The Korean Management System

The Korean culture and the impact of the geopolitical environment of the Korean peninsula have produced a unique behavioral pattern in both managers and workers. It is necessary to understand this behavioral pattern in order to understand the Korean management system that has played such a major role in contributing to the phenomenal economic achievement of the Korean business community. Entrepreneurs, top executives, managers and workers are all integral parts of the management system, and their performance is given an in-depth analysis. After introducing the reader to the Chinese and Japanese cultures that share a common Oriental heritage with the Korean culture, the authors discuss the geopolitical influences of the major powers: China, Russia, Japan, and the United States. The Koreans first learned modern management principles from the Japanese, and following World War II, from the Americans. Later, the Korean government actively supported businesses' survival and prosperity. The various entrepreneurial management styles influence the development of Korea's modern managers as well. The impact of the group and individual behavior of Koreans, the evolution of the chaebol, the management of human resources, and the Office of Planning and Control are explored in depth. The very special ethical issues that surround Korean business dealings are also given particular attention. Top executives, managers, and entrepreneurs doing business in Korea or with Korean businessmen will be interested in this book's discussion of the Korean management system. This book will make excellent supplemental reading material in international business, human resource, and strategic management courses.

During the 1990s the Korean economy was regarded as a possible "role model" to be followed by other newly industrializing economies, but the "Asian Crisis" of 1997 destroyed this image. Past practices, challenges and responses are explored in this collection by an international group of authors.

The new edition has been updated and covers the Tiger economies before and since the crash.

This book aims to present an overview of Chinese, Japanese and Korean modern management styles. The cultures of China, Japan and Korea are influenced by Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism. As such, there are some basic similarities in their management styles. As business operations become more internationalised, the management styles among Chinese, Japanese and Korean companies have blurred the lines of distinction between Western and Eastern cultures. The need for Western managers to adapt to Asian way of doing business, and likewise for Asian companies to understand Western business practices, means that managers have to bridge the gaps and adopt the best management practices containing both Western and Eastern elements. Unlike the traditional approach of setting clear differentiation between Western and Eastern cultures, this book looks at Oriental management from a modern perspective, that is, the fusion of Western and Eastern management styles. By using a multifaceted approach to understanding modern Oriental management, the author stresses the complexities of the business environment in China, Japan and Korea. He suggests that Western theories of management are applicable to Eastern cultural context with some adaptations to the local environment. The author also offers valuable insights into the management styles of Oriental managers by providing a critical perspective of their thought processes in simple yet highly relevant illustrations of models and frameworks. This book is recommended for those who are interested in attaining a deeper knowledge of Oriental management practices.

South Korea has been recognised as a pivotal economic force within its region. This book explores the key areas of management, exploring the opportunities and challenges that managers face. Incorporating expert contributions, this book provides a complete overview of the current state of management in South Korea.

This edited collection examines the changing contours of Korean management and business, presenting recent scholarly research into this important Asian economic player. As one of the original ‘Little Dragon’ or ‘Tiger’ economies, South Korea has grown and prospered since the early years of the 1960s, and is now home to several major word-class multinational companies, such as Hyundai and LG, Samsung. In turn, it has developed a distinctive style of management, which derives from a shared Asian heritage but is nonetheless unique to South Korea. The collection covers a variety of themes, topics and issues from a range of perspectives and fields in management and business studies. This book was originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.