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論文題目:E-Learning Aimed at New Hires in Japanese Companies
著者:イヴァノヴァ ツヴェトミラ フリストヴァ (IVANOVA, TSVETOMIRA HRISTOVA)
論文審査委員:ジョナサン ルイス・関 啓子・倉田 良樹・西野 史子

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Structure of the thesis
The structure of the thesis is as follows.
Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Purpose and scope
1.2 Key terms of the study
1.3 Thesis structure
1.4 Japan
1.5 Approach
1.6 Cases
1.7 Method
1.8 Key findings and hypothesis
Chapter 2: e-learning
2.1 Origin and spelling of the term e-learning
2.2 Development of e-learning from an umbrella term to a learning method, system, approach
2.3 Analysis of e-learning definitions
2.4 History and contemporary trends
2.5 E-learning hype cycle
2.6 Contemporary trends in e-learning
2.7 Benefits of e-learning for businesses
2.8 Final definition
2.9 E-learning in Japan
2.10 Conclusion
Chapter 3: Onboarding
3.1 Definition
3.2 Scope of onboarding
3.3 Utilization of technology to improve onboarding
3.4 The Japanese labor market
3.5 Conclusions
Chapter 4: E-learning and onboarding
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Methodology
4.3. The theoretical base of the model
4.4. Components of the model
4.5. Model conception
4.6. The mediation role of e-learning in the onboarding process - evidence from twelve large Japanese Companies
4.7. E-learning ? onboarding integrated model interactions
4.8. Conclusions
Chapter 5: Conclusions
5.1 Discussion
5.2 Implications
5.3 Limitations
5.4 Recommendations for future research
Appendix I
Appendix II
Statement
On-line Class Tools
Collaboration and Sharing
Web Resources
Onboarding tools, resources and activities
Onboarding activities
Bibliography
Summary of the thesis
 This thesis examines the emergence of e-learning technologies and concepts, and their adoption by companies in general and by large Japanese companies in particular. It situates this corporate adoption of e-learning within the simultaneous emergence of a more holistic approach to the training of employees, an approach widely referred to as “onboarding.”
 Chapter One outlines the aims, context, scope and methods of the research. The author notes the strongly institutionalized nature of onboarding processes in large Japanese companies, and sets out to explore the implications of this institutionalization for companies’ adoption of e-learning. On the one hand, strong traditions of mass training of new recruits, coupled with institutional inertia, might impede the adoption of e-learning technologies. On the other hand, the fact that e-learning technologies are generally most suited to white-collar occupations and that they can offer standardized training for large groups of people, makes them a possibly attractive option either as an alternative to some existing training activities or as a blended combination with them. The author’s key argument is that “adoption of e-learning in onboarding will provide… more opportunities for newcomers to act individually, without the need to individualize the large Japanese organizations’ institutionalized onboarding environment, thereby improving onboarding efficiency.”
 In Chapter Two, the author presents a detailed account of the definitions and development of e-learning since its emergence in the mid-1990s. These definitions have tended to be based on practice rather than theory, and have therefore changed along with the improvement of computer hardware and software and the spread of broadband access. Definitions of e-learning in the late 1990s emphasized “the emergence of the Internet and revolutionary impact of networking technology”; in the early 2000s definitions were widened to include such elements as on-line collaboration, assisted learning, and interactive learning environments; and in the mid- to late 2000s definitions have emphasized the social rather than the technological, in particular the role of social networks in supporting learning. The author concludes her survey of definitions by arguing that a definition of e-learning needs to cover four elements: technology, knowledge, networks (both technical and social) and individual users with their various requirements. She proposes a definition of e-learning as “a networked learning system which communicates in an information technology environment and meets changing user expectations with a set of learning, learning support and assessment services, thereby creating automation and support for the learning process.”
 In Chapter Three, the author turns her attention to onboarding. Once again she introduces a large number of definitions of the term and summarizes what the existing literature has to say about the aims of onboarding: its time-frame, participants, content and evaluation. While noting the enthusiasm of some researchers for “onboarding systems” that can automate many onboarding tasks, the author argues that the emphasis on tools and systems risks overshadowing the socialization process that is a key element of onboarding. She finishes by outlining the onboarding of Japanese companies as described in the English-language literature.
 Chapter 4 discusses the relationship between e-learning and onboarding. Based on social cognitive theory, social information processing theory, social exchange theory, and signaling theory, the author proposes a model of “how the relationship between onboarding factors and onboarding outcomes could be mediated (or partly mediated) by e-learning and its characteristics.” After establishing a literature?based model of the relationship between e-learning and onboarding, the author presents the results of a questionnaire and interview survey of human resources managers in twelve large Japanese companies spread across different industrial sectors. The survey measured 18 aspects of e-learning and 15 aspects of onboarding as well as basic attributes of the companies. The key finding of the survey was that, while more than half of the respondents had some experience of utilizing e-learning in the onboarding process, and agreed that e-learning could be useful in conveying information to new employees, they were skeptical about the usefulness of e-learning for developing interpersonal relationships. Based on insights from the survey, the author establishes seven hypotheses regarding the role of e-learning in onboarding, six of which are extensions of the first hypothesis, namely “E-learning (EL) presence among onboarding factors will lead (through e-learning characteristics) to more opportunities for newcomers to act individually, without the need to individualize the institutions‘ institutionalized onboarding tactics.”
 The final chapter restates the argument of the thesis, emphasizing the potential of e-learning to allow a higher level of proactivity on the part of newcomers in the highly institutionalized environment of Japanese corporate training. The author discusses the limitations of her research, especially the small size of the survey sample, and emphasizes that the model and hypotheses proposed in this theses need to be tested on a wider range of companies.
Evaluation of the thesis
 This thesis represents an original and ambitious attempt to understand how large Japanese companies are implementing e-learning technologies at a time when they are under pressure to produce a more flexible, creative and in many cases multinational, multilingual and globally-based workforce. The author faced some major challenges in carrying out this research: the lack of any immediately available analytical framework, requiring her to start from very basic definitional issues and design her own model; the difficulty in gaining access to busy human resources managers in large Japanese companies; and finally, her unfamiliarity with both the Japanese context and language at the start of this project. The thesis, while not an unalloyed triumph, can claim victory on all three fronts.
 First, the thesis does an excellent job of organizing the very large literatures on e-learning and onboarding that are produced not only by management studies experts but also by consulting companies, government departments and scholars in other disciplines. Chapters 2 and 3 can each stand on their own as useful guides to the states-of-the-art of research on e-learning and onboarding. The model proposed in Chapter 4 is also based on a deep and wide reading of the relevant literature, and covers all the important aspects of the onboarding process and the possible roles of e-learning. Nevertheless, some theories introduced in the literature survey, for example social constructivism, are not properly reflected in the model.
 Second, the author has made the most of a small research sample, carrying out interviews as well as questionnaire surveys. The interviews have given her a keener sense of which aspects of the global literature on onboarding and e-learning are well understood in well-established large Japanese companies and which terms are met with incomprehension. On the other hand, the author surveyed large traditional companies which are the least likely to adopt new methods; smaller service sector companies might be more innovative and likely to adopt e-learning, especially as they need to get their employees to the workplace as soon as possible. Hence, the author’s generally negative conclusions about the extent of e-learning adoption in Japanese companies may have been influenced by her survey sample. In addition, the fact that the author’s survey covered only managers and did not include the new employees being “onboarded” is a limitation, particularly given the author’s strong argument that e-learning can potentially give new employees scope for self-expression and autonomy within the highly institutionalized onboarding process.
 Third, the author’s lack of background in sociological research on Japanese companies pays off in the sense that she brings a new, Western-derived model of how companies train (or should train) their new hires to the Japanese context, relatively unencumbered by received wisdom about such matters as Japanese training practices and corporate values. This enables her to avoid assumptions about what practices and technologies would “work” in the Japanese context. While a greater engagement with the Japanese literature on corporate training practices would have been desirable, nevertheless the thesis does provide a useful theoretical and empirical basis for those researching a field that will surely grow in importance.
Summary of Examiners’ Conclusions
 On 18 June 2010 we examined Ms. Tsvetomira Ivanova regarding her PhD thesis “E-Learning Aimed at New Hires in Japanese Companies.” Ms. Ivanova satisfactorily answered all our questions regarding her thesis.
 We therefore conclude that Ms. Ivanova has achieved the requisite level of academic achievement and ability to be awarded the degree of PhD in Social Sciences from this University.

最終試験の結果の要旨

2010年7月14日

 On 18 June 2010 we examined Ms. Tsvetomira Ivanova regarding her PhD thesis “E-Learning Aimed at New Hires in Japanese Companies.” Ms. Ivanova satisfactorily answered all our questions regarding her thesis.
We therefore conclude that Ms. Ivanova has achieved the requisite level of academic achievement and ability to be awarded the degree of PhD in Social Sciences from this University.
14 July 2010
Examining committee:
Jonathan Lewis
Keiko Seki
Yoshiki Kurata
Fumiko Nishino



 2010年6月18日、学位請求論文提出者イヴァノヴァ ツヴェトミラ氏についての最終試験を行った。本試験において、審査委員が提出論文『E-Learning Aimed at New Hires in Japanese Companies』について、逐一疑問点について説明を求めたのに対し、イヴァノヴァ氏はいずれも十分な説明を与えた。
 以上により、審査委員一同はイヴァノヴァ ツヴェトミラ氏が一橋大学博士(社会学)の学位を授与されるのに必要な研究業績および学力を有するものと認定した。

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