How foreign technical interns contribute to SMEs’ overseas expansion

Abstract

This paper intends to understand the overseas business expansion of a Japanese SME that is facilitated by strategic management of technical interns (TIs), a type of foreign migrant labor in Japan. We challenge the current prejudices and narrow view on the role of TIs by introducing a unique case wherein a rural SME utilized TIs as strategic human resources. Furthermore, we highlighted the positive influence of TIs on the gradual insiderization in foreign markets and development of new business opportunities.

Keywords

• small and medium enterprise (sme)
• foreign direct investment (fdi)
• technical interns
• migrant workers
• international human resource management (ihrm)