home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Educational Software Cooperative 4
/
Educational Software Cooperative 4.iso
/
jap
/
labor.dat
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1992-01-19
|
3KB
|
69 lines
Business culture and attitudes in Japan contrast
with those of the United States.
In Japan, people are identified by the company
they work for whereas in the US it is what you
do that is an identifier. The Japanese company
commands a sense of total commitment from its
workers.
Japanese value "Bottom Up Thinking". The individual
is considered to be capable of doing his own thinking.
Decisions are made slowly, but implementation is
fast. The working style is participative,group
oriented,and interdependent as contrasted with
an individualistic,independent,and do-it-myself
American style.
A leader is valued as a facilitator in Japan.
Confucian philosophy supporting harmony influences
business characteristics. Individualism is more
prized in the United States. In the US we have the
expression "The Squeaky wheel gets the grease";
but in Japan the contrasting philosophy is "The nail
that sticks up gets pounded".
A feature of the business culture is amae - indulgence
and protection of one another. Coworker's idiosyncra-
sies are to be tolerated. The human being is to be
respected. Others are to be protected from errors,
from bearing blame, or losing face. Distinctions
between management and workers are not as extreme as
in the United States.
Only the large companies have lifetime employment.
Retired people, women and subcontractors are considered
to be the reserve labor force. The core group in
the large companies is kept intact during the downturns
in business cycles. If a person becomes dysfunctional
in a large company, he may become one of the 'window
people' who come to work and read the paper but are
not fired.
Hiring is done by group identification. Graduates from
the University of Tokyo get the best jobs. The school,
not the field of study, is the key criteria. It is not
uncommon for liberal arts graduates to be trained into
accounting. There is considerable job rotation,facilita-
ted by the lifetime employment philosopy.
The cozy relationship between the Japanese government
and companies is a tradition that goes back over a
hundred years.
Many Japanese companies are tied together in a group
united by a bank.
The principal trading firms (accounting for 60 percent
of imports and 50 percent of exports) and their affiliated
banks are:
Mitsubishi Shoji Mitsubishi Bank
Mitsui Bussan Mitsui Bank
Marubeni Iida Fuji Bank
C. Itoh Simitomo and Daiichi-Kangyo
Nissho-Iwai Sanwa Bank
Simitomo Shoji Sumitomo Bank
Toyo Menka Tokai Bank
Nichimen Sanwa
Kanematsu-Gosho Bank of Tokyo