Basic Guideline For A German Company To Do Business With Japanese Companies

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Business economics - Offline Marketing and Online Marketing, grade: 1 (A), University of Bedfordshire, language: English, abstract: Even though Japan is mostly westernized it remains being traditional Japanese. It has a hierarchically structured culture and society and contains complex rules for interpersonal situations and relationships (Kazuo Nishiyama, 2000, p. 1-9). The Japan culture and society varies from the German. Those differences in cross- boarder alliances are sources of potential conflicts and misunderstandings in business relationships (Susan C. Schneider and Jean-Lois Barsoux, 2003, p. 9). Especially the way of verbal and non-verbal communication: Japan is a high context culture. Many information lay “between” the lines (in the context). Germany in contrast to that is a low context culture. They give precise information in a direct way. Japanese are more introverted and restrained than the Germans. The importance of face keeping (for e.g. not showing emotions public) is another main difference. In Japan the status of a person (often linked to its age and experience) is important (Edward T. Hall and Mildred Reed Hall, 1987, xvi). But also some little specific differences can cause huge problems. For example the differing attitude towards bribe and gifts can cause difficult misapprehensions. This summary of some of the main differences shows that there are many varieties that can cause problems in business. This gap between the German and the Japanese culture is unconditionally to considers, important to know in detail and very helpful to internalize in doing business with Japan as a German company.

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: 2,6 (B), University of Cooperative Education Mannheim (Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel University of Applied Sciences), language: English, abstract: Although the world is still devided into different countries and regions it grows together steadily. Companies buy the components and ingredients for their products from suppliers in many different countries to get best quality at lowest costs and sell their products and services to costumers all over the world. Because of this globalization it gets more and more important to learn and to know the special rules, rituals, and the way of thinking in a differtent culture, if a company wants to do business there. The old saying "When in Rome do as the Romans do" is still valid. The differences exist between all coutries and cultures not only between Europe and Asia. The knowledge about the differences can and will build the first step to a successful relationship. This paper deals with the Japanese etiquette and ethics in business. What should a foreigner think about when doing business with Japanese business partners? Chapter 1 is about the structure and the peculiarities of Japanese companies. Afterwards general aspects to be taken into consideration are described. The chapters 4 and 5 deal with rules for doing business with the Japanese and with two important rituals in Japanese business culture. The last chapter provides guidelines for successful meetings and negotiations.

Seminar paper from the year 2004 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Discussion and Essays, grade: 1,8 (A-), University of Cooperative Education Mannheim (Education: Economics), course: Business English, language: English, abstract: [...] Etiquette is a minefield and a mistake can cost a businessman a contract. So it is important to know about the business customs of a country you are doing business with. No one who travels East with the intention to do business should do so without informing himself about the business structure, practices, customs and habits. It is very common that business people are sent from their company to exotic regions like Japan without being taught in cross-cultural business or the country-specific customs and manners. The more exotic one country, the more preparation is necessary. In most Asian business cultures, harmony is valued above everything else.4 Problems can arise out of the international cooperation and misunderstandings due to language and gestures.5 When it comes to a faux pas, it can have serious consequences: the image of the company can be destroyed, the contract will probably not be settled and the cooperation can be deranged. Not the different manners, but the different mindsets make international cooperation difficult: far-eastern distance hits the western backslapping mentality.6 “Building relationships ... should emphasize mutual trust, confidence, loyalty and commitment for the long term, both among individuals and companies.”7 In this paper I will point out interesting facts and figures about Japan, its history, its capital as well as its working conditions. Furthermore, I highlight strange Japanese customs and habits and present special differences between Germany and Japan. For a German visiting Japan on business, this information is essential to have. Although Europeans will never understand the culture and tradition of the Japanese, they need to arrange with it in order to do business. I will not mention facts about Japan’s economy and the consumers’ behaviour, which are also important for doing business, because of the limited size of this paper. 4 Cf. Scheunemann, C., 4/2003, p. 18. 5 Cf. Obmann, C., 10/2003, p. 78. 6 Cf. Obmann, C., 10/2003, p. 78. 7 ACCJ, 1996, p. 19.

This book covers the main practical elements of doing business with the Japanese. It gives the reader sufficient background to understand and associate with the Japan of the 1980s as well as support him with the know-how for searching out and grasping the rich opportunities that lie ahead.

Hundreds of thousands of people start their own businesses every year, and untold more dream about the possibility of becoming their own bosses. While entrepreneurship has its many potential rewards, it also carries unique challenges. Entrepreneurship is an act not a born tact, you need to understand the environment to set up an enterprise of you own. Setting up a business requires many things like understanding yourself, understanding market and availing funds are certain basic things that one must mandatorily know before making a business decision. To start a business of your own you need to understand the environment to set up an enterprise of you own. Starting a business involves planning, making key financial decisions and completing a series of legal activities. To run a successful business, you need to learn all about your existing and potential customers, your competitors and the economic conditions of your market place. Entrepreneurship helps in the development of nation. A successful entrepreneur not only creates employment for himself but for hundreds. Deciding on a right project can lead you to the road to success. The purpose of this book is to enrich the people with an understanding of the entrepreneurial process. There is no presumption, however, that entrepreneurship can be taught, because entrepreneurs have their own peculiar way of doing things. Yet it is possible to help them be better prepared for transforming dreams in realities. This book majorly deals with the advent of quality management & its impact on marketing, total quality management, measuring customer satisfaction, pitfalls of the traditional approach, customer value management, marketing research for new ventures, implications of market research and competitive analyses, new developments in business to business marketing , relationship building in key account management, enlarging domain of marketing, finance for exports, understanding world trade environment, global marketplace of the nineties, business environment and political variables analysis, dimensions of political environment and so on. Consequently the book is organized to explore the nature of entrepreneurship, provide models for new venture creation and describe way to help entrepreneurs succeed. The book contains different parameters, procedures and facilities provided by central and state Govt. The book can prove to be a useful compendium for anybody wanting to setup a small scale unit.

How are German capitalism and German business management to be understood from the perspective of Japan? Both Germany and Japan as defeated nations in World War II received significant American leadership and support after the war. Both countries developed their enterprises, industries, and economy by deploying and adapting technology and management methods from the United States while establishing systems of industrial concentration in their own ways. By these means, both nations became major trading countries. However, current economic and business conditions differ greatly between Germany and Japan. In trade, American influence on Japanese business is still strong. Japan could not and cannot establish a complementary relationship with American industrial sectors and their products in the American market. In addition, a common market structure like the E.U. does not exist in Asia. In contrast to Japan, Germany developed independently from the American influence and became part of a well-integrated regional economy. What were the driving forces that created those differences? That question is approached from a Japanese point of view in this book, based on the assumption that the origins of distinct characteristics of German business management after World War II were developed in the 1950s and ’60s. The book analyzes the transformation of business management in Germany and explains the characteristics and structures of German management. The author describes how the development of German companies determined the current German condition— “the Europeanization of Germany”—while the world faced the globalization process. Demonstrating the basic foundation of European integration by analyzing market factors in Europe as well as the internal structural transformation of management in Germany, this book is a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate students, educators, and researchers in the fields of business management, business history, and economic history.

This volume approaches the history of Japanese-German relations from a business history perspective. Starting with an overview of Japanese-German relations which focuses on the environment, strategies and forms of inter-firm relations, Akira Kudo then uses case studies to provide a broader picture, before finally considering strategy, organisational strategy and technology and management transfer in the light of problems identified earlier.

Compilations of cases with commentary – in Japanese Hanrei Hyakusen – often provide the most practical way to obtain a quick and reliable understanding of a specific field of law, as well as guidance on how best to proceed in specific situations. In this respect, leading cases much more than statutory provisions are essential for understanding the reality of Japanese commercial law. This incomparable book compiles 72 of the most important commercially relevant Japanese court decisions in the fields of civil law, labour law, company law, financial transactions, intellectual property, antitrust, conflict of laws, and arbitration. Each decision is presented in English translation and is accompanied by a practical and explanatory commentary by an expert in the field, be it from academia or private practice. There are 50 commentators in all, brought together here to honour the 60th birthday of Harald Baum, widely regarded as one of the world’s foremost scholars on Japanese business law. The cases encompass a wide reach of causes of action in fields such as: breach of contract; tort liability; product liability; unjust enrichment; collective bargaining; shareholders’ rights; directors’ duty of care; political donations; insider trading; patent infringement; parallel imports; trade mark rights; unfair competition; publicity rights; price fixing; arbitration agreements; and recognition of foreign judgements. Whether serving as practical guidance or as a basis for academic research, this compilation will be warmly welcomed by practicing lawyers, teachers and students of Japanese and international law, and all others who need to understand the various fields of Japanese commercial law.