mangers in the overseas unit continues to change to meet the changing demands of the environment (Brandt, 1991, p!
             In some cases staffing decisions are handled uniformly. For example, most Japanese MNEs rely on home country managers to staff senior-level positions. Similarly, some European MNEs assign home country managers to overseas unite for their entire career. U.S. MNEs typically view overseas assignments as temporary, and so it is more common to find many of these expatriates working under the supervision of host country managers.
             The size of the compensation package also plays an important role in personnel selection and placement. As the cost of sending people overseas has increased, there has been a trend toward using host country or third country nationals who know the local language and customs. For example, in recent years many U.S. multinationals have hired English managers for the top positions at subsidiaries in former British colonies such as Jamaica, India, and Kenya (Hodgetts & Luthan, 1991, p.231)
             The above factors influence IHRM strategies and help MNEs to integrate an international perspective into their human resource policies and practices.
             Japan consists of four main islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu) and a number of smaller islands. The country is approximately the size of California, and over the last two decades it has become a major industrial power. Today the Japanese yen is one of the strongest currencies in the world as the nation's massive international trade has helped it to maintain vigorous, sustained economic growth.
             The branches of the Japanese government are very similar to those in the United States: legislative, executive, and judicial. Legislative power is vested in the Diet, which consists of a popularly elected House of Representatives and House of Councilors. There are five major political parties. The strongest of these is the Liberal-Democratic party, which is con...