Search

The burst of the financial bubble in 1990 triggered a long recession in Japan. Ensuing massive bad loan problems plagued Japanese banks, many of which faced bankruptcy. Japanese firms also suffered from the massive excess capacity that their banks’ bad loans financed. Japanese firms no longer had access to the traditional bank financing from their failing banks and were unable to renew their dated production equipment. They lost global competitiveness in the globalising era. Facing public criticisms blaming Japan’s bank-based corporate governance practices for the problems Japan was facing, the Japanese government undertook a major overhaul of almost all aspects of Japan’s legal settings for corporate governance. In response to the legal reforms many Japanese firms began changing their corporate governance and other business practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examines the linkages among three Greater China Economic Area (GCEA) stock markets, including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and two developed markets, Japan and the United States. We find that: (1) a random walk model is outpredicted by an autoregressive GARCH model and an ARIMA model in all three GCEA markets; (2) the three GCEA markets are not cointegrated with either U.S. or Japan but there exists weak nonlinear relationships between these markets; and (3) result from the innovation accounting analysis reveals that the U.S. market has larger influence on the GCEA markets than the Japanese market. Additionally, Hong Kong is the most influential among the three GCEA markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes cases of foreign-affiliated retail companies that have entered the Japanese market. Carrefour SA opened its first store in Japan, at Makuhari, Chiba, in December 2000. But sales of the first, second and third stores were less than the targeted yearly turnover. The strengths of Carrefour were low price, by direct trading with manufacturers, and creating exciting store space. However, these two strengths were not demonstrated in Japan. Carrefour responded to local consumer attitudes and introduced typical Japanese business practices in July 2002.

Although diversification has been the subject of a large amount of research (Bettis & Hall, 1982; Dess, Gupta, Hennart, & Hill, 1995; Montgomery, 1985; Varadarajan & Ramanujam, 1987) very little consensus exists in the strategic management literature. One possible reason for such confusion is the incomplete conceptualization of the construct. The present study proposes the use of an international-based perspective of diversification. Utilizing a multinational sample comprised of firms from the United States, Japan, and Korea, we tested the relationships between a variety of diversification measures and firm performance. Results suggest that countries differ with regard to resource profiles and their inherent perspectives when diversifying. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Focuses on the business relations between Japan and Latin America as of May 2001. Background on the ethnic and business ties; Examination of the trade characteristics between the countries; Factors which affected trade and investment.

Examines the case of a virtual education business in Japan. Progression of the multimedia business; Details on virtual education business; Information on the expansion of the virtual education business through the customer value creation-type business.

Business ethics in Japan has developed in five stages. Especially in the last stage (in the 1990s), there have appeared two clear-cut trends in business ethics activities: positive and passive. For the rise of business ethics, the passive trend is much more important. Once entered the 1990s, an increasing number of business scandals have been revealed. Because of this, the Japanese business community cannot but help take business ethics much more seriously than it ever has. Not only business practitioners but also business ethicists have inaugurated a variety of ethics-related studies and activities. This article mainly puts focus on the studies, which have been done in the 1990s. At the end of the article, ethical challenges, which the Japanese business and academia meet presently, are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To analyze business fixed investment in Japan, which has been unusually volatile in recent years, we develop and apply a log-linear flexible accelerator model. We find that movements in business fixed investment are consistent with movements in output and the tax-adjusted cost of capital, both on average during our entire 1961-1994 sample and during the recent 1986-1994 business cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his 1915 essay "The Opportunity of Japan," Thorstein Veblen theorized that traditional Japanese institutions would undergo evolutionary change as Japan exploited borrowed industrial technology and became integrated into the global business enterprise system This article explains the recent liberalization of Japanese financial markets which followed Japan's rise to economic prominence within the context of Veblen's theory of institutional development of the enterprise system. The Japanese process of financial deregulation is reviewed. Veblen's predictions for Japan are Presented and an explanation provided for the liberalization of Japanese financial markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Proper age verification can prevent minors from accessing tobacco products. For this reason, electronic locking devices based on a proof-of age system utilising cards were installed in almost every tobacco vending machine across Japan and Germany to restrict sales to minors. Objective We aimed to clarify the associations between amount smoked by high school students and the usage of age verification cards by conducting a nationwide cross-sectional survey of students in Japan. Methods This survey was conducted in 2008. We asked high school students, aged 13-18 years, in Japan about their smoking behaviour, where they purchase cigarettes, if or if not they have used age verification cards, and if yes, how they obtained this card. Results As the amount smoked increased, the prevalence of purchasing cigarettes from vending machines also rose for both males and females. The percentage of those with experience of using an age verification card was also higher among those who smoked more. Somebody outside of family was the top source of obtaining cards. Surprisingly, around 5% of males and females belonging to the group with highest smoking levels applied for cards themselves. Conclusions Age verification cards cannot fully prevent minors from accessing tobacco products. These findings suggest that a total ban of tobacco vending machines, not an age verification system, is needed to prevent sales to minors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose ? Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies.Design/methodology/approach ? This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.Findings ? The total quality management (TQM) movement emerged from something of a crisis of confidence of western business during the 1980s. A dismissed foe in Japanese industry had by then firmly entrenched itself in the heartland markets of consumer durables, automobiles, heavy machinery and much more besides. A Japanese miracle was seriously discussed. As the simple facts emerged ? western producers obsessed with production had been outflanked by their counterpart's rather different obsession with step-by-step improvements in process and product improvement ? a response was inevitable and much needed.Practical implications ? Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.Originality/value ? The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]