Extortion Japanese Style

The emerging influence wielded on Japanese businesses by the sokaiya , or extortioners, raises issues not just of bribery but more fundamentally of corporate governance and transparency in the conduct of business. "If it were true that the Japanese companies in question were otherwise conducting their businesses in perfectly ethical ways, then sokaiya would not have any leverage". The author has completed the first year of her MBA at London Business School after previously working with the Japanese Delegation to the OECD.     

The Japanese Consumer

Abstract

The authors review the facets of the Japanese consumer.     

东瀛缘何又掀"松下幸之助热"

世纪之交的日本,政局纷乱,经济停滞,人心浩茫,有一个人的身影显得更加高大了,他就是松下幸之助.昔日被誉为"经营之神"的日本头号创业家,再次受到人们的关注.松下幸之助仅用一代人的时间,就把松下电器发展成为世界级企业.耐人寻味的是,现在以松下幸之助为主人公的传记小说<不景气也是好事>成为畅销书,杂志上连载其传记<功到自然成>,<日本工业新闻>上连载的有关他的<决断力>,也广受好评.令人觉得如今又出现一股松下幸之助热.     

日本商人的精明经营之道

人们把日本商人称之为"灵活多变的小精灵",看来不无道理.与日本有贸易关系的国家遍布全世界,日本几乎都是顺差国,外汇储备高达3600亿.     

日本企业系列与国际化战略

本文在专用性资产投资、长期交易关系和战略网络等方面对日本企业系列进行了经济学分析,讨论系列制在日本企业国际化战略中的作用,指出系列制是日本企业文化和产业组织内生的和具有独特竞争优势的制度安排,在国际化的制度环境中将对改进网络绩效发挥着更大的作用,同时也将接受更大的挑战。     

Catering to Japanese Tourists

This article presents the results of an exploratory study on the Japanese tourist perceptions of service in food and drinking establishments in Australia. Eight areas of service were investigated: the service providers' professionalism, friendliness, politeness, information giving, helpfulness, ability to participate in customers' needs, ability to speak Japanese language, and ability to provide customers with prompt service. The findings suggest that only two areas of service need to be improved: the service providers' ability to participate in customers' needs and to speak Japanese language. The implications of the findings are outlined.     

Japanese FDI5 and the Transfer of Japanese Consumer Electronics Production to Malaysia

The purpose of this paper is to assess the impact of Japanese consumer electronics companies within Malaysia. Research between January and April 1994 revealed the interdependence of a production network not only in Malaysia but within the Asia-Pacific region as a whole, and serves to illustrate the integration of trade and investment in Malaysia's industrial development. While, undoubtedly, the surge of Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) into Malaysia's electronics industry between 1986 and 1990 has had enormous positive effects upon infrastructure development and employment creation, the results of this study question whether Japanese FDI is now contributing to the much needed structural up-grading of this industry. Central to this discussion are the underlying strategies of Japanese multinational corporations (MNCs) which have relocated in Malaysia.     

择优参加日本展

境外参展是企业参与国际竞争,实现"走出去"战略的重要手段,是企业寻得无限商机的一条最佳渠道,也是企业"知己知彼"、寻找差距,确立企业发展目标的一项商务活动.     

Consumer Preferences for Japanese Automobiles

This paper investigates the relationship of automobile attributes and household characteristics to consumer preferences for Japanese cars. The analysis was confined to households that purchased new cars in 1986 and employed two-stage probit analysis. Results indicate that the coefficients of five automobile quality attributes are statistically significant while the coefficients of most household characteristics are not significant. Households interested in more fuel efficient and heavier cars as well as cars with lower depreciation rates and a lower frequency of repair are more likely to buy Japanese than non-Japanese cars. The fact that households buy Japanese automobiles because of quality considerations not because they are small has implications for the U.S. automobile industry which faces increased competition in a global economy.     

Japanese managerial and organizational learning

The article describes how the external forces of Japanese culture, industrial organization, and government intervention support managerial and organizational learning. It provides an overview of the culturally explicit philosophies that govern and stimulate learning in Japan, then explains how these philosophies are exhibited in Japanese management practice today. A model is presented which demonstrates the relationships among external forces, philosophical origins, management practice, and managerial and organizational learning. The conclusion is that managerial and organizational learning constitute one of Japan's most valuable competitive advantages. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.