Japanese Management in the Low Growth Era: Between Shocks and Internal Evolution 

Abriss

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 of firms to their 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.

Inhalt

Dirks, Daniel; Huchet, Jean-François; Ribault, Thierry
S.1-11
Managing in a Low Growth Era - The End of Managerial Idiosyncrasies?

Yui, Tsunehiko
S.13-18
Japanese Management Practices in Historical Perspective

Yoshimura, Norihisa; Ueno, Yasuhiro; Kagono, Tadao
S.21-35
Externalization of Organizations and the Dual Governance Structure

Teramoto, Yoshiya; Iwasaki, Naoto; Takai, Tōru
S.37-58
Role of Inter-organizational Networks. The Case of Japanese Corporate Groups

Ernst, Dieter
S.59-71
Commentary: Externalization and Inter-organizational Networks. How Globalization Transforms the Japanese Model

Tachiki, Dennis S.
S.73-89
Modes of Corporate Internationalization. Japanese FDI Strategies in Asia-Pacific

Molteni, Corrado
S.91-107
Japanese Companies in Europe. Their Strategies and Management Practices

Grefermann, Klaus
S.109-118
Commentary

Miyajima, Hideaki
S.121-144
Presidential Turnover and Performance in the Japanese Firm: The Evolution and Change of the Contingent Governance Structure under the Main Bank System

Estienne, Jean-François
S.145-160
Corporate Pension Schemes, Corporate Pension Governance, and State (De-) Regulation in Japan

Watanabe, Shigeru
S.161-174
After Quasi-LBO Discipline. A Historical Reflection on Japanese Corporate Governance

Richet, Xavier
S.175-180
Commentary: From Voice to Exit? Corporate Finance Management and Corporate Governance

Lecler, Yveline
S.183-205
Recession and Globalization. What Future for Japanese Industrial "Keiretsu"?

Watanabe, Susumu
S.207-227
A Changing Image of Japanese Small Entrepreneurs

Lung, Yannick
S.229-239
Commentary: A New Step in the Evolution of Japanese Industrial Networks?

Nohara, Hiroatsu
S.243-262
Human Resource Management in Japanese Firms Undergoing Transition. A Hierarchical Approach

Jaussaud, Jacques
S.263-266
Commentary

Dirks, Daniel
S.267-289
Limits and Latitude of Labour Adjustment Strategies in Japanese Companies

Jaussaud, Jacques
S.291-294
Commentary

Ribault, Thierry
S.295-312
Flexible Employment in Japanese Retailing. Toward a Just-in-time Employment Management

Tremblay, Diane-Gabrielle
S.313-322
Commentary: Flexible Employment in Japanese Retailing. Comparisons with Canada and Questions Concerning the Segmentation Theory

Hemmert, Martin
S.325-347
Japanese Corporate R&D in the 1990s. Change and Continuity

Humbert, Marc
S.349-356
Commentary: Japanese R&D Management Practices. The Globalization Challenge

Kusunoki, Ken
S.357-375
The Phase Variety of Product Systems and System-Based Differentiation: An Alternative View on Organizational Capabilities of the Japanese Firm for Product Innovation

Werder, Axel v.
S.377-385
Commentary: System-Based Differentiation in Japanese Firms. Comments from a German Perspective

Fujimoto, Takahiro
S.389-407
Transformation of the Japanese Management System: A Contingency View

Boyer, Robert
S.409-424
Will Japanese and French "Exceptionalisms" Vanish? The Convergence Hypothesis Reconsidered