Japanese firms are in the midst of the most protracted economic crisis in their post-war history. The end of the "bubble economy" has led to a long era of low growth. This change in the general business environment has profound consequences for the management and the organization of corporate Japan, as well as for the theory of the Japanese firm. The contributions to this book cover a broad range of subjects, from the strategies and organizational structures to the management of human resources and innovation processes in the 1990s. These changes are systematically commented on by field specialists from abroad, especially Europe, relating the situation in Japan to comparable developments in other countries.

"These two volumes analyze Japan from the Knowledge Economy perspective, covering a wide range of sectoral issues in development including the macro economic framework, education and skills training, the national innovation system, science and technology, information and communication technology, and infrastructure. While Volume 1 explores the four pillare of the ""Knowledge for Development"" framework, the second volume presents up-to-date case studies of outstanding Japanese private companies that each characterize different aspects of the Knowledge Economy. By combining economics and business, these volumes allow readers to grasp the full scope of today's knowledge economy."

Japanese management is currently considered to be in crisis. This book analyzes the degree to which the Japanese management model is changing, in order to regain its competitiveness. It brings together up-to-date research on this important topic by a number of the best known American, Asian and European scholars of Japanese management. A broad variety of management areas such as strategy, corporate governance, globalization, organization, finance, HRM, production, innovation, organizational learning and retailing is covered.

'Innovation and Change in Japanese Management' shows which transformation processes and changes can be observed in Japanese companies in reaction to the economic challenges of the past decade. The book presents new research results and investigates the variety of changes that Japanese corporations and managers have experienced in recent years.

The Routledge Handbook of Japanese Business and Management provides a comprehensive overview of management and business processes and practices in Japanese companies. The contributors combine theoretical findings and research results with a practical and contemporary view on how corporations and firms are managed in Japan. The handbook is divided into eight sections covering: historical perspectives on Japanese management; structure and theory of the Japanese firm; the corporate environment in Japan; the Japanese work environment; the Japanese market; manufacturing and logistics; interaction and communication; the future of Japanese management. This book is an essential reference resource for students and scholars working on Japanese companies, the Japanese market-place, Japanese consumers, or management processes in the Japanese firm. The book also provides an interesting and informative read for managers who need to deepen their knowledge on Japanese business processes.

In the 1980s the performance of Japan’s economy was an international success story, and led many economists to suggest that the 1990s would be a Japanese decade. Today, however, the dominant view is that Japan is inescapably on a downward slope. Rather than focusing on the evolution of the performance of Japanese capitalism, this book reflects on the changes that it has experienced over the past 30 years, and presents a comprehensive analysis of the great transformation of Japanese capitalism from the heights of the 1980s, through the lost decades of the 1990s, and well into the 21st century. This book posits an alternative analysis of the Japanese economic trajectory since the early 1980s, and argues that whereas policies inspired by neo-liberalism have been presented as a solution to the Japanese crisis, these policies have in fact been one of the causes of the problems that Japan has faced over the past 30 years. Crucially, this book seeks to understand the institutional and organisational changes that have characterised Japanese capitalism since the 1980s, and to highlight in comparative perspective, with reference to the ‘neo-liberal moment’, the nature of the transformation of Japanese capitalism. Indeed, the arguments presented in this book go well beyond Japan itself, and examine the diversity of capitalism, notably in continental Europe, which has experienced problems that in many ways are also comparable to those of Japan. The Great Transformation of Japanese Capitalism will appeal to students and scholars of both Japanese politics and economics, as well as those interested in comparative political economy.

Exploring the changes in Japanese workplaces such as restructuring, incentive principles and the increasing use of contingent workers from the perspective of employees, this title provides new insights into the mindsets of the workers by contrasting survey and theoretical sources with excerpts from blogs published by Japanese people.

The use of comparisons to explain, analyze and understand social and economic phenomena is recognized as a valuable social science tool. This textbook deals with the differences in management and organization between nations and their effects on multinational enterprises. In comparing management practice across the world, the authors cover themes such as national cultures, diversity and globalization. Students are guided through the key business disciplines, providing a broad introduction to the field and including truly global coverage. With student and instructor friendly resources such as chapter summaries, mini-case scenarios, larger case studies and power-point slides, this book is core reading for students of international business and international management.

Comparative International Management is a classic textbook for International Business that teaches the core concepts of International Business through a systematic comparison of management practice in countries across the world. This approach, unique to textbooks in the field, highlights cultural and behavioural themes, demonstrates the diversity of practice in global business, and allows for an exploration of globalization. Fully revised and updated, this third edition has been restructured for clarity and ease of use, with new sections covering theoretical underpinnings so that they are easy to understand. Also new to this edition: Coverage of emerging and contemporary issues including environment and sustainability issues; international SMEs and entrepreneurship; technology, AI, and automation; and the future of work post-pandemic Practical application sections to help readers connect theory with practice More coverage of government and non-profit organizations Reflective and problem-solving questions at the end of each chapter With student- and instructor-friendly online resources such as chapter summaries, mini-case scenarios, larger case studies, and PowerPoint slides, this book is essential core reading for advanced level and postgraduate students in International Business and International Management.