Japanese Global Strategy

Overseas Operations and Global Marketing

Katsuo Yamazaki

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2018
• Print ISBN:
  9781137497369
• eBook ISBN:
  9781137497383
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business Strategy
• Index: Business

This book examines the global corporate strategy of Japanese multi-national enterprises (MNEs) and analyses their position in today's business environment. Focusing in particular upon Indonesia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, Japanese Global Strategy presents nine empirical case studies on companies including Denso, Furukawa Electric and Yamaha Motor. Based on questionnaires and interviews with senior managers, this book applies the hybrid theories of application and adaptation to each company's corporate strategy. By delving into the historical reasons behind investing in strategy, the author asserts that MNEs should be a priory for Asian markets, making this an invaluable read for anyone researching international business and Asian business more specifically.

© The Author(s) 2019

Katsuo YamazakiJapanese Global Strategyhttps://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-49738-3_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Katsuo Yamazaki¹

(1)

Yamazaki Dynamic Management Corporation, Tokyo, Japan

Katsuo Yamazaki

End Abstract

Synopsis of the Book

All nine companies examined here are classified as secondary industries. The book tries to emphasize that they are manufacturing companies, but they practice production with the Japanese corporate strategy of monozukuri . Monozukuri is part of a total management system that was established after and has been cultivated since World War II. Chapter 2 briefly surveys what has evolved in Japanese management thinking since the 1900s. In addition, the way Japanese global corporations cope with the global business environment is discussed.

In Chap. 3, “Hybrid Theory of Application and Adaptation” is explained. The author has been a member of the Japanese Multinational Enterprises Study Group (JMNESG), headed by Dr. Tetsuo Abo, emeritus professor at University of Tokyo for 16 years. As a member he has researched international management transfer among Japanese companies and their subsidiaries. JMNESG established the “Hybrid Theory of Application and Adaptation” (Abo et al. 1994) for Japanese companies in foreign countries. JMNESG’s accumulated big data on other companies around the world was compared with the nine Japanese companies mentioned here: the research was analyzed for differences in management style and how these differences affect global corporate strategy.

The hybrid theory is based on academic research dealing with foreign direct investment (FDI). Once multinational enterprises (MNEs) decide on FDIs, they ask how they will manage the companies in host countries. JMNESG began its management transfer research in the United States in 1989 by visiting Japanese American companies. Up until 2015, JMNESG visited more than 280 Japanese companies in 35 countries and analyzed 23 items relating to aspects of management; scores were assigned on a 5-point scale based on the criteria seen in the document in Appendix 4. The range of scores indicates the degree to which these Japanese companies abroad adopted the business practices of the home. A score of 5 showed their overseas subsidiary company was operating almost the same as their home company in Japan. At the other end, a score of 1 meant the subsidiary conducted its management in the most adapted way. The scores 2, 3, and 4 represent the applied degrees of Japanese management between the scores 1 and 5.

In the process of establishing criteria for assigning scores, JMNESG compared American with Japanese management as preliminary-research in 1987 and 1988. Furthermore, a comparable study similar to the above between European and Japanese management was executed in 1997 and 1998. Utilizing JMNESG data, three management systems are neatly summarized.

JMNESG accumulated statistical data in all areas in the world except Russia. The author will analyze aspects of corporate strategy and compare the average application scores with those in the nine-case companies. Unfortunately, the theory is lacking in sales and ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction
• 2. The Process of Monozukuri in Global Business Environments
• 3. Hybrid Theory and Japanese Global Management
• 4. Case Studies on Japanese MNEs: Global Strategy
• 5. Prospective Global Markets
• 6. Golden Rules in Global Corporate Strategy
• Back Matter