Joey Soehardjojo holds a Ph.D. from Warwick Business School, UK. His main research area of interest is the diffusion processes and implications of MNC cross-border management practices in the emerging market economy of Southeast Asia. His work lies between the research streams of International Business and Human Resources Management-Industrial Relations. His explorative studies rely on large-scale qualitative data covering cars, motorcycles and auto parts. While pursuing his doctoral studies, Dr. Soehardjojo has carried out over 130 interviews with policy makers, NGOs, government agencies, business associations, MNC stakeholders as well as formerly imprisoned union leaders. He has also conducted fieldwork in MNCs’ home and host countries. Dr Soehardjojo is particularly open to international research collaboration.

Education:

• Ph.D. Warwick Business School
• M.Sc. Oxford
• M.Sc. LSE
• Hon. B. Comm. McMaster University (including one year at Osaka University)

Current research project:

• Topic: The coordinated interests and strategies of Japanese government agencies and MNCs in promoting sustainable sociopolitical, economic and human capital development in three Southeast Asian tiger economies: Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand
• Methodology: ethnography, observations and interviews
• Locations: Institute of Developing Economies Japan External Trade Organization (IDE-JETRO) and the Association of Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships (AOTS) in Japan and overseas training centres, e.g. Bangkok, Thailand; Jakarta, Indonesia; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; New Delhi, India and Yangon, Myanmar
• Funding: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 30% success rate, 2018

This independent postdoctoral research project aims to shed new light on the tripartite arrangements among government, business associations and research institutions at the meso-institutional level in shaping the cross-border management practices and policy development in emerging market economies. His extensive empirical research examines the context, the coordination of these actors, and the roles they play in addressing local institutional constraints, including from foreign MNCs. This is highly relevant to global automakers who face intense competition in the global automotive supply chain, particularly since the research explores the impact of both the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Official Development Assistance (ODA) policies. In so doing, his research expands our understanding of the implications of quasi-government agencies and business associations (e.g. NGOs, ILOs, and training & research institutes) in mitigating the local institutional constraints, uncertainty and institutional changes of both the home- and host-countries.

 Manuscripts under preparation:

• Soehardjojo, J., Meardi, G., Driffield, N., “Tracing power and influence in institutional diversity: Competing HR models in Japanese and Indonesian joint ventures”
• Soehardjojo, J., Driffield, N., “Knowledge transfer and co-evolution of Japanese working practices in emerging markets”
• Soehardjojo, J., Driffield, N., Meardi, G., “How can low-power actors gain influence and legitimacy in the global MNC network?”
• Soehardjojo, J., Schrock, L., “Constraints on employer collective action by employer association élites: the case of APINDO in Indonesia”

Research awards/grants

Academy of International Business; the British Council, ERASMUS; RADMA research project; the Reischauer Institute, Harvard; the Toshiba International Foundation Fellowship; the British Association for Japanese Studies, the European Association for Japanese Studies, the Nippon Foundation, the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

As a multinational and multilingual junior scholar, Dr. Soehardjojo has served as an academic reviewer since 2014. He has also worked pro bono for ten years as a certified language interpreter in assisting human trafficking and refugee claimants.