Human resource management practices at foreign-affiliated companies in least-developed regions: US and Japanese Companies in Nepal

摘要

On the basis of 16 qualitative case studies of the US-affiliated, Japaneseaffiliated and local Nepali companies, we investigate how the context of Nepal as a leastdeveloped country influences the way MNC affiliates implement human resource (HR) practices. Our findings indicate that institutional distance can promote, rather than impede, the transfer of HR practices, as long as the practices are able to address local needs. The findings also suggest that the nature and needs of the local labor market are stronger predictors of the transfer of HR practices than those factors identified in extant international human resource management frameworks, such as institutional and cultural distance.