Executive Summary of Chiba

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The case on Chiba International Inc. deals with the challenges faced by a Japanese company¶s manufacturing plant set up in rural Georgia to adapt the philosophy of the company to its American workforce and culture. Ken Morikawa, the general manager for administration and John Sinclair, the American personnel head of the company are determined to find out how Chiba International, another Japanese company based in California, has successfully translated its corporate philosophy into action that has led to considerably good profits for the company. Ken, having had extensive experience in the field of personnel management is perplexed about John¶s desire to translate the company¶s Japanese philosophy to suit the American culture and he wonders whether doing so would mar the very objective of the company to serve its employees in the best possible manner, which is a very Japanese way of management. John, on the other hand, having joined the company with a desire to be part of a Japanese organization so as to learn the best practices followed by the Japanese and to see them in action, realizes that it is important to truly understand how the Japanese management style works in the US, which results in the decision to visit Chiba International Inc. What they learn from their interaction with the management of Chiba International gives them an idea of the various Japanese principles and practices adopted by the company duly suited to the American culture. The case brings out the differences of both the Japanese and US cultures and describes those management practices that work well in the US and those that do not.

CHIBA INTERNATIONAL INC. Chiba International in San Jose, California is a subsidiary of Chiba Electronics Company, Japan. The Chiba Electronics company has been acclaimed as one of the foremost companies in Japan on the basis of its management practices much ahead of Sony, Matsushita and Toyota. Both Chiba Electronics Company and Chiba