appeared to be the largest Japanese subsidiaries in Australia and Malaysia based on the number of employees. However, care was taken to include companies from both service and manufacturing sectors. In the 1996 study, questionnaires were sent to a greater number of Japanese subsidiaries in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

In the pilot study, interviews were carried out at nine Japanese subsidiaries in Malaysia (seven manufacturing, two non-manufacturing) and one subsidiary in Australia (manufacturing). At least two Japanese managers and two HCN managers at each subsidiary were interviewed for an average of 70 minutes for each individual. Questionnaires were sent or hand-delivered to 29 subsidiaries in Malaysia and 20 in Australia for a total of 49 firms. HCN managers received the English version of the questionnaire while Japanese managers answered the Japanese version. By the deadline of 30 September 1994, 34 companies returned usable questionnaires yielding a response rate of 69 per cent.

he high response rate in the pilot study is due to the fact that many firms were contacted by phone before sending the questionnaires. No firms contacted by phone refused to receive the questionnaires but not all of them returned questionnaires. The total number of individual questionnaires from Japanese managers was 120 (22 from Australia, 96 from Malaysia, and two from Singapore) while the total number returned by HCN managers was 128 (23 from Australia, 103 from Malaysia, and two from Singapore).

In the 1996 study, interviews were carried out at eight Japanese subsidiaries in Australia (one manufacturing, seven non-manufacturing). Questionnaires were sent to a total of 476 Japanese firms (114 in Australia, 96 in