The Influence Of Social Networks In Japanese Business Keiretsu As A Japanese Network

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

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.

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.

First published in 1999, this book explores the question of is the business organisation a result of efficiency or is it a result of a state-business organisation a result of a state-business interaction? This question being in the context of the Korean chaebol system and the Japanese Keiretsu system; this book explores the political and economic growth and then the following down fall of these systems occurred without rupturing either country’s state policy regarding the chaebol or the keiretsu.

Japan's economy has long been described as network-centric. A web of stable, reciprocated relations among banks, firms, and ministries, is thought to play an important role in Japan's ability to navigate smoothly around economic shocks. Now those networks are widely blamed for Japan's faltering competitiveness. This book applies structural sociology to a study of how the form and functioning of this network economy has evolved from the prewar era to the late 90s. It asks whether, in the face of deregulation, globalization, and financial disintermediation, Japan's corporate networks - the keiretsu groupings particularly - have 'withered away', losing their cohesion and their historical function of supporting member firms in hard times. Using detailed quantitative and qualitative analysis, this book's conclusion is a qualified 'yes'. Relationships remain central to the Japanese way of business, but are much more subordinated to the competitive strategy of the enterprise than the network economy of the past.

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)

This title was first published in 2000: The first book which brings together and interprets both the theoretical concepts associated with the study of networks in the business world, and the policy applications being applied to the practical building and development of such networks. It maps the changes in the culture of economic development policy that occurred in the UK during the 1990s, incorporating a detailed assessment of the contribution that the Training and Enterprise Councils made to business support policies. The book is published at a time when network and cluster building has risen to the top of economic development agendas not only in UK, but in many countries throughout the world. It offers the most detailed insight so far available into the structure, motivations and processes involved in developing business networks through institutional intervention. The book is relevant to anyone with an interest in business policy and theory.