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ross Cultural Management: An International Journalmerald Article: The perceptions of Malaysians in a Japanese company
eap Peik Foong, Stanley Richardson
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Cross Cultural Management:
International Jou
Vol. 15 No. 3, 2
pp. 221
# Emerald Group Publishing Lim
1352-7
DOI 10.1108/13527600810892
The perceptions of Malaysians ina Japanese company
Yeap Peik Foong and Stanley RichardsonFaculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose The aim of this paper is to investigate the perceptions of Malaysian employees of ABCMSC (a Japanese company in Malaysia) in order to recommend changes in management practices.Design/methodology/approach Fieldwork was conducted using participant observation andinterviews. Participant observation was conducted to investigate the flow of information, theimplementation of decisions made by the top Japanese managers, problem resolution, and thereaction of the local staff to management practices. The interviews highlighted communicationproblems which have existed between the Japanese CEO and the local telecommunications companiessince the company started operations in 1997.Findings Even thought the company is backed by a financially strong parent company in Japan
and has a lot of growth potential, this potential remains partially untapped due to managementstrategies of the company headquarters.Research limitations/implications Japan remains an important Foreign Direct Investmentcountry in Malaysia. The perceptions of employees of Japanese companies in Malaysia are worthinvestigating since changes of management strategies in the home country affect the direction andoperations of the overseas subsidiaries. Further research should be carried out in other Japanesecompanies in Malaysia.Practical implications Suggestions to improve the management strategies are discussed.Originality/value It is believed that no other Japanese company in Malaysia has been investigatedin this way before. This papers findings should be useful to many expatriate managers in Malaysia.
Keywords Japan, Malaysia, Employee attitudes, International business, Expatriates,Corporate strategy
Paper type Case study
IntroductionJapan remains an important source of Foreign Direct Investment in Malaysia. Japanranked third in the list of Malaysias top ten trading partners in 2005 and it remained thelargest source of imports for Malaysia and the third largest market for Malaysianexports in the same year (Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation, 2005). Theperceptions of employees who work in Japanese companies in Malaysia are worthinvestigating since changes of management strategies in the home country affect thedirection and operations of the overseas subsidiaries (Taira, 1980; Jaeger, 1983; Beechlerand Yang, 1994). Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country. The Malays and other indigenousgroups make up 61 per cent, the Chinese 24 per cent, the Indians 7 per cent, and others8 per cent of the population. Thus, the study of Malaysian employee perceptions in a
Japanese overseas subsidiary should show how Japanese management practices areviewed in a multicultural environment such as Malaysia. This paper concerns one
Japanese company in Malaysia, ABC Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) (a pseudonym)engaged in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.
ICT in MalaysiaThe development of the ICT industry in Malaysia has received great attention from thegovernment. The Malaysian government embarked upon the MSC initiative in 1996 withthe aim of cultivating a knowledge-rich society in Malaysia and taking the country into
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/1352-7606.htm
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the information age. The MSC covers a 15 km by 50 km land area, stretching from the
Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur in the north to the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport in the south; and encompasses two new cities: Cyberjaya, the technology core
and Putrajaya, the new administrative capital of Malaysia. It is also an integrated
logistics hub with rapid rail links to Kuala Lumpur, and a new highway system. In orderto provide high-capacity global telecommunications and logistics network services, a
2.5-10 gigabits digital fiber-optic backbone was built in MSC. Moreover, the innovative
cyberlaws, policies and practices which govern the MSC allow investors to harness the
full potential of ICTand multimedia.
With this unique and ideal multimedia environment, Malaysia continues to attract
leading ICT companies both local and international to locate their industries in the
MSC and undertake research, develop new products and technologies and export them
from this base. Japanese companies have taken the initiative to establish their
subsidiaries in Cyberjaya while Malaysia is making efforts to expand Cyberjaya into a
major regional IT hub.
Background of the companyThe company
ABC MSC was incorporated as a wholly owned Japanese subsidiary of ABC
Corporation (also a pseudonym) on 2 July 1997. It moved operations from the capital,
Kuala Lumpur to the newly established intelligent city of Cyberjaya, 30 km from
Kuala Lumpur. Thus the ABC Group marked its debut in the MSC established in 1996.
ABC MSCs principal activities are to supply and install telecommunication equipment,
and to provide other value-added telecommunication and market research services
relating to the local telecommunication industry.
ABC MSC organizational structureOn 30 June 2006, ABC MSC had a total workforce of 73, i.e. seven Japanese expatriates
(9 per cent) and 66 locals (91 per cent). There are 32 technical staff (44 per cent), 24 sales
staff (33 per cent), and 17 support staff (23 per cent). Table I shows the manpower
structure by ethnic groups in the technical, sales, and support groups. The
management prefers to hire Chinese because they generally regard them as better
qualified and more highly motivated than members of other ethnic groups (this was
stated by three Malaysians two department managers and the human resource
manager).
There are seven divisions and thirteen departments in the organization. Figure 1
shows the ABC MSC organizational chart at 30 June 2006.
Table I.Manpower structureby ethnic groups atABC MSC
Technical group Sales group Support group Total
Japanese 1 4 2 7Malay 6 5 11Chinese 18 19 9 46Indian 5 1 6Others 2 1 3
Total 32 24 17 73
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The aimThe aim of this study is to investigate the perceptions of Malaysian employees of ABCMSC (a Japanese company in Malaysia) in order to recommend changes inmanagement practices.
MethodologyTriangulation methodsVarious methods were used, including documentary analysis, participant observation,and interviews. Denzin (1978, p. 291) says triangulation is the combination ofmethodologies in the study of the same phenomenon. The use of multipleapproaches allow an investigator to address a broader range of historical, attitudinal,and behavioral issues (Yin, 1994, p. 92).
Multiple approaches and methods have been used by many researchers (Lam, 1992;Lee, 1998; Ogasawara, 1998; Wong, 1999). In an effort to examine the extent to whichthe growing pressures from equal opportunities between the sexes have caused
Japanese companies to adapt and modify their employment and personnel
management practices, Lam (1992) carried out comprehensive surveys of employmentpractices across companies and industries in Japan, combined with detailed fieldworkat Seibu in 1984 and again in 1988. Similarly, Lees (1998) study of gender in twofactories owned by a Hong Kong-based company located in two sites, (in Hong Kong,China and in Shenzhen, China) aimed to investigate the factors that caused theimplementation of different management practices between the two sites. She usedmultiple approaches, she not only observed the working of the factories, butparticipated in the work and involved herself personally in the relations and processesthat she studied. In an attempt to investigate workplace politics between Japanese maleand female workers in a Japanese company, Ogasawara (1998) combined participant
Figure ABC MSC organizationchart as at 30 June 20
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observation and personal interviews in her methodology to carry out her study. Shespent six months of participant observation as a temporary clerical worker at theTokyo headquarters of a large bank and interviewed 40 office men, ten wives of officemen, and 30 office ladies to collect data. Wong (1999) examined the success of a
Japanese supermarket retailer in transferring its management systems to Hong Kong.He spent two years of participant-observer research in various branches of thedepartment store to study the companys operations in Hong Kong, particularly thepower relations between and among the Japanese expatriates and local Hong KongChinese employees.
Collection of informationInformation was obtained from company annual reports, the employee handbook,newsletters, brochures, and the company website. Further information was obtainedby:
. Semi-structured interviews: interviewees were selected from the managers
(including the President, and the directors of the main divisions); from theexecutives (senior technical staff, e.g. IT programmers, engineers, data entrystaff, etc); and from non-executive staff (clerks, drivers, etc). All interviews werearranged and conducted after the official working hours from 1730 onwards, toavoid interrupting the respondents daily work.
. Participant observation: One of us, Yeap Peik Foong (YPF) immersed himself inABC MSC alongside target participants, becoming an employee of the company.As far as possible, everything was observed and observations recorded as soonas possible after they had been made. Special attention was paid to the teamprocess in order to determine weaknesses and strengths.
ResultsRespondents backgroundA total of 53 interviews were successfully carried out (all by YPF). The profile of the 53respondents from 14 departments is in the Appendix. The average age of therespondents was 31 years old and the average length of service in the company wasfour years two months. Most (60.4 per cent) of the respondents were graduates eitherfrom local or overseas universities. These respondents came from three levels ofemployees: management (14), executive (35) and non-executive (four). Among these 53respondents, there were 32 Chinese, eight Malays, five Indians, two Kadazan and oneEurasian (all Malaysians) and four Japanese. Three of the local respondents spokefluent Japanese and one of them had three years working experience in a Japanesecompany in Japan.
Respondents perceptionsJapanese company an attraction?. Did the respondents initially view the fact that ABCMSC was Japanese as an attraction to work for the company? Sixty-four per cent of thelocal respondents responded positively to this question. Respondent L32 graduated in
Japan and had three years working experience in Japan before she returned toMalaysia. She felt that she has better prospects working in a Japanese companybecause she graduated from a university in Japan and speaks fluent Japanese. Shebelieved her educational background and language ability are personal strengths inbuilding her career in a Japanese company. For most of the management (75 per cent)
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all the local employees commented that they only had little or moderate influence ondecision-making and little or moderate personal autonomy in work. Moreover, the localemployees believe that little consensus decision-making was practiced in thiscompany; their suggestions and opinions were sometimes solicited, but rarely
implemented, they said. More than 80 per cent of the local employees believed thatconsensus decision-making is only practiced among the Japanese managers.
Chain of command and transparency. Forty local employees (80 per cent)interviewed found that the job description, duties and responsibilities, and chain ofcommand were not defined, or documented, in the company. Some employeescomplained that they needed to handle the work of two different departments andreport to different superiors, which creates confusion among the locals. In addition, thecompany policies are only moderately transparent. Some respondents were not awarethat they are entitled to apply for training or attend seminars or conferences that arerelated to their work once a year. This benefit is not stated clearly in the EmployeeHandbook.
Pay. Forty-three of the respondents (85 per cent) were dissatisfied with the pay they
received in the company! Respondent L7, L11, and L35 said that the salary they receiveis marginally lower than other telecommunications companies in Malaysia. The reasonthey have stayed is that they are satisfied with the working conditions, including ahealthy safe working environment, privacy, office space, a personal computer, andrelations with her superiors and colleagues. The majority of the respondents weresatisfied with the day-to-day working conditions and relations with superiors andcolleagues in the company. However, they were dissatisfied with the conditions ofservice and contracts, e.g. job security, promotion, training, welfare, and benefits, etcprovided by the company.
Other financial benefits. All respondents commented that the difference in benefitsbetween the Japanese expatriates and the local staff is too large. All the Japaneseexpatriates are entitled to a company car, housing allowance, and family allowance; butMalaysian employees get none of these. Thus, many local employees felt that it wasunfair when they compared the fringe benefits the company provided to the localemployees with those of the Japanese expatriates. Respondents L2 and L4 suggestedthat the company should reduce the fringe benefits of the Japanese expatriates andutilize the money more productively, for example, in upgrading the computer systemand equipment in the Data Centre and providing medical benefits for the immediatefamily members of the local staff. Currently, the medical benefits do not cover the localemployees immediate family members. However, some respondents felt that eventhough they were not satisfied with the big difference in staff benefits between the
Japanese expatriates and local staff, they had to accept them without any hardfeelings because it is the company policy. A study carried out by Keeley (2001) among
Japanese expatriates and local employees in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, andThailand revealed that this gap in compensation and benefits often leads to frictionbetween Japanese expatriates and local employees.
Redress of grievances. How do local employees redress their grievances since there isno union in the company? The first approach used by all the respondents is to haveface-to-face talks with their immediate superior. They felt that this is the mostappropriate way to express their dissatisfaction; 76 per cent of the respondents talk tocolleagues to share their feelings, 62 per cent of the respondents send email to theirsuperior or colleagues, while 26 per cent of the respondents speak to the humanresource manager. Respondent L15 said he would talk to the most vocal person in the
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company and hope that this person would convey his dissatisfaction to themanagement. But in the final resort, all respondents said all they can do is to keepquiet, even if they are not happy with the management practices: this may be a reasonfor labour turnover.
Labour turnover. From 1 October 2005 to 30 June 2006, nine local employees and twoJapanese employees who were recruited in Malaysia left the company. The labourturnover rate was about 15 per cent and the majority who resigned were the ITengineers and staff from the sales division and system operations division. The highturnover rate, especially among the younger engineers, has caused the company to loseits trained manpower and indirectly lower the morale of the local staff. BetweenFebruary and June 2006, five IT engineers resigned because of better offers from othercompanies. Two of them had more than five years working experience in ABC MSC.Many employees resigned from the company after they received the announcement ofsalary increments from the management at the end of the year 2005. Some employeeseven appealed to the human resource manager, who is a local, but she was not able torevise the salary increments. The ultimate decision was made by the Human Resource
Director, who is Japanese. Since the management did not make any changes regardingthe increment, the local staff member resigned. Some of the experienced IT engineersmanaged to get better offers in terms of salary and position from other companies; twoof them were respondents L10 and L12. Ironically, the human resource manager whohad been in the company for five years resigned at the end of December 2005. Onemonth later, her assistant, the human resource and administrative officer with ninemonths service also resigned and left the whole human resource department withoutany local employees for about a month before the new human resource manager washired. The high turnover of local employees from various departments in the companywas reported to the regional manager, a Japanese, in the Singapore office. He came tothe company in Cyberjaya and held a meeting with all the employees in February 2006to discuss the issue. In the meeting (attended by YPF), he explained to the localemployees that the management practices in ABC MSC are different from the parentcompany in Japan. For example, the practices of lifetime employment and enterpriseunions are not implemented in ABC MSC. Since there is no union to represent the voiceof the local Malaysian employees, he encouraged open communication with employees.Those facing problems with their work or are unsatisfied with the management cancall or write to him directly. He even met individually with those who have tenderedtheir resignation letters to ask the reasons for their resignation. However, the localemployees still opted to leave the company since they managed to get better offerselsewhere.
Perception of Japanese colleagues. How did the local employees view the Japaneseexpatriates? There were pros and cons. Generally the Japanese staff were viewed as
friendly, hardworking and easy to approach in a social context. However, the generalperception was that they act differently when it came to work-related issues.Respondents commented that Japanese colleagues feel that they are superior and seethemselves as the bosses when they deal with work and formal issues. They rarelylisten to the opinions of the local employees, and even when they do, they generally donot implement them. Respondents L1, L4, L9, L12, and L38 viewed the Japanese staff asonly focusing on their own work and having short-term commitment to the Malaysiancompany: they are in Malaysia only for a few years after which they return to Japan.Thus, there is little effort to strengthen the relationship between the Japanese and thelocal staff. The interests of the local staff in relation to fringe payments and benefits are
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not cared for effectively. Respondents L7 and L14 felt that the Japanese expatriateswere not the people to look to for direction. This is because the Japanese expatriates donot listen to the local employees and they will not change once they have made theirdecision. Respondents L2 and L4 had the same perception. They said that even though
there are some Japanese expatriates who are highly respected, 90 per cent are not. Someof them appear incompetent and they do not try to improve. They behave as if they arein Malaysia on holiday. They called this group of Japanese expatriates the holidaymakers.
Japanese perception of Malaysian colleagues. How did the Japanese view the localemployees? Generally the local staff were viewed as hardworking, cooperative,enthusiastic to learn, easy to work with, and friendly. Informant L53 who had threeyears overseas working experience in an ABC subsidiary in Manila, the Philippines,commented that the Malaysian colleagues were more disciplined, well educated, andresponsible than the local employees in the subsidiary in Philippines. He enjoyedworking in a multicultural environment and even practiced his limited Malay languageskills with the local staff. Informant L42 shared the same perception. She felt that the
Malaysian colleagues were friendly and helpful. She had no problem mixing with them,especially the Malays, because she spoke fluent Malay, which she had learned in heruniversity in Japan. However, informant L52 commented that the morale andcommitment of the local employees was low. He felt that some local employees were notputting their full effort and commitment into their work. He further commented thatthe local employees, especially those who were young and single, were less loyal thanmany of those who had left the company after a few years of service.
DiscussionThe changing Japanese work ethic
Japanese attitudes toward work have changed (Mohwald, 2000), along with socialchange (Eades, 2000) and increasing affluence, especially among the youngergeneration who are more concerned with personal pleasure and enjoyment. Thestereotype of the workaholic Japanese is no longer true. The Japanese attitudes inrelation to work have been changing since the mid-1970s. Even though work is stillimportant to the majority of Japanese, however the value system which used to stressthe importance of hard work, diligence, commitment, etc has changed among theyoung workers. A survey of work-related attitudes among youths who consulted theTokyo and Osaka regional offices was carried out by the Employment Security Bureauof the Labour Ministry in 1990. The result of the survey showed that the majority of therespondents belonged to a type they called shinjinruigata. This type of worker displaysa low level of loyalty to the company, dislikes hard work, and prefers leisure to work,opts for free time rather than extra income where the two conflict, has no interest in the
content of work nor in responsibility, aspires to high salaries and short working hours,rejects socializing with colleagues after hours, and favours frequent change of jobs.New value patterns have emerged in Japanese society and this has strongly affectedthe work motivation of Japanese (Mohwald, 2000).
ABC MSC problems past and presentThe idea of the MSC was conceptualized in 1996 to support the development of theglobal ICT industry, not only in Malaysia but globally. One of the problems faced bythe company was the need to relocate its workforce from the sales office in KualaLumpur to the new office in Cyberjaya. Most of the staff were requested to move from
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the Kuala Lumpur office to Cyberjaya. Since the infrastructure of Cyberjaya was notfully developed at that time, transportation was the main problem for the staff withouttheir own transport. Besides, other facilities such as banking, clinics, and lunchfacilities were very limited. The company failed to attract sufficient local talent to work
in the new location. On the other hand, the most prominent external problem faced bythe company was to establish good relationships with the local telecommunicationscompanies. Since ABC MSC is a company that provides global network services tocustomers, it needed to establish good relationships with the local telecommunicationscompanies in order to get a licence as a network service provider and also to be able toshare the domestic network and infrastructure with the local telecommunicationscompanies in Malaysia. Communications problems existing between the Japanese topexecutives and the local telecommunications companies caused a delay in getting theright partnership agreements to share the telecommunications infrastructure. Thiswas partly because the Japanese expatriates did not speak good English and they didnot feel comfortable negotiating with the local partners. In addition, the Japaneseexpatriates in ABC MSC only mingle with the Japanese community in the city. They
rarely socialize with the local business partners. Thus, the Japanese top managementdepended on the local managers to deal with the local telecommunications companies.
Poor communications and conflicts of interests with the local telecommunicationscompanies remain among the continuing issues faced by the company. This may bedue to the three changes of CEO since the establishment of ABC MSC in 1997. The firstCEO was replaced in 2002 because ABC MSC was not performing well financially.When the second CEO arrived, drastic changes took place. The R&D Department wasclosed down because the department was not profitable. In addition, 45 local employeeswere laid off in 2003 and a new organization structure was implemented. A fewemployees were transferred to other departments. The second CEO was transferredback to the parent company in Japan in July 2005. The current CEO came to ABC MSCin August 2005. He restructured the organization and created new departments twomonths after he assumed his position. The local employees are reluctant to plan longterm because the new CEO may restructure the organization and implement newpolicies, they believe.
Furthermore, a lack of proper maintenance of equipment and of plans to invest innew technology and to upgrade the current system are affecting the companys aim toachieve a top position in the industry. Meanwhile, the company is facing otherchallenges, including the need to reduce its prices, to introduce more new products andservices to cater for the needs of its customers, to improve its employee compensationand benefits packages in order to retain staff, and to provide training to upgradeemployees skills and knowledge. Even though on-the-job training is provided, manystaff learn mainly through trial and error. Besides, the manpower is insufficient in a
few departments, for example the Data Centre Operations Department (see Figure 1);or so the Malaysian Data Centre Operations department manager and the assistantmanager (Corporate Department) said. However, the Japanese Human ResourceDirector denied that manpower was insufficient.
Perceived future of the company by local employeesAll the respondents view ABC MSC as a financially strong company because itsultimate holding company is ABC in Japan, which is well established. Besides beingfinancially sound and having a good brand name, ABC MSC has developed newproducts and has joint research activities with numerous local universities, etc. Thus,
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ABC MSC has a lot of potential to grow. However, this potential is unfulfilled due to theJapanese headquarters management strategies to cut costs and reduce investment inits people and equipment.
Employee perceptions of the multicultural work settingJapan prides itself on homogeneity but many scholars (e.g. Refsing, 2003) write aboutthe homogeneity myth arguing that Japan is a society much like many others, with agreat deal of variety among the population that lives within its boarders and withconstant new additions to the mix. If it is different from other heterogeneous societies,it is only in its reluctance to accept and deal with this reality . . . Refsing might haveadded that the number of Japanese working overseas has made Japan moreheterogeneous in its outlook. Malaysia has had Japanese working in severalorganizations for many years including the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
In this context Malaysia is probably unique. No other country exemplifies such astrong example of the practicalities of managing cultural diversity . . . (Smith, 2003)
with its three major ethnic communities and many minor ones, especially in Sarawakand Sabah. Interacting with Malaysians is a fundamental theme of this paper andMalaysians in subordinate status are observed to be fearful of commenting andcommunication to their superiors about things that are bothering them. They are notspecific in giving feedback . . . (Abdullah and Pedersen, 2003). All this is true ofMalaysians in ABC MSC. The broader issues involved are discussed by Fontaine andRichardson (2005). These arguments help to explain most of the respondentsperceptions of ABC MSC, and hence the high labour turnover rate especially asMalaysian employees feedback is ignored, they believe.
Recommendations and conclusionsRecommendations
Top management local staff. Local staff who understand the local conditions should beput into top management positions so that the voice of the local staff can be heard, as aunion does not yet exist in the company. Keeley (2001, p. 219) reported that Theimportance of integrating home country national managers into the managementprocess of Japanese overseas subsidiaries should be understood in the context of theincreased focus on international human resource management as a competitive factor.Many multinational corporations have appointed local employees to hold majorpositions in the top management of their overseas subsidiaries in Malaysia. Forexample, Dell has announced the appointment of a Malaysian as general manager ofDell Malaysia from September 2006 (The Star Online, 2006). Similarly, IBM announcedthe appointment of a Malaysian as Managing Director of IBM Malaysia in February
2007 (The Star Online, 2007). Thus, ABC MSC needs to deal more effectively withinternational human resource management issues and integrate managers from thehost country into the management process in Malaysia, and ideally in the parentcompany as a whole.
Japanese top management. Japanese top management should improve theirleadership style to provide a clear and consistent long-term direction for the company.Moreover, the Japanese top management should associate more with the local CEOs inother companies, especially in the local telecommunications industry. Good rapportand communication will enhance good relationships between the CEOs. This isimportant because it will make negotiation processes smoother and faster. Long ago,
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Dore (1979) criticized the image of Japanese managers as unable to adapt to foreignlanguages and cultures, and for some individuals, this is still the case.
The crucial change needed is in managements thinking about the nature of therelationship between the employees and the company. The top management should be
more Malaysian-oriented and treat the local employees more as partners (see Drucker,2003, p. 89). The commitment of staff and the retention rate could be increased if the topmanagement listens more to the local staff, takes greater care of employee morale, andprovides more attractive benefits and compensation packages to Malaysian staff.
Japanese expatriates constrained by the language barrier or lacking confidence inEnglish must admit to the need for further language training. It is an area of self-development for enhancing working ability in the language of international business.Many schools and institutes are offering language-training programs in Malaysia. Forexample, the British Council in Malaysia offers English for work course which aimsto improve communications at work and to enhance knowledge of internationalbusiness communications practice. It is an English language course for a businesscontext. In addition, corporate training programs, including courses and workshops
tailored to the objectives and schedules of the corporation are also available. Forinstance, the written communication course includes report writing skills, grammar forbusiness, and writing skills for managers. The interpersonal communication courseincludes presentation skills, effective negotiation skills, and essential skills fortraining-the-trainer (The British Council, Malaysia, 2007). Some Japanese expatriatesmust take advantage of these programs to improve themselves. Whitehall noted someyears ago that Greater efforts to improve Japans scorecard in internationalcommunication are needed and cannot be left to chance (Whitehill, 1991, p. 283), andthese problems still persist.
Job satisfaction. ABC MSC should develop policies to improve the level of jobsatisfaction among local employees. The top management of ABC MSC must seriouslyconsider the level of dissatisfaction among the local employees and take action toimprove their so that they have a sense of security and the belief that top managementunderstands their concerns and is taking action. Management localization programmesand initiatives should be implemented to increase local employees participation indecision-making. Such steps will help to increase the level of job satisfaction (cfSerapio, 1995).
In the effort to help improve decision acceptance among the local employees in ABCMSC, top management should encourage group-oriented and participative decisionmethods so that the local employees may gain understanding and become committed tothe process. This is one of the benefits of participative decision methods and effectiveleadership recommended by the Vroom-Jago model (Campling et al., 2006).
Local staff benefits and compensations packages should include medical benefits
that cover immediate family members, the spouse and children of local staff. This iscommon practice among many large employers in Malaysia, for example the AmericanInternational Assurance Co. Ltd.
The company should set up a training department under the corporate division andprovide more training for the local managers to upgrade their management skills andto promote team spirit among them. Furthermore, the training manager should inviteprofessional trainers to conduct train-the-trainers programmes in order to upgradethe skills of the in-house trainers and also to invite speakers to conduct seminars toboost the morale of the local employees. The communication climate within anorganization is one of the factors to stimulate the strategic business alignment, i.e. the
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degree to which employees understand, support, and are able to execute the companiesstrategic initiatives (Riel et al., 2005).
Since Japanese dominate top management in ABC MSC, a union should beencouraged among the local employees so that the union not only represents their
voice, but also takes care of the welfare of the local employees. Hence perception of topmanagement by locals would be enhanced.
Office seating. Despite Japanese office culture, the design of office space and sittingarrangement in ABC MSC should maximize efficiency and effectiveness andincreasing the possibility of interaction, and opportunities to accommodate a widerange of different tasks simultaneously (Duffy, 2000, pp. 331-2). A study[1] by Kroneret al. (1992) at an insurance company in the USA revealed a statistically significantpositive association between the change in productivity and the change in overallsatisfaction with the workspace. Furthermore, researchers found that improvedindoor architectural and environmental design contributed to an overall increase inproductivity of 16 per cent (Kroner, 2000, p. 293). Even though the study wasconducted in the USA, there is no reason to suppose that it will not apply in Malaysia,
where the application of the traditional Japanese seating plan based on seniority wassometimes misunderstood or resented. Hence, the management of ABC MSC shouldseriously consider how to redesign its workplaces to revitalize not just how officeorganization performs but also offices appearance, especially in view of the need tobreak away from the Japanese hierarchical office layout.
ConclusionsRegarding the transfer of the four core principles of Japanese management practices,i.e. lifetime employment, the seniority-based wages and promotion systems, enterpriseunionism, and company welfare services and benefits, these practices were not foundin ABC MSC. This finding conforms the study of Raduan (2002) that such practicesare not the priority of the management strategy in running the subsidiaries operationsof Japanese overseas subsidiaries in Malaysia. In addition, many of the supportingfeatures of the Japanese management practices including consensus decision-making,practice of internal promotion, and the development of skills through consistenttraining have not been used in ABC MSC to any significant degree. The parentcompany in Japan and the Regional Office in Singapore control the extent to which thetop management in ABC MSC needs to, or indeed is able to, transfer the Japanesemanagement practices to Malaysia, and it is possible that the high turnover of staff inMalaysia has prevented them from doing so. Major decisions such as the control ofbudget, the development of R&D activities, the distribution of technology know-how,the implementation of new products and services, and the dispatch of Japaneseexpatriates are determined by the headquarters in Japan. Hence, the top management
in ABC MSC has a limited degree of freedom in implementing Japanese managementpractices in its Malaysian subsidiary.There were local employees who were attracted to work for ABC MSC because the
company is Japanese. This is particularly shown by the respondents who graduated inJapan and had working experience in Japanese companies in Japan. However, amajority of the executive and the non-managerial staff do not view ABC MSC asproviding job security. They feel that they can be laid off anytime. This is because ofthe retrenchment of executive and non-managerial staff and the closure of the R&Ddepartment in 2003. This incident has changed their perceptions of the job securityoffered by ABC MSC.
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The mismatch of aims between the top management and local employees could beone reason for the dissatisfaction which has led to the high turnover rate in thecompany. The President/CEO has changed on average every three years. Each newCEO, has meant changes in the corporate strategies and the organizational structure.
The changing corporate strategies have affected the long-term plans of variousdepartments and the motivation of many local employees. Furthermore, many localstaff believe the differences between employee benefits for Japanese expatriates andlocal staff are too great.
The Malaysian employees perception that their Japanese colleagues are seriousabout their work is not surprising, despite the fact that some interviewees thought thatthe Japanese were in Malaysia on holiday. In Japan, performing at ones highest levelis not simply promoted as a way to make it . . . The motivation to realize individualscompetence stems from the fact that doing so helps secure ones place in a society thatemphasizes and values interpersonal bonds (Gardner, 2006), but maybe the Japanesechange when the come to work in Malaysia.
The top management of ABC MSC emphasizes soft skills, for example, the skills to
organize, to lead, and to communicate. This is clearly stated in the key performanceindicators for salary increment and promotion. Thus, the local employees in ABC MSC,(particularly employees in the technical category) should learn these skills eitherthrough on-the-job training or by attending seminars and courses provided by externaltrainers since there is no in-house training programme in the company.
Japanese expatriates dominate the top management positions. At ABC MSC, allimportant decisions that affect the organization such as the restructuring ofdepartments, change of company policies, and transfer of staff are made by the
Japanese top management, then announced to the local staff, without consideration forlocal staff opinions. It was perceived by the local employees that group consensusdecision-making might have been practiced among the Japanese in ABC MSC;however, when the decision had been made, an authority decision approach(Campling et al., 2006, p. 372) was implemented to the local employees. There was nosignificant relationship between entry salary and seniority, educational qualifications,and years of working experience in ABC MSC. The differences of entry salary betweenand within the different categories of employees may have been due to negotiatingskills of individual local employees vis-a-vis the management. The more they were ableto negotiate, the higher the entry salary, but of course, this was not confined to ABCMSC. However, these inequalities helped reinforce the sense of dissatisfaction whichmany felt.
ABC MSC does not offer a direct monetary reward, such as a higher salary, toencourage local employees to stay longer in the company. Its strategy to retain the localemployees tended towards offering other benefits such as transport allowances, cell
phone, and car parking allowances. However, these allowances were not good enoughto attract the local employees. Firstly, the transport allowance was revised from RM200per month in year 2000 to RM220 per month in year 2005. An increase of RM20 (10 percent) or an average increase of merely 2 per cent per year was considered insufficientby the local employees as the average inflation rate in Malaysia was 2.9 per cent peryear over the period 1991-2005 (Malaysia, Government, 2006). Secondly, the cell phoneallowance up to a maximum of RM160 per month was not enough because Malaysiansspend an average of RM100 a month on short message service alone (The Star Online,2007)! Thirdly, it was stated in the Employee Handbook 2005 under B5-1.6 Car ParkDisbursement that employees who based in the sales office in Kuala Lumpur were
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entitled to claim the reimbursement of car park fees up to maximum of RM50 permonth. This allowance was too little because the minimum cost for parking in thesurrounding areas was RM5 per day. Thus, the change of policies revealed that topmanagement did not take into consideration some of the economic factors before the
policies were implemented.ABC MSC has considerable potential for growth. The strong financial support it
receives from the parent company in Japan and its brand name are the majorattractions for local talent. The company can achieve greater success if themanagement focuses on job security and fringe benefits that foster organizationalcommitment among employees. If ABC MSC can retain its experienced employees, itwill not only save the expense of training new employees but also generate greaterlong-term productivity and profitability, as experienced employees allows the companyto continue to grow. The importance of knowledge workers is constantly increasing(see, for example, Richardson and Tan, 2006). However, ABC MSCs Japanese managersneed to understand this and its importance for attitudinal change.
Note
1. The study analyzed the impact of environmentally responsive workstations, ERWs onoffice worker productivity and worker response to individualized environmentalconditioning. ERWs integrate and provide heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, andother environmental qualities directly to the occupants of workstations. Additionalintegrated components may include: communication and information systems, electricpower service, optical view panels, and fragrance options. The key feature of an ERW isthat the occupant controls, modulates, and maintains the environmental conditions.ERWs are designed to operate when the workstation is occupied. ERWs are at their bestif they are integrated with an environmentally responsive architecture. (Kroner, 2000, pp.296, 303).
ReferencesAbdullah, A. and Pedersen, P.B. (2003), Understanding Multicultural Malaysia, Prentice Hall,
Petaling Jaya.
Beechler, S. and Yang, J.Z. (1994), The transfer of Japanese-style management to Americansubsidiaries: contingencies, constraints, and competencies, Journal of International
Business Studies, third quarter, pp. 467-91.
(The) British Council, Malaysia (2007), Courses and training programmes, available at:www.britishcouncil.org/malaysia.htm (accessed 5 July 2007).
Campling, J., Poole, D., Wiesner, R. and Schermerhorn, J.R. (2006), Management, 2nd Asia-Pacificed., John Wiley & Sons Australia Ltd, Sydney.
Denzin, N.K. (1978), Sociological Methods: A Sourcebook, McGraw Hill, New York, NY.
Dore, R. (1979), The Internationalization of Japan, Pacific Affairs, Institute of DevelopmentStudies, University of Sussex, Brighton, pp. 595-611.
Drucker, P.F. (2003), The Essential Drucker, HarperCollins, New York, NY, pp. 87-90.
Duffy, F. (2000), New ways of working: a vision of the future, in Croome, D.C. (Ed.), Creating theProductive Workplace, E & FN Spon, London and NY, pp. 323-33.
Eades, J. (2000), Introduction: globalization and social change in contemporary Japan, in Eades,J.S., Gill, T. and Befu, H. (Eds), Globalization and Social Change in Contemporary Japan,Trans Pacific Press, Melbourne, pp. 1-16.
Fontaine, R. and Richardson, S. (2005), On cultural values in Malaysia, cross culturalmanagement, An International Journal, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 63-77.
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Gardner, H. (2006), Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons, revised ed., Basic Books, NY, p. 201.
Jaeger, A.M. (1983), The transfer of organizational culture overseas: an approach to control inthe multinational corporation, Journal of International Business Studies (Special Issue onCross-Cultural Management), Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 91-114.
Keeley, T.D. (2001), International Human Resource Management in Japanese Firms, Palgrave,New York, NY.
Kroner, W.M. (2000), Employee productivity and the intelligent workplace, in Croome, D.C.(Ed.), Creating the Productive Workplace, E & FN Spon, London and NY, pp. 295-303.
Kroner, W.M., Start-Martin, J.A. and Willemain, T. (1992), Using Advanced Office Technology toIncrease Productivity: The Impact of Environmentally Responsive Workstations (ERWs) onProductivity and Worker Attitude, Rensselaer, Center for Architectural Research, Troy, NY.
Lam, C.L. (1992), Women and Japanese Management: Discrimination and Reform, Routledge,London.
Lee, C.K. (1998), Gender and the South China Miracle: Two Worlds of Factory Women, Universityof California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (2005), Malaysia trade information: top 10trade statistics, available at: www.matrade.gov.my/foreignbuyer/Msiatop10.htm(accessed 25 July 2006).
Malaysia, Government (2006), The Ninth Malaysia Plan, 2006-2010, National PrintingDepartment, Kuala Lumpur.
Mohwald, U. (2000), Trends in value change in contemporary Japan, in Eades, J.S., Gill, T. andBefu, H. (Eds), Globalization and Social Change in Contemporary Japan, Trans PacificPress, Melbourne, pp. 55-75.
Ogasawara, Y. (1998), Office Ladies and Salaried Men: Power, Gender, and Work in JapaneseCompanies, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA.
Raduan, C.R. (2002), Japanese-style Management Abroad, Prentice Hall, Kuala Lumpur.
Refsing, K. (2003), In Japan, but not of Japan, in Mackerras, C. (Ed.), Ethnicity in Asia,RoutledgeCurzon, London, pp. 48-63.
Richardson, S. and Tan, W.K. (2006), The implications of knowledge management developmentfor globalization, paper presented at the International Conference on Globalisation ofBusiness, 28-29 August 2006, INTI University College, Nilai, Malaysia, unpublished.
Riel, C.B.M., Berens, G. and Dijkstra, M. (2005), The Influence of Employee Communication onStrategic Business Alignment, Report Series Research in Management, Erasmus ResearchInstitute of Management (ERIM), Rotterdam.
Serapio, M. (1995), Management localization in Japanese subsidiaries in the United States,in Shenkar, O. (Ed.), Global Perspectives of Human Resource Management, Prentice Hall,New York, NY, pp. 211-25.
Smith, W.A. (2003), Culture and management in Malaysia, in Warner, M. (Ed.), Culture and
Management in Asia, RoutledgeCurzon, London, pp. 115-34.(The) Star Online (2006), New Dell country manager for Malaysia, available at: http://star-
techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file/2006/9/7/technology/20060907164942§echnology(accessed 12 September 2006).
(The) Star Online (2007), New MD for IBM Malaysia, available at: http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file/2007/1/11/technology/200701111181326§echnology (accessed12 January 2007).
(The) Star Online (2007), Malaysians spend average of RM100 a month on SMS, available at:http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file/20070131123123§echnology (accessed5 February 2007).
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Taira, K. (1980), Colonialism in foreign subsidiaries: lesson from Japanese investment inThailand, Asian Survey, Vol. 20 No. 4, pp. 373-96.
Whitehill, A.M. (1991), Japanese Management: Traditional and Transition, Routledge, London.
Wong, H.W. (1999), Japanese Bosses, Chinese Workers: Power and Control in a Hong Kong
Megastore, Curzon, Richmond.Yin, R.K. (1994), Case Study Research: Design and Methods, 2nd ed., Sage Publications, London.
Further reading
Hofstede, G. (2001), Cultures Consequences, 2nd ed., Sage Publications, London.
Nyland, C., Smith, W., Smyth, R. and Vicziany, M. (Eds) (2001), Malaysian Business in the NewEra, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
Richardson, S. (1991), Southeast Asian Management: Cases and Concepts, Singapore UniversityPress, Singapore.
Richardson, S. (Ed.) (2005), How to Research, Thomson Learning, Singapore.
Shaughnessy, J.J. et al. (2000), Research Methods in Psychology, 5th ed., McGraw-Hill, Singapore.
About the authorsYeap Peik Foong is a Lecturer in global management, Faculty of Management, MultimediaUniversity, Malaysia. Yeap Peik Foong is the corresponding author and can be contacted at:[email protected]
Stanley Richardson is an Associate Professor and a consultant at the Faculty of Management,Multimedia University, Malaysia. Since 1963 he has taught in various countries, especially inHong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: [email protected] visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
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Table AI.Informants profiles at
ABC MSCAppendix
No.
Informant
Nation
ality
Stafflevel
Department
Gender
Ethnic
group
Age
Yearjoined
Position
whenjo
ined
1
L1
Malaysian
Management
Corporate
Sales
Male
Chinese
36
Dec-99
Manage
r
2
L2
Malaysian
Management
ProductM
anagement
Male
Chinese
35
Oct-98
SeniorITConsultant
3
L3
Malaysian
Management
BusSupp
&Comm
Male
Chinese
32
Mar-01
Manage
r
4
L4
Malaysian
Management
NetworkO
perations
Male
Eurasian
31
Jun-98
ITEngineer
5
L5
Malaysian
Management
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
34
Nov-00
AssistM
anager
6
L6
Malaysian
Management
Corporate
Sales
Male
Chinese
33
Jul-97
ITEngineer
7
L7
Malaysian
Management
Corporate
Female
Chinese
32
Sep-04
AssistM
anager
8
L8
Malaysian
Management
Customer
Relations
Male
Chinese
31
Aug-04
AssistM
anager
9
L9
Malaysian
Management
DataCenter
Male
Chinese
31
Dec-97
ITEngineer
10
L10
Malaysian
Management
IPBackbo
neOprns
Male
Chinese
30
Oct-99
ITEngineer
11
L11
Malaysian
Management
ProductM
anagement
Female
Chinese
32
Aug-98
ITEngineer
12
L12
Malaysian
Management
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
30
Apr-99
ITEngineer
13
L13
Malaysian
Executive
IPBackbo
neOprns
Male
Indian
33
Jun-01
ITEngineer
14
L14
Malaysian
Executive
BusSupp
&Comm
Male
Chinese
27
Nov-00
ITEngineer
15
L15
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Indian
28
Apr-05
ITEngineer
16
L16
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Chinese
28
Nov-04
ITEngineer
17
L17
Malaysian
Executive
ProductM
anagement
Female
Chinese
30
Aug-00
ITEngineer
18
L18
Malaysian
Executive
ProjectManagement
Male
Chinese
36
Jul-01
ITEngineer
19
L19
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
28
Nov-05
ITEngineer
20
L20
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Indian
28
Dec-04
ITEngineer
21
L21
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Female
Chinese
24
Sep-04
ITEngineer
22
L22
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Malay
27
Aug-04
ITEngineer
23
L23
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
30
Nov-03
ITEngineer
24
L24
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Indian
27
Nov-03
ITEngineer
25
L25
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
26
Aug-01
ITEngineer
26
L26
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
29
Oct-00
ITEngineer
27
L27
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Kadazan
26
May-05
NOCEn
gineer
28
L28
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Kadazan
24
Oct-04
NOCEn
gineer
29
L29
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Malay
27
Sep-04
NOCEn
gineer
30
L30
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Chinese
28
Dec-03
NOCEn
gineer
31
L31
Malaysian
Executive
DataCenter
Male
Malay
30
Nov-00
NOCEn
gineer
(continued)
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Table AI.No
Informant
Nation
ality
Stafflevel
Department
Gender
Ethnic
group
Age
Yearjoined
Position
whenjo
ined
32
L32
Malaysian
Executive
Customer
Relations
Female
Malay
27
Jul-05
CustSuppEng
33
L33
Malaysian
Executive
Customer
Relations
Female
Chinese
30
Jun-01
CustSuppEng
34
L34
Malaysian
Executive
Customer
Relations
Female
Malay
29
Aug-00
CustSuppEng
35
L35
Malaysian
Executive
Corporate
Sales
Male
Chinese
32
Nov-00
ITCons
ultant
36
L36
Malaysian
Executive
Corporate
Sales
Male
Chinese
32
Aug-00
ITCons
ultant
37
L37
Malaysian
Executive
Corporate
Sales
Male
Chinese
31
May-01
ITCons
ultant
38
L38
Malaysian
Executive
Corporate
Sales
Female
Chinese
32
May-01
ITCons
ultant
39
L39
Malaysian
Executive
ProductM
anagement
Female
Chinese
30
Dec-03
ITCons
ultant
40
L40
Malaysian
Executive
SystemOperations
Male
Chinese
29
Apr-05
ITCons
ultant
41
L41
Malaysian
Executive
SalesAdm
instration
Female
Chinese
33
Jun-01
ITCons
ultant
42
L42a
Japane
se
Executive
Wholesale
&GIN
Female
Japanese
30
Jul-01
ITEngineer
43
L43
Malaysian
Executive
HR&
Administration
Female
Chinese
23
Aug-05
HROffice
44
L44
Malaysian
Executive
Accounting
Female
Chinese
32
Jun-00
AccountsOfficer
45
L45
Malaysian
Executive
Customer
Relations
Female
Chinese
30
Apr-01
Customer
Administrative
Officer
46
L46
Malaysian
Executive
HR&
Administration
Male
Indian
47
May-01
Security
Officer
47
L47
Malaysian
NonExecutive
HR&
Administration
Female
Malay
33
Jul-98
Administrative
Assistantcum
Receptio
nist
48
L48
Malaysian
NonExecutive
HR&
Administration
Male
Malay
47
Aug-97
Driver
49
L49
Malaysian
NonExecutive
HR&
Administration
Male
Malay
39
Oct-97
Driver
50
L50
Malaysian
NonExecutive
HR&
Administration
Male
Malay
36
Sep-97
Driver
51
L51
Japane
se
Management
PresidentsOffice
Male
Japanese
48
Oct-05
Director
52
L52
Japane
se
Management
Corporate
Male
Japanese
33
Jun-02
Manage
r
53
L53
Japane
se
Executive
Customer
Relations
Male
Japanese
42
Aug-04
Manage
r(c
ontinued)
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Table ANo
Length
of service
(Year)
Current
position
Promotion
Methodof
recruitment
Japanese
language
fluency
Experience
ofworking
inJapanese
company
Expe
rience
ofworking
overseas
Qualification
Working
experience
1
5
Senior
Manager
1(2005)
Byagent
None
None
None
Degree
Salesmana
ger
2
6.4
Senior
Manager
2(2001,
2005)
Byagent
None
None
None
Master
Salesmana
ger
3
4.9
Manager
None
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Diploma
ITSystem
Executive
4
7.7
Manager
3(2000,
2002,2004)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Degree
FirstJob
5
5.2
Manager
1(2004)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Degree
ITSystem
Executive
6
8.6
Assistant
Manager
2(2003,
2005)
Byagent
None
None
None
Diploma
1.ITSyste
mExecutive
2.ITAnalyst
7
1.3
Assistant
Manager
None
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Diploma
1.Account
Assistant
2.CorporateExecutive
3.PersonalAssistant
8
1.5
Assistant
Manager
None
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Master
1.ITAnalyst
2.ITConsultant
9
8
Assistant
Manager
1(2000)
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Degree
1.Draughtsman
2.SystemEngineer
10
6.3
Assistant
Manager
2(2001,
2004)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Diploma
1.SystemEngineer
2.ITAnalyst
11
7.6
Assistant
Manager
2(2001,
2005)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Degree
ITAnalyst
12
6.9
Assistant
Manager
2(2001,
2004)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Degree
FirstJob
(continued)
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Table AI.No
Length
of service
(Year)
Current
position
Promotion
Methodof
recruitment
Japanese
language
fluency
Experience
ofworking
inJapanese
company
Expe
rience
ofworking
overseas
Qualification
Working
experience
13
4.7
Senior
ITEngineer
1(2005)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Degree
SystemEngineer
14
5.2
ITEngineer
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Degree
FirstJob
15
0.8
ITEngineer
None
Writein
None
None
None
Degree
1.Auditor
2.AdminA
ssistant
3.ITSyste
mSupport
Executive
4.ITEngineer
16
1.2
ITEngineer
None
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Degree
SystemEngineer
17
5.6
ITEngineer
1(2005)
Byreplyingto
advertisement
None
None
None
Degree
ITConsultant
18
4.7
SeniorIT
Engineer
2(2002,
2004)
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Diploma
1.SystemEngineer
2.ITSyste
mSupport
Executive
19
0.2
ITEngineer
None
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Master
ITEngineer
20
1.1
ITEngineer
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Degree
1.SystemEngineer
2.ITConsultant
21
1.4
ITEngineer
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Degree
ITEngineer
22
1.5
ITEngineer
None
Callin
Fluent
conversation
Yes,
2years
None
Degree
R&Deng
ineer
(continued)
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Table ANo
Length
of service
(Year)
Current
position
Promotion
Methodof
recruitment
Japanese
language
fluency
Experience
ofworking
inJapanese
company
Expe
rience
ofworking
overs
eas
Qualification
Working
experience
23
2.1
ITEngineer
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Diploma
1.SystemEngineer
2.ITConsultant
24
2.1
ITEngineer
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Diploma
1.ITSyste
mSupport
Executive
2.SystemEngineer
25
4.5
ITEngineerI
1(2004)
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Degree
FirstJob
26
5.3
ITEngineerI
1(2005)
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Degree
FirstJob
27
0.8
NOCEnginee
r
None
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Diploma
ITEngineer
28
1.3
NOCEnginee
r
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Degree
SystemEngineer
29
1.4
NOCEnginee
r
None
Writein
None
None
None
Degree
SystemEngineer
30
2
NOCEnginee
r
None
Byapplying
through
companys
website
None
None
None
Diploma
ITEngineer
31
5.2
NOCEnginee
r
None
Bypersonal
contact
None
None
None
Diploma
SystemEngineer
32
0.6
CustSupp
Eng
None
Through
ABCMSC
CareerFair
inTokyo
Near
native
fluency
Yes,
3years
Yes,3yea
rs
inNHK,
Japan
Degree
Broadcaster/Translator
(continued)
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Table ANo
Length
of service
(Year)
Current
position
Promotion
Methodof
recruitment
Japanese
language
fluency
Experience
ofworking
inJapanese
company
Experience
ofworking
overseas
Qualification
Working
experience
45
4.9
Customer
Administrative
Officer
None
Byreplying
toadvertisement
None
None
None
Certificate
1.Purchaser
2.AccountsAssistant
46
4.8
SecurityOfficer
None
Byagent
None
Yes,
1year
Yes,1yearin
Indonesia
and2years
inCambodia
OLevel
1.RoyalM
alaysia
Airforce
2.Technician
3.ChiefSe
curityOfficer
4.MainCo
ntractor
47
7.6
Administrative
Assistantcum
Receptionist
None
Byagent
None
None
None
Diploma
Secretaryinlegal
firmfor4
years
48
8.5
Driver
None
Byagent
None
None
None
JuniorHigh
School
1.OfficeA
ssistant
2.Driver
49
8.3
Driver
None
Byagent
None
None
None
OLevel
Driver
50
8.4
Driver
None
Byagent
None
None
None
OLevel
Driver
51
0.2
Director
None
Transferfrom
Headquarter
Native
Yes,ABC
Headquarter
Firstexpe
rience
Degree
Global
Sales
52
3.7
Senior
Manager
1(2003)
Transferfrom
Headquarter
Native
Yes,ABC
Headquarter
Firstexpe
rience
Degree
Administrative
Executive
53
1.5
Senior
Manager
1(2005)
Transferfrom
Headquarter
Native
Yes,ABC
Headquarter
3yearsin
Philippines
Degree
GlobalNetwork
SystemEn
gineer
Notes:aEmployeeL42wasrecruitedinMalaysia;BusSupp&Comm
BusinessSupportandComm
unication;IPBackboneOprns
Inte
rnetProvider
BackboneOperations;Wholesale&GIN
WholesaleandGloba
lIntegrationNetwork;HR&Administration
HumanResourceandAdministration;
CustSuppEng
CustomerSupportEngineer