Factory performance and decision-making authority between headquarters, expatriates, and local employees in Japanese MNCs in Southeast Asia

摘要

This study aims to clarify the relationship between foreign factory performance and the decision-making authority for manufacturing activities between headquarters, expatriates, and local employees. To investigate these relationships, we conducted logistic regression analysis based on a questionnaire survey of 246 Japanese manufacturing subsidiaries in Southeast Asia and multiple case studies. We found (1) a negative relationship between factory performance and the level of the headquarters' authority, (2) a positive relationship between factory performance and the level of expatriates' authority, and that (3) subsidiaries' operating years and export ratio moderate the relationship between factory performance and expatriates' authority.