Skip to main content
Log in

Attractiveness of Japanese firms to international job applicants: the effects of belongingness, uniqueness, and employment patterns

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Asian Business & Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article investigates factors related to the attractiveness of Japanese firms to international job applicants. The results of the policy-capturing study, using samples from 116 international students with 928 observations, found that Japanese workplaces that provide employees with a sense of belongingness and a sense of uniqueness in addition to having the performance-based rather than seniority-based employment patterns increase organizational attractiveness to international job applicants. We also found that the effect of uniqueness on organizational attractiveness depends on the applicant’s academic qualifications, the level of language skills, and the degree of embeddedness in the applicant’s community.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. According to a survey conducted by DISCO Inc., 94.1% of responding foreign students (about half of whom were graduate students) indicated that they wanted to work in Japan after graduation (DISCO 2015b).

References

  • Adecco (2017). Nihon de hataraku gaikokujin no isiki chousa (A survey on foreign employees working in Japan). Retrieved from https://www.adecco.co.jp/power-of-work/042.html.

  • Aguinis, H., & Bradley, K. J. (2014). Best practice recommendations for designing and implementing experimental vignette methodology studies. Organizational Research Methods,17(4), 351–371.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aiman-Smith, L., Bauer, T. N., & Cable, D. M. (2001). Are you attracted? Do you intend to pursue? A recruiting policy-capturing study. Journal of Business and Psychology,16(2), 219–237.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aiman-Smith, L., Scullen, S. E., & Barr, S. H. (2002). Conducting studies of decision making in organizational contexts: A tutorial for policy-capturing and other regression-based techniques. Organizational Research Methods,5(4), 388–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, D. G., & Vardaman, J. M. (2017). Recruitment and retention across cultures. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior,4(1), 153–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Allen, D. G., Mahto, R. V., & Otondo, R. F. (2007). Web-based recruitment: Effects of information, organizational brand, and attitudes toward a Web site on applicant attraction. Journal of Applied Psychology,92(6), 1696–1708.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ang, S., Van Dyne, L., & Begley, T. M. (2003). The employment relationships of foreign workers versus local employees: A field study of organizational justice, job satisfaction, performance, and OCB. Journal of Organizational Behavior,24(5), 561–583.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aoki, K., Delbridge, R., & Endo, T. (2014). ‘Japanese human resource management’ in post-bubble Japan. International Journal of Human Resource Management,25(18), 2551–2572.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, A. E. (1998). Recruiting employees: Individual and organizational perspectives. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barber, A. E., & Roehling, M. V. (1993). Job postings and the decision to interview: A verbal protocol analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology,78(5), 845–856.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barney, J. B. (1986). Organizational culture: Can it be a source of sustained competitive advantage? Academy of Management Review,11(3), 656–665.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beechler, S., & Yang, J. Z. (1994). The transfer of Japanese-style management to American subsidiaries: Constraints, and competencies. Journal of International Business Studies,25(3), 467–491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benesse (2017). Times Higher Education Japan university rankings 2018. Retrieved from https://japanuniversityrankings.jp/rankings/.

  • Benesse (2018). Gaikokujin gakusei hiritu ga takai daigaku ranking (Universities with the highest percentage of international students). Retrieved from https://japanuniversityrankings.jp/topics/00045/.

  • Björkman, I., Barner-Rasmussen, W., & Li, L. (2004). Managing knowledge transfer in MNCs: The impact of headquarters control mechanisms. Journal of International Business Studies,35(5), 443–455.

    Google Scholar 

  • Botero, I. C. (2014). Effects of communicating family ownership and organisational size on an applicant’s attraction to a firm: An empirical examination in the USA and China. Journal of Family Business Strategy,5(2), 184–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bretz, R. D., & Judge, T. A. (1994). The role of human resource systems in job applicant decision processes. Journal of Management,20(3), 531–551.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bretz, R. D., Ash, R. A., & Dreher, G. F. (1989). Do people make the place? An examination of the attraction-selection-attrition hypothesis. Personnel Psychology,42(3), 561–581.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewer, M. B. (1991). The social self: On being the same and different at the same time. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,17(5), 475–482.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brislin, R. W., Lonner, W. J., & Thorndike, R. M. (1973). Cross-cultural research methods. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bryk, A. S., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models. New Bury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cable, D. M., & Graham, M. E. (2000). The determinants of job seekers’ reputation perceptions. Journal of Organizational Behavior,21(8), 929–947.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cable, D. M., & Judge, T. A. (1994). Pay preferences and job search decisions: A person-organization fit perspective. Personnel Psychology,47(2), 317–348.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carlson, K. D., Connerley, M. L., & Mecham, R. L. (2002). Recruitment evaluation: The case for assessing the quality of applicants attracted. Personnel Psychology,55(2), 461–490.

    Google Scholar 

  • Catanzaro, D., Moore, H., & Marshall, T. R. (2010). The impact of organizational culture on attraction and recruitment of job applicants. Journal of Business and Psychology,25(4), 649–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, D. S., Uggerslev, K. L., Carroll, S. A., Piasentin, K. A., & Jones, D. A. (2005). Applicant attraction to organizations and job choice: A meta-analytic review of the correlates of recruiting outcomes. Journal of Applied Psychology,90(5), 928–944.

    Google Scholar 

  • Choi, J. G., Woods, R. H., & Murrmann, S. K. (2000). International labor markets and the migration of labor forces as an alternative solution for labor shortages in the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management,12(1), 61–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Collins, C. J., & Han, J. (2004). Exploring applicant pool quantity and quality: The effects of early recruitment practice strategies, corporate advertising, and firm reputation. Personnel Psychology,57(3), 685–717.

    Google Scholar 

  • Conrad, H., & Meyer-Ohle, H. (2017). Overcoming the ethnocentric firm? Foreign fresh university graduate employment in Japan as a new international human resource development method. International Journal of Human Resource Management. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2017.1330275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crossley, C. D., Bennett, R. J., Jex, S. M., & Burnfield, J. L. (2007). Development of a global measure of job embeddedness and integration into a traditional model of voluntary turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology,92(4), 1031–1042.

    Google Scholar 

  • DISCO (2015a). Gaikokujin ryugakusei no saiyou ni kansuru kigyou chousa (Survey on recruiting of foreign students). Retrieved from https://www.disc.co.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/2015kigyou-gaikoku-report.pdf.

  • DISCO (2015b). Gaikokujin ryugakusei no shushokukatudou joukyou (Survey on international students’ job-hunting). Retrieved from https://www.disc.co.jp/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015fsmonitor.pdf.

  • Ehrhart, K. H., & Ziegert, J. C. (2005). Why are individuals attracted to organizations? Journal of Management,31(6), 901–919.

    Google Scholar 

  • Endo, T., Delbridge, R., & Morris, J. (2015). Does Japan still matter? Past tendencies and future opportunities in the study of Japanese firms. International Journal of Management Reviews,17(1), 101–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ernst & Young ShinNihon LLC (EYSN). (2015). Gaikokujin ryugakusei no shushoku oyobi teichaku jokyou ni kansuru chousa (Survey on employment and retention of international students). Retrieved from http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/economy/jinzai/global/pdf/H26_ryugakusei_report.pdf.

  • Etikan, I., Alkassim, R., & Abubakar, S. (2015). Comparision of snowball sampling and sequential sampling technique. Biometrics and Biostatistics International Journal,3(1), 00055.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferdman, B. M. (2014). The practice of inclusion in diverse organizations: Toward a systemic and inclusive framework. In B. M. Ferdman & B. R. Deane (Eds.), Diversity at work: The practice of inclusion (pp. 3–54). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferdman, B. M., & Sagiv, L. (2012). Diversity in organizations and cross-cultural work psychology: What if they were more connected? Industrial and Organizational Psychology,5(3), 323–345.

    Google Scholar 

  • Findler, L., Wind, L. H., & Mor Barak, M. E. (2007). The challenge of workforce management in a global society: Modeling the relationship between diversity, inclusion, organizational culture, and employee well-being, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Administration in Social Work,31(3), 63–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fukushima, M. (2016). Gaikokujin kōudo jinzai ukeire no genjō to seisaku-teki kadai: Tansaku-teki chōsa kenkyū (The present conditions and problems of the policy of acceptance of the highly skilled foreigners). Public Policy and Social Governance,4, 155–173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garson, D. (2012). Hierarchical linear modeling: Guide and applications. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gelfand, M. J., Nishii, L. H., Raver, J., & Schneider, B. (2005). Discrimination in organizations: An organizational level systems perspective. In R. Dipboye & A. Colella (Eds.), Discrimination at work: The psychological and organizational bases (pp. 89–116). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greening, D. W., & Turban, D. B. (2000). Corporate social performance as a competitive advantage in attracting a quality workforce. Business & Society,39(3), 254–280.

    Google Scholar 

  • Houseman, S. N. (1995). Part-time employment in Europe and Japan. Journal of Labor Research,16(3), 249–262.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, J., & Hopkins, K. (2012). Organizational inclusion, commitment, and turnover among child welfare workers: A multilevel mediation analysis. Administration in Social Work,36(1), 23–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Immigration Bureau of Japan (2017). Heisei 28 nen ni okeru ryugakusei no nihon kigyou nado he no shushoku joukyo ni tuite (2016 International students’ employment situations in Japanese firms). Retrieved from http://www.moj.go.jp/content/001239840.pdf.

  • Jansen, W. S., Otten, S., van der Zee, K. I., & Jans, L. (2014). Inclusion: Conceptualization and measurement. European Journal of Social Psychology,44(4), 370–385.

    Google Scholar 

  • Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO). (2017). Results of an annual survey of international students in Japan 2017. Retrieved from https://www.jasso.go.jp/en/about/statistics/intl_student_e/2017/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/02/23/data17_e.pdf.

  • Jones, D. A., Willness, C. R., & Madey, S. (2014). Why are job seekers attracted by corporate social performance? Experimental and field tests of three signal-based mechanisms. Academy of Management Journal,57(2), 383–404.

    Google Scholar 

  • Judge, T. A., & Cable, D. M. (1997). Applicant personality, organizational culture, and organization attraction. Personnel Psychology,50(2), 359–394.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalleberg, A. L. (2000). Nonstandard employment relations: Part-time, temporary and contract work. Annual Review of Sociology,26(1), 341–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karren, R. J., & Barringer, M. W. (2002). A review and analysis of the policy-capturing methodology in organizational research: Guidelines for research and practice. Organizational Research Methods,5(4), 337–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keizer, A. B. (2011). Flexibility in Japanese internal labour markets: The introduction of performance-related pay. Asia Pacific Journal of Management,28(3), 573–594.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, T. W., Mitchell, T. R., Sablynski, C. J., Burton, J. P., & Holtom, B. C. (2004). The effects of job embeddedness on organizational citizenship, job performance, volitional absences, and voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal,47(5), 711–722.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehmberg, D. (2014). From advantage to handicap: Traditional Japanese HRM and the case for change. Organizational Dynamics,43(2), 146–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Light, A., & Strayer, W. (2000). Determinants of college completion: School quality or student ability? Journal of Human Resources,35(2), 299–332.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maharjan, M. P., & Sekiguchi, T. (2017). Human resource management practices of Japanese companies in India: Dealing with the transfer-adaptation dichotomy. Journal of Asia Business Studies,11(3), 323–341.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maki, M., Ebisuya, A., & Sekiguchi, T. (2015). Nihon KigyōHonsya ni okeru Jinji Kokusaika no Genjōto Kadai (Internationalization of human resource practices in Japanese headquarters). Multinational Enterprises,8, 93–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meyskens, M., Von Glinow, M. A., Werther, W. B., & Clarke, L. (2009). The paradox of international talent: Alternative forms of international assignments. International Journal of Human Resource Management,20(6), 1439–1450.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michaels, E., Handfield-Jones, H., & Axelrod, B. (2001). The war for talent. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, T. R., & Lee, T. W. (2001). The unfolding model of voluntary turnover and job embeddedness: Foundations for a comprehensive theory of attachment. Research in Organizational Behavior,23, 189–246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, T. R., Holtom, B. C., Lee, T. W., Sablynski, C. J., & Erez, M. (2001). Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal,44(6), 1102–1121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miyamoto, M. (2002). Wakamono ga “shakaiteki jakusha” ni tenraku suru (Young people’s social vulnerability). Tokyo: Yosensha.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mor Barak, M. E. (2000). Beyond affirmative action: Toward a model of diversity and organizational inclusion. Administration in Social Work,23(3–4), 47–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mor Barak, M. E. (2016). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mor Barak, M. E., & Levin, A. (2002). Outside of the corporate mainstream and excluded from the work community: A study of diversity, job satisfaction and well-being. Community, Work & Family,5(2), 133–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mor Barak, M. E., Cherin, D. A., & Berkman, S. (1998). Organizational and personal dimensions in diversity climate: Ethnic and gender differences in employee perceptions. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science,34(1), 82–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moriguchi, C. (2014). Japanese-style human resource management and its historical origins. Japan Labor Review,11(3), 58–77.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morishima, M. (1995). The Japanese human resource management: A learning bureaucracy. In L. F. Moore & P. D. Jennings (Eds.), Human resource management on the Pacific Rim: Institutions, practices, and attitudes (pp. 119–150). Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moriya, T. (2009). Gaikokujinryūgakusei no shūshoku shien to saiyō koyō kanri (Employment support for international students and the management of recruitment and employment). Ritsumeikan Business Journal,47(5), 297–316.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagano, J. (2007). Kigyou no jinzai saiyou no henka: Keiki kaihukugo no saiyou koudou (The development of talent recruitment: Recruitment approach after recession). Japanese Journal of Labour Studies,567, 4–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neeley, T. B. (2013). Language matters: Status loss and achieved status distinctions in global organizations. Organization Science,24(2), 476–497.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neeley, T. B., Hinds, P. J., & Cramton, C. D. (2012). The (un) hidden turmoil of language in global collaboration. Organizational Dynamics,41(3), 236–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ng, T. W., & Feldman, D. C. (2012). The effects of organizational and community embeddedness on work-to-family and family-to-work conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology,97(6), 1233–1251.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishii, L. H. (2013). The benefits of climate for inclusion for gender-diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal,56(6), 1754–1774.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novak, J., Feyes, K. J., & Christensen, K. A. (2011). Application of intergroup contact theory to the integrated workplace: Setting the stage for inclusion. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation,35(3), 211–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsen, J. E., & Martins, L. L. (2016). Racioethnicity, community makeup, and potential employees’ reactions to organizational diversity management approaches. Journal of Applied Psychology,101(5), 657–672.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ono, H. (2018). Career mobility in the embedded market: A study of the Japanese financial sector. Asian Business & Management,17(5), 339–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peltokorpi, V., & Froese, F. J. (2016). Recruitment source practices in foreign and local firms: a comparative study in Japan. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources,54(4), 421–444.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peltokorpi, V., & Vaara, E. (2014). Knowledge transfer in multinational corporations: Productive and counterproductive effects of language-sensitive recruitment. Journal of International Business Studies,45(5), 600–622.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quality of Life. (2012). Nihon kigyo ni okeru kodo gaikoku jinzai no saiyo katsuyo ni kansuru chosa (Research on the recruitment and management of highly talented foreign employees in the Japanese companies). Retrieved from http://www.meti.go.jp/policy/asia_jinzai_shikin/surveydata_2012.pdf.

  • Ramesh, A., & Gelfand, M. J. (2010). Will they stay or will they go? The role of job embeddedness in predicting turnover in individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Journal of Applied Psychology,95(5), 807–823.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randel, A. E., Galvin, B. M., Shore, L. M., Ehrhart, K. H., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., et al. (2017). Inclusive leadership: Realizing positive outcomes through belongingness and being valued for uniqueness. Human Resource Management Review,28(2), 190–203.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rynes, S. L. (1991). Recruitement, job choice, and post-hire consequences: A call for new re- search directions. In M. D. Dunnette & L. M. Hough (Eds.), Handbook of industrial and organizational psychology (2nd ed., pp. 399–444). Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rynes, S. L., & Barber, A. E. (1990). Applicant attraction strategies: An organizational perspective. Academy of Management Review,15(2), 286–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sekiguchi, T. (2013). Theoretical implications from the case of performance-based human resource management practices in Japan: Management fashion, institutionalization and strategic human resource management perspectives. International Journal of Human Resource Management,24(3), 471–486.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sekiguchi, T., Froese, F. J., & Iguchi, C. (2016). International human resource management of Japanese multinational corporations: Challenges and future directions. Asian Business & Management,15(2), 83–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Holcombe Ehrhart, K., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management,37(4), 1262–1289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenzer, H., & Pudelko, M. (2017). The influence of language differences on power dynamics in multinational teams. Journal of World Business,52(1), 45–61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tenzer, H., Pudelko, M., & Harzing, A. W. (2014). The impact of language barriers on trust formation in multinational teams. Journal of International Business Studies,45(5), 508–535.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, R. J., Payne, S. C., & Taylor, A. B. (2015). Applicant attraction to flexible work arrangements: Separating the influence of flextime and flexplace. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology,88(4), 726–749.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomassetti, A. J., Dalal, R. S., & Kaplan, S. A. (2016). Is policy capturing really more resistant than traditional self-report techniques to socially desirable responding? Organizational Research Methods,19(2), 255–285.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turban, D. B., & Keon, T. L. (1993). Organizational attractiveness: An interactionist perspective. Journal of Applied Psychology,78(2), 184–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uggerslev, K. L., Fassina, N. E., & Kraichy, D. (2012). Recruiting through the stages: A meta-analytic test of predictors of applicant attraction at different stages of the recruiting process. Personnel Psychology,65(3), 597–660.

    Google Scholar 

  • Venaik, S., Midgley, D. F., & Devinney, T. M. (2005). Dual paths to performance: The impact of global pressures on MNC subsidiary conduct and performance. Journal of International Business Studies,36(6), 655–675.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walton, G. M., & Cohen, G. L. (2007). A question of belonging: Race, social fit, and achievement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,92(1), 82–96.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto, S. (2006). Konsarutanto ga mita seikashugi no 15 nen (A view from a consultant on pay-for-performance from 1991 to 2006). Japanese Journal of Labor Studies,554, 61–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yanadori, Y. (2018). HRM research on Japanese organizations in the twenty-first century: Review and emerging research topics. In T. Nakano (Ed.), The Japanese firm system in evolution: New directions, breaks, and emerging practices (pp. 293–311). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the outstanding guidance and comments we received from guest editors Shige Makino and Derek Lehmberg, and four anonymous reviewers. We would like to thank Yingyan Wang and Hisako Inaba for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this article. We also thank Haiyi Liu, Ko Nai Chi, and Xin Huang for their help in collecting the data for this work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yunyue Yang.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Appendix

Appendix

Sample description of an employer (the case of high belongingness, high uniqueness, and seniority-based employment pattern)

Employees in this company say that this company gives them the feeling that they belong and treats them as insiders rather than outsiders. In addition, the employees say that this company allows them to be who I am or to present myself the way I am. Regarding the employment pattern, the salary and promotion in this company are associated with the length of service (seniority) rather than performance base.

Below are the results of the employee survey that confirm this information.

 

Strongly disagree

Strongly agree

 1. This company gives me the feeling that I belong.

1

2

3

4

5

7

 2. This company treats me as an insider.

1

2

3

4

5

6

 3. This company allows me to be who I am.

1

2

3

4

5

6

 4. This company allows me to present myself the way I am.

1

2

3

4

5

6

 

Performance-based

Seniority-based

 5. The criteria for the salary and promotion in this company are

1

2

3

4

5

7

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huang, L., Yang, Y. & Sekiguchi, T. Attractiveness of Japanese firms to international job applicants: the effects of belongingness, uniqueness, and employment patterns. Asian Bus Manage 19, 118–144 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-019-00068-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41291-019-00068-0

Keywords

Navigation