...[pic] Executive Summary The following report is an examination of the Far East Asian country of Japan. This report includes a look at the past, present, and future of Japan’s economic stance, cultural values, and business opportunities. Our group examined the relations between the Georgia-based insurance company AFLAC, and their Japanese counterparts. This report explains AFLAC’s strategic motives and successes they have found in doing business in Japan. It also identifies some of the weakness and threats that are in the near future if current practices are not altered. With over 70% of the revenue coming from the Japanese market, AFLAC should be concerned with any changes in economic forecasting for the country as it will be sure to have a direct effect on the future of AFLAC U.S. Japan has long been, and continues to be a major ally to the United States in terms of business relationships and cultural influences. Our report serves to outline some of the noteworthy things to consider when conducting business with the Japanese. Through an examination of AFLAC’s individual experiences in Japan, this report demonstrates the need for professional businesspersons to be aware of the countries cultural, personal, and business preferences. With the increase in the age gap of Japan’s population, in addition to the change of workforce demographics, it is becoming increasingly more important for U.S. businesses to consider expanding their products and/or services...
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...Week 2 Case Study Toys “R” Us During the 1980’s Japan’s GDP “grew at an annual rate of 7%” with retail sales booming with a 94% growth rate. This boom afforded the children of this era to be beneficiaries of such wealth and prosperity (Spar 1995). This put the retail category of the toy market in prime positioning for growth and expansion. Toys “R” Us wanted to take part in this booming economy and expand its growth into this lucrative Japanese market. Issues within the Toys “R” Us Japan case are primarily focused on the infrastructure of the retail industry in Japan. Japanese customers were accustomed to small retail shops, and a more personal shopping experience. Having a giant retail discount store was not the custom in Japan. The customer service aspect of Toys “R” Us was lacking in its profile for entering the marketplace, as it served more as a “self-service” discount warehouse. Coinciding with this small shop experience was the problem of the sheer size of a typical Toys “R” Us store, compared to a typical Japanese retail shop. The disparaging difference equated to a Japanese retail store taking up 3,200 square feet, with 1-2,000 SKUs verses a typical Toys “R” Us store at 54,000 square feet, with 8-15,000 SKUs of toys. Beyond sheer size, the Japanese small mom and pop stores, were at the heart of Japanese culture, and were an integral part of the Japanese way of life. Another huge barrier Toys “R” Us faced was breaking into the working relationships within...
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...Kfc Japan Case Study – KFC Japan INTRODUCTION Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was set up by Harland Sanders. In the first decades of the enterprise there were no management systems or strategic controls. However, it worked fine in the beginning, mainly because for launching new franchises an entrepreneurial spark was fundamental. Nevertheless, the company grew and after suffering declines in sales and profits the implementation of strategic planning, which was introduced by Michael Miles in late 1975, seemed to be an adequate measure to solve the problems. By 1979, the various programs of the strategic planning progress were beginning to show results. Anyhow, some foreign subsidiaries resisted and didn’t want to adopt these measurements. PROBLEM STATEMENT One of the main problems KFC was facing, was that foreign subsidiaries were not willing to adapt standards – like strategic planning - imposed by the headquarter. Especially KFC-J has been strongly resisting the implementation of administrative operational controls and systems. Should the headquarters be prepared to accept operational variations? Moreover, it had to be clarified what was an appropriate level of performance expectations for overseas units. Even though it was obvious that KFC had to maintain its drive for aggressive growth, there was incertitude about how to ensure the continuance of such growth. Additionally, there was the issue of how to expand into new markets and countries successfully. KFC had...
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...of management. Through case studies, three main research questions emerged: 1. What are the distinctive qualities of Japanese work organizations? 2. What happens to these qualities when Japanese organizations are established in western countries? 3. Are there ‘universal’ effects of particular forms of organization, or is it more the case that what is required at one place or time would not have the same effect at another place or time? Points of Agreement • The difference between the western viewpoint of Japanese society and the Japanese management style. (Smith, 1984, p. 123, col 1, par 1). Western society, mainly writers and movies, have presented Japan as a conformist society. The movie, Gung Ho (1986, Paramount Pictures) is about a Japanese auto company taking over an American auto company. The Japanese management is shown as working as a unit and not trying to rock the boat. They also lower salaries and try to get everyone trained on every job as to conform. A study by Klauss & Bass (1974) studied group decision making by managers in 13 countries (Smith, 1984, p. 123, col 1, par 1). Japanese managers showed the highest amount of high individualism and anti-conformity. They were more likely not to be influenced by the group and were willing to go in a direction not recommended by the group. The results of the study were very surprising for me based on the aforementioned points. I’ve always view Japan...
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...The Next Financial Crisis According to the Economic Times, a second Asian Financial Crisis is on its way. The two giants of Asia almost seem to be competing with one another to become the cause of the next global financial crisis. Between China and Japan, Japan will most likely trigger the crisis. Japan is inflating its money supply three times faster than the Fed’s QE program. It is weakening the yen as intended and exporting deflation to its customers, making them less competitive. According to Arabian Money, the sugar-rush effect is reflected in a booming Japanese stock market as profits from abroad will also now be higher in yen. However, devaluation in a highly indebted economy is loaded with danger. Japan has suffered from two decades of stagnation. It has the highest debt-to-GDP ratio of any major country, and a demographic crisis so acute that more adult diapers than baby diapers are sold. The government has appointed a new head of the central bank whose stated goal is to inflate the economy as a way of trying to encourage growth (Washington Times). For many reasons, it is doubtful that the new strategy will work. One can easily envision a scenario where the necessary rise in interest rates gets outside the control of the central bank. The Japanese trade deficit could widen further through March 2014 due to demand picking up ahead of the sales-tax increase. Financial crises come round every seven years on average. There was the stock market crash of 1987, the emerging...
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...academy award winning documentary, The Cove did a wonderful job on shining a light on the questionable hunting practices on dolphins in Japan. Dolphin hunting in Japan as practiced in The Cove are unnecessary and cruel. Dolphins killed in the Taji dolphin drive hunts are several times greater than those in the antarctic and most other seas. (WDC Dolphin Hunts). Almost 23,000 dolphins and other sea mammals are killed or captured in Japan every year, by the ever-growing countries whaling industry (WDC Dolphin Hunts). The typical practices used in Japan to hunt their dolphins is very unnecessary, cruel and should have greater consequences towards those unethical practices of dolphin hunting and capturing. The way in which the Japanese gather dolphins and kill them is flat-out unnecessary. The fishermen herd the dolphins towards land into a sheltered cove and then cover them with a net to prevent their escape. They then used to...
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...The tale itself, highly symbolic and tinged with an unmistakable pathos, ultimately led me to select as a focus for my major work the Taisho period of Japan, a period of social, political and literary fermentation. The Taisho period was a time of literary reflection on the changes the Meiji period had brought about, it was a period where a great many authors turned their minds towards locating an authentic cultural identity distinct from Western influence. Decidedly thus influenced by this topic, my critical response was to have the purpose of illustrating the tensions that exist between modernity and traditional culture, additionally dealing with the...
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...INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT Diploma in Business Studies ENG 107 ENGLISH FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES NAME : RYAN LIM YI ZHE CLASS : DBS 1 SEMESTER : SEMESTER 1, 2013 COURSEWORK : Presentation Topic : Japan VS Korea Introduction The topic that I choose for the presentation is Japan vs Korea. These 2 countries are near to each other. Japan is in the continent of Asia. Its country is made up of many islands. Since the sun rises in the east, Japan is often called "The Land of The Rising Sun. "The Japanese refers to their country as "Nippon" or Nihon" which means "source of the sun". The Japanese flag represents a red sun on a white background. The capital of Japan is Tokyo. In fact it is one of the largest cities in the world. It is modern, very busy, and extremely crowded. In fact, today, Japan is a modernized country. They have factories, televisions, radios, cameras, and other familiar objects. Japan has a population of about 127 million, of which 99 percent are Japanese. The Japanese economy is one of the third largest in the world. On the other hand, Korea is located between China and Japan on the Korean peninsula. The peninsula is approximately 1030 km long and 220 km wide. The population of Korea is about 49 million and almost a quarter of that population lives in Seoul. Other major cities in Korea include Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Incheon, Ulsan and Kwangju. About 70% of Korea is mountainous making...
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...impact of globalization in Japan "Globalization implies the opening of local and nationalistic perspectives to a broader outlook of an interconnected and interdependent world with the free transfer of capital, goods, and services across national frontiers"(Businessdictionary.com:1931). As the development of technology, connect between each different countries become easier, more and more countries can be easy communication or trade with other countries in many different fields, for instance economic, cultural education and other fields, that can make these countries develop fast. The globalization becomes more and more important to each country, no matter development country or developing country. As we know, after the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japan become a highly globalized country on many fields, like economy, science and technology, education and many other fields. This essay will introduce about the impact of globalization on economic, culture and education of Japan, analyze the impact of globalization on these fields. "The economy of Japan is the third largest national economy in the world after the United States and the People’s Republic of China and is the world's second largest developed economy" (Oecd-ilibrary:2012). As we know, Japan is not a country has a vast land and rich resources, especially whole country economy almost destroyed by World War II. The globalization is the most important reason can help developing economy of Japan so fast, there are some performances...
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...such an accomplishment would only be talked from generation to generation as an example of a leader that drastically change Japans’ traditions and history. Ieyasu was one of three founders of the unified Japan, along side his former, Lord Oda Nobuga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Ieyasu achieved what most of his previous allies did not, a military regime so powerful and capable of uplifting Japan’s national spirit and traditions after the civil unrest and constant wars that once flew over this country. There is no doubt that Tokugawa’s regime was responsible for social change in Japanese society towards a medieval ruling. Junnosuke...
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...environmental issues and the need for cleaner energy, the LNG market is expected to expand at even higher rate in the coming years. This increased demand will put a lot of pressure on the suppliers to explore new fields for development and to enhance their existing production capabilities so as to retain their market share. The purpose of this short essay is to assess the LNG market trends and future outlook in the Asia Pacific region. Also discussed are the efforts being made in terms of infrastructure development (production and storage facilities) in LNG industry. 1. INTRODUCTION The world LNG trade consists of two major markets – The Asia Pacific market and the Atlantic market. The Asia Pacific market consists of buyers from Japan, Korea, Taipei, India, China,...
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...hold enough cachet to woo emerging-market consumers. Multinationals may bein global markets, but they’re often not of them; therefore, they’re unable to expand their products’ appeal to broader audiences around the world. It’s surprising, then, when an established giant goes to an emerging market seeking the usual benefits of cheap labor and low manufacturing costs and comes back a changed company. That’s what has happened to Panasonic in China over the past decade. After the Japanese company’s leaders saw growth slow in China, they realized that they needed to engage more deeply with customers there. Panasonic’s desire to do that was rather remarkable because of the historical animosity between Japan and China, which can suddenly flare up. In October 2012, for instance, after Japan announced the purchase of the disputed Senkaku Islands, protests in China forced several Japanese companies, such as Canon, Toyota, and Panasonic, to suspend their China operations temporarily. Although the difficulties have subsided, they have probably created a sense of awkwardness among the Japanese and Chinese...
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...a. Main reason for applying Every semester, students from the Tokyo University of Agriculture in Japan are always visiting our college for some study and our organization is the one accommodating them. I want to see those beautiful things they’re saying about their country and their culture. Moreover, since I’m a television addict, I’m fond of watching different shows and some of these are the shows coming from Japan such as Anime’s and Japanese series. Watching the said shows made me curious of the different cultures of Japan. Most of all, I’m applying for this program because I believe that this Kizuna Bond project will give a lot of knowledge and experience that will help youths to make a difference not for ourselves but also for others. b. Expectations from the exchange project I expect to learn a lot from this exchange project. Having read the draft schedule of the project, I can see that this program will be focusing on disaster prevention, food safety and energy. I expect that it will help the entire participant to be more knowledgeable and sensitive about these different topics. Moreover, I know that after this program, I will not just gain knowledge and experience but also friends and mentors. c. What can he/she contribute to the recovery after disasters like the recent Great East Japan Earthquake? Here in the Philippines, we’ve also experience a lot of disasters --- floods, earthquakes, landslides among others. Me as a student, I know that even just small...
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...China and Japan Essay As oriental countries, the West often perceives China and Japan as two countries with similar politics, economics, and social norms. What many Westerners may not realize, however, is that starting in the 19th century, Japan ended its traditional isolationist policies while China sought to become isolationist, and that this distinction strongly influenced both Japan and China's political, economic, and social responses to modernization and westernization. Politically, China and Japan's reaction to Western ideas dramatically differed. When President Fillmore sent Commodore Matthew C. Perry to Japan, the ho-shogun and his advisers first resisted the visit, but finally agreed to trade with the United States upon signing the Treaty of Kanagawa in 1858. (Cohen)As a result, Western diplomats soon inundated the Land of the Rising Sun in order to persuade the nation politically, but more importantly to them, economically. The political-diplomatic, cultural-intellectual, and socio-economic relation that followed was christened the Meiji Restoration. In general, the Japanese gradually became very receptive to the concepts of democracy, liberalism, and laissez-faire, but Meiji leaders planned to remain free of Western imperialism by negotiating with Western diplomats. They did not abandon their isolationist policies of over 200 years under the Tokugawa Shogunate only to be absorbed as a European colony; instead, they wanted to learn Western military and industrialization...
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...you think Japan is either economically and politically suppressed or extremely self-sufficient, politically and culturally intelligent. Just maybe they have learned all they could and are like a genius child waiting for the rest of the world around them to grow up and meet them on their level. In reading The Japanese Life and Customs as Contrasted with those of the Western World, published in the Journal of the American Geographical Society of New York, Hirai, Kinza Riugé M. describes her country as an Island Empire not yet discovered by the rest of the world. Hirai further describes both the people and the government as tolerate of outsiders and welcoming. With that being said when hundreds of thousands converted to Christianity and rebelled against the Dictatorship of the time it resulted in a bloody war inside the nation that lasted almost a year. After which a promulgation prohibiting the Gospels were made, lasting over several centuries, (Hirai, K.1894). The government felt in order to maintain peace, order, and harmony among the people and the political elites they had to act and act fast so they closed their borders and remained in seclusion toward Christian nations. Japan however remained open for trade and communication with the Dutch and Oriental nations. The threat of losing their loyalty to the founding principles and regimes would not be tolerated or allowed even if it meant shutting the world out. The contrast between the Western world and Japan shows what...
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