Comparison of Japanese and American Enterprise Management -- Translation Series of Famous Japanese Economic Books

Author: Tadao Kageino
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-03-01
Features: The book is divided into six chapters, with the main content starting from Chapter 2. Based on survey data from over 1,000 important enterprises in Japan and the U.S., it conducts a comprehensive analysis of the comparison between Japanese and American businesses. The research focuses on several key aspects such as the business environment, production technology, business objectives, business strategy, organizational structure, organizational processes, and the characteristics of business leaders. It also analyzes the results obtained through investigative methods like surveys across 7 dimensions and 5 dimensions, concluding that Japanese and American businesses differ in terms of environment, objectives, strategy, technology, and organizational characteristics. Japan follows an organic contingency model, while the U.S. follows a mechanical contingency model.
To further validate these conclusions, Chapters 3 and 4 present qualitative studies on a small number of specific enterprises, focusing on business strategy and business organization, respectively. Through detailed and concrete case studies, the book analyzes the operational differences between Japanese and American businesses. Many of the examples are vivid and insightful.
Chapter 5 investigates the accuracy of business performance comparisons between Japanese and American enterprises using 31 unit indicators. Chapter 6 provides a summary and conclusion of the entire book. Reading through the book, one acknowledges its persuasiveness while also feeling that it leaves something to be desired. For instance, among the numerous case studies, the explanations of American business cases are relatively insufficient compared to those of Japanese businesses. This is, of course, partly due to the author being Japanese.
In summary, "Comparative Management of Japanese and American Enterprises" opens up new frontiers in comparative research and bridges the gap between theory and practice. It is a rare and valuable book.