Business Networks In Japan

Business Networks in Japan explores the creation of supplier-customer networks through case studies of two of Japan's largest companies: the Toshiba Corporation and the Nippon Steel Corporation.

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: bestanden, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, 11 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: "Traditionelle Unternehmen haben ausgedient, die Zeit der Netzwerke bricht an." - Ken Everett, Australian manager Thinking about social networks one might first think about times long ago when hierarchical structures were a target thing. In those days people were more related on each other. As there has been no social solution in cases of illness or unemployment, for instance, the family was the only solution to help one in such crises. Furthermore the people were living together in tribes, where all generations came together, so the group-feeling was very strong. Nowadays people, especially in the Western cultures, try to create a system of individuality and independence: children should be reared in a way that they are become independent very early and more generations families living in same house together are hardly to find. But of course there are still areas where networks play an important role. Looking in the internet, for instance, one can find an immense number of networks and communities. Although individuality is quite important, furthermore networks play a more and more important role in the business world, as researchers found out that economy is a compact netting of social networks. (Krupp 1996: 290) But Nevertheless, the role of social networks differs between the cultures. In Japan, for instance, business networks have existed for hundreds of years and play an essential role, while Western cultures have just started to discover their importance in business. As the Japanese economy is playing an increasingly important role as a leader and economic superpower in the world (second largest economy on the globe) (De Mente 2005: 140), one may assume that by copying the Japanese networks, one can also copy their success. By looking at these Japan

Business Networks in East Asian Capitalisms: Enduring Trends, Emerging Patterns builds on the foundational studies conducted in the 1990s by gathering contemporary empirical and theoretical chapters which explore these themes in a comparative perspective. The book includes contributions from authors working on the relationship between personal and business networks in countries including China, Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand. Authors emphasize enduring trends in social and business networks and/or track new emerging patterns, both within East Asian nations or between East Asia and other regions such as Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Provides contemporary, up-to-date empirical material and theoretical interpretation, charting the influence of more recent globalizing trends and institutional change in the region Includes studies of networks within PRC, between PRC and other regions, and in Chinese communities Offers studies centered on Korean, Japanese, and South East Asian Networks Includes a geographical scope that will be broader than other books, aiming to include studies of newly developing economies in South East Asia that share a common cultural heritage (e.g Vietnam)

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject Business economics - Miscellaneous, grade: bestanden, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, language: English, abstract: „Traditionelle Unternehmen haben ausgedient, die Zeit der Netzwerke bricht an.“ – Ken Everett, Australian manager Thinking about social networks one might first think about times long ago when hierarchical structures were a target thing. In those days people were more related on each other. As there has been no social solution in cases of illness or unemployment, for instance, the family was the only solution to help one in such crises. Furthermore the people were living together in tribes , where all generations came together, so the group-feeling was very strong. Nowadays people, especially in the Western cultures, try to create a system of individuality and independence: children should be reared in a way that they are become independent very early and more generations families living in same house together are hardly to find. But of course there are still areas where networks play an important role. Looking in the internet, for instance, one can find an immense number of networks and communities. Although individuality is quite important, furthermore networks play a more and more important role in the business world, as researchers found out that economy is a compact netting of social networks. (Krupp 1996: 290) But Nevertheless, the role of social networks differs between the cultures. In Japan, for instance, business networks have existed for hundreds of years and play an essential role, while Western cultures have just started to discover their importance in business. As the Japanese economy is playing an increasingly important role as a leader and economic superpower in the world (second largest economy on the globe) (De Mente 2005: 140), one may assume that by copying the Japanese networks, one can also copy their success. By looking at these Japanese networks and analysing them, this essay will try to prove, that the Western cultures can learn and benefit from these networks. To make the origin of the Japanese networks understandable to the reader the second chapter is going to look at the main aspects of the Japanese society. The third chapter looks at the networks in Japan and their role in Japanese business, starting with the first form Zaibatsu, from its beginning until the Second World War.

With Strategic Networks: The Art of Japanese Interfirm Cooperation, you will examine the structure and dynamics of Japanese business networks and discover successful Japanese business practices and opportunities. For professors of business and Japanese studies, as well as managers of firms throughout the world, this book analyzes new and innovative networks through case examples from the Japanese automobile, chemical, and electronics industries. Strategic Networks offers you insight into the management of these company partnerships and how they work to increase the competitiveness of businesses and allow firms within the network to share important knowledge. Unknown to many, several of the management concepts that made Japanese companies successful in the 1980s, such as total quality control (TQC) and continuing improvement processes (CIP), were only a part of the formula for a successful business. This book discusses types of Japanese strategic networks, another element of Japan’s thriving business structure of today, how they are influenced by Japanese cultural values and state interventions, and why all of the businesses involved are benefiting from these networks. Evaluating the theoretical foundation of these business relationships and intercompany cooperation, Strategic Networks offers you up-to-date information on the structures of Japanese firms by: examining Karl Popper’s ideas on critical rationalism and how Japanese companies follow his theories of problem solving, questioning, and developing knowledge explaining the system, growth, and game theories in order to completely understand a network and all of its facets exploring the ability to work with and navigate strategic networks when they are managed without strict plans or with unforeseen circumstances recognizing how networks enable the activation of interpreneurs to develop future visions, innovations, and responsible leadership for the network Complete with illustrations to emphasize important points along with insight into networks in the twenty-first century, Strategic Networks offers information and research that will help you understand how Japanese networks operate and how Japanese firms are conducting business differently. As a result, you will learn how the changing values in Japanese society influence company structures and procedures and come to understand the unique workings and effective structures of strategic networks.

Although social, political, technological and business networks hold our modern world together, we still lack a good understanding of what business networks are, how they work, and the language of network analysis that we may apply to solve common, everyday problems. This book looks at such questions as: How do we make sense of the business networks we participate in and the networks we observe from a distance? Are business networks distinct from social networks, and if so what distinguishes them? How can business network analysis from a multidisciplinary perspective enhance strategic management? Emanuela Todeva deftly explores the patterns of networking and the dynamics of network relationships, to show how we can begin to tap their full potential. Of great interest to students and scholars of business network analysis, this revealing volume will also prove informative for managers wishing to obtain insights into network dynamics and its implications for strategic decision making. Business Networks expertly provides an interdisciplinary overview. It skilfully engages the reader with a range of economic, sociological, strategic management and communication theories that contribute to our knowledge of networks and networking. Transcending specific disciplines, and synthesizing the contributions that shape the structural, relational and cultural approaches to network analysis, Todeva’s outstanding text offers a wealth of conceptual frameworks and an exhaustive typology of existing business networks.

Despite the current crisis, Asian economies remain an important market for firms around the world and continue to be stiff competitors in world business. One reason for the region's strength, and a predictor of Asia's endurance, are its business networks—^Ikeiretsus^R in Japan, ^Ichaebols^R in Korea, and other forms that connect single firms, entire industries, and which interlink the region as a whole. Richter and his contributors examine the origins of business networks, their effects on the economies, and the implications of their presence and growth in Asian economies. Corporate strategic planners, marketing executives, and other decision makers will find here an important contribution to their understanding of why Asia's economies will pick up again and how they will continue to grow. The book examines the promises of business networks and the role of transaction costs, interdependence, and membership commitment. The contributors do not automatically assume that past successes of these networks will mean future successes; rather, they define the outlines of new and innovative forms of networks, and see in their configurations an even better platform for further economic development in Asia and for the globalization of Asian multinationals. Contributors offer a critical approach to theory and practice of Asian networking, and because of their national diversity are able to provide a variety of viewpoints on them. Research-based and presenting the thinking of scholars and practitioners alike, the book supplies expert knowledge and a basis for academic discourse on managerial policy not easily found elsewhere.