Englishnization Case Analysus
Englishnization
Japan’s GDP as a portion of global GDP has been predicted to shrink from 12 % in 2006 to 3 % by 2050 (Goldman Sachs, as cited in Yee, 2012). Also there has been a gradual decrease in Japan’s population. Both the factors have forced Japan’s business people to think of innovative ways to stay and excel in their ventures in and outside Japan. To counter these challenges and effectively exploit the global markets, Japan’s largest online retailer Rakuten took an unusual step by enforcing an English-speaking policy for all its employees. Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani created the term ‘Englishnization’ as the means of shifting the official corporate language from Japanese to English. Mikitani believed that his vision of global expansion would be possible if every employee in the organization speaks in English. So in a way he employed “Englishnization” as a strategy to achieve his vision of global expansion. He not only thought of changing the culture in his company but also made a deliberate effort to push this concept for the whole country.
English is a language used in Japan normally only to communicate to outside world. There has been no push from any quarter to make English language more popular among the masses or in the industry. Traditionally Japanese communicate in Japanese language in their day to day life. An abrupt change in the policy by Mikitani brought about some mixed reactions from its employees.
Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani announced its ‘Englishnization’ program in May 2010. During the time it began to introduce English-language in internal emails, documents and cafeteria menus, and also held internal meeting in English even when all the participants were Japanese. From July 1, the Englishnization became mandatory for all company meetings, documents and other communications. That was a big change for the employees. Many Japanese companies place importance on the ability to communicate in English, but they
Japan’s GDP as a portion of global GDP has been predicted to shrink from 12 % in 2006 to 3 % by 2050 (Goldman Sachs, as cited in Yee, 2012). Also there has been a gradual decrease in Japan’s population. Both the factors have forced Japan’s business people to think of innovative ways to stay and excel in their ventures in and outside Japan. To counter these challenges and effectively exploit the global markets, Japan’s largest online retailer Rakuten took an unusual step by enforcing an English-speaking policy for all its employees. Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani created the term ‘Englishnization’ as the means of shifting the official corporate language from Japanese to English. Mikitani believed that his vision of global expansion would be possible if every employee in the organization speaks in English. So in a way he employed “Englishnization” as a strategy to achieve his vision of global expansion. He not only thought of changing the culture in his company but also made a deliberate effort to push this concept for the whole country.
English is a language used in Japan normally only to communicate to outside world. There has been no push from any quarter to make English language more popular among the masses or in the industry. Traditionally Japanese communicate in Japanese language in their day to day life. An abrupt change in the policy by Mikitani brought about some mixed reactions from its employees.
Rakuten CEO Hiroshi Mikitani announced its ‘Englishnization’ program in May 2010. During the time it began to introduce English-language in internal emails, documents and cafeteria menus, and also held internal meeting in English even when all the participants were Japanese. From July 1, the Englishnization became mandatory for all company meetings, documents and other communications. That was a big change for the employees. Many Japanese companies place importance on the ability to communicate in English, but they