Transnational Entrepreneurship and Japan

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A Japanese Studies lecture delivered by a visiting researcher to the School, Dr Sarah Louisa Birchley.

Followed by a wine reception in the MLANG foyer until 20:30.

AbstractWhen asked to describe a typical Japanese business person, it is likely you would imagine a loyal salaryman, working for a prestigious Japanese company, with guaranteed lifetime employment, modest benefits, and chances of promotion tied to a deeply entrenched, traditional seniority system. Yet, Japan is changing and this image is outdated; the current socioeconomic environment is informing the progression of Japanese human resource management practices, and an increasing number of Japanese business people, both male and female, are independently seeking work outside Japan. Not only are these individuals pursuing opportunities overseas but they are breaking away from the security of working for a company by becoming expatriate entrepreneurs.   In this seminar, Dr. Birchley will share research she has been conducting with her colleague Professor Kazuko Yokoyama on the experiences of Japanese self-initiated expatriate entrepreneurs (SIEEs) in South East Asia. An SIEE is a type of transnational entrepreneur who migrates to ‘another country while maintaining business linkages with both the country of origin and the country of destination’ (Santamaria-Alvarez et al., 2018, p.246). By introducing case studies from Cambodia, Indonesia, and Myanmar, we will explore the push and pull factors for Japanese SIEEs, their mindsets, identity, agency, and culture, with an aim to engage in a contemporary discussion on associated changes in Japanese human resource management practices, higher education, and society as a whole.

BiographyDr Sarah Louisa Birchley is currently on sabbatical at Cardiff University researching transnational entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship in Wales. Her research is supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) 2017-2020 Japanese Self-initiated Expatriation: Lessons for Entrepreneurship and Education in Asia (JSPS 17K03948) and Toyo Gakuen University, Tokyo, Japan.

Simultaneous TranslationThe event will be delivered in the medium of English. You are welcome to ask questions in the medium of Welsh during the Q&A session. If you intend to do this, please contact mlang-events@cardiff.ac.uk by Monday 11 March to request simultaneous translation. Please note that 10% or more of those planning to attend will need to request this provision in order for it to be sourced and will be subject to resource availability.

RegistrationWe apologise that the entire registration page is not available in the medium of Welsh; unfortunately, the platform we use does not offer this service.