Preview

Language and Globalization: Englishization at Rakuten

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1563 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Language and Globalization: Englishization at Rakuten
Case Study Team 4
Lucie RIHOVA, Jordan PERRET (Grenoble)/Yoko SHIMIZU, Takayoshi MIMIYAMA (Tsukuba)

Case Study: Language and Globalization: “Englishnization” at
Rakuten
This case study report tries to find recommendations for Japanese company Rakuten. The huge project called “Englishnization”, which the company started in 2010, tries to change the main company language from Japanese to English. However, with the project’s deadline approaching,
Rakuten’s management finds itself in a difficult position as the employees are not as good at speaking English as expected. The purpose of this report is to identify key issues, propose possible options and finally recommend further steps in the effort of “Englishnization” in a huge company.

Issues
While dealing with the issues, we have decided to use a mind-map to help us sort the multiple issues we found into a few large groups. This mind-map can be seen in Annex 1.
Using this tool, multiple large issues concerning the ambitious plan of Englishnization emerged:
First very significant problem, and quite probably the main issue in introducing English into
Rakuten is the clash with Japanese culture. As the article says, Japan has always scored significantly low on the international TOIEC tests and Japanese are objectively slower learners than Chinese or Indian regarding languages. Also, there is a feeling of distrust and even dislike of the English, probably due to a complicated history with the Anglophone world.
The second large issue we discovered is the quick and harsh way change has been decided. There was no discussion with the managers, no preparation beforehand – as the article says, all the changes were done almost overnight, which is not a good way of motivating people into a new concept, as the feeling of fear and mistrust may emerge (and as we see from the article, they really did). Then, there is a group of issues which was for working purposes called “losing good employees”.
This says that due to exaggerated

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Powerful Essays

    Hub Case

    • 2489 Words
    • 10 Pages

    The most exposed Issue we can see throughout this organization is lack of communication, and little planning initiatives. This created a misalignment between the Strategy and Employee Focus.…

    • 2489 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Term Paper

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sample issues are listed below; however, feel free to expand this list to back up your summary position.…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Best Essays

    In the following sections, we are going to discuss the possible problems in management and organisation, what had caused them, and what would happen if the organisation had taken a different strategy.…

    • 3711 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Miss

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages

    People have a tendency to resist change and see it as a negative. Change can be an opportunity for workers to gain experience in areas they may otherwise not.…

    • 1553 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    During any type of change, it is natural to gain insight from your peers or to speak with people who report to you. When a change is first announced, most people react emotionally not logically.…

    • 665 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. Who is being affected by the issues you identified in question 1? Are the effects good or bad?…

    • 858 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the United States, I noticed that is complete the opposite, not that many people care to learn, or speak other language, limiting they grown. This language communication limits, infer in the audience…

    • 165 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Zmet Analysis

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Mind-Mapping – A mind-map is a graphical technique that uses the full range of cortical skills – word, image, number, logic, rhythm and spatial awareness – to unlock the brain’s potential. Mind-maps may be used for note taking or even coordinating huge projects. The idea is to focus on a central idea with the use of an image and then branch out to the various second and third level connections with the use of vivid images and single words per branch. The brain works by association and any representation in the form of colors, connections and images will have a lasting impact on it.…

    • 707 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Englishnization at Rakuten

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages

    40’s) felt that it was quite a tough task to learn a new language at…

    • 1003 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hiroshi Mikitani, the CEO of Rakuten, (Japan's largest online retailer), is at the helm of an organization that is rapidly expanding into global markets. In a critical stride toward becoming the world's No. 1 Internet services company, Mikitani announces Englishnization—a highly publicized aggressive two-year English proficiency mandate for all 7,100 of Rakuten's Japanese employees. Mikitani's goal is not only to ensure the success of the organization, but also to break down linguistic and cultural boundaries in Japanese society. At the time, only an estimated 10% of the Japanese staff could function in English. The stakes are high: those who do not reach their target score by the deadline risk being demoted. As Englishnization progresses, loss of productivity, lack of time to study, and conflicted views among managers impede staff success. Some employees even question the relevance of Englishnization, particularly for staff working exclusively in Japan. Fifteen months since the announcement, the vast majority had not yet reached their target English proficiency scores. With the deadline rapidly approaching, Mikitani must decide how to proceed to ensure the success of Englishnization.This is a case study that touches on making sweeping changes to the corporate culture without engaging in proper communication with the stakeholders. The case is based on Rakuten which is the most successful Japanese online retailer. Its CEO who is also the founder, Hiroshi Mikitani, aspires to grow his company to the level of Amazon Inc. One way he feels this can be achieved is by introducing an English only policy in his firm. He therefore goes ahead to make an abrupt announcement to all 7,100 employees that an ‘Englishnization’ program will be rolled out and all employees must learn and become proficient in English within two years. At the present time, over 90 percent of the workforce cannot run official duties in English. The CEO has set some punitive measures for those who will…

    • 473 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chapter 1 will outline the field of mind/ concept mapping and provide an initial focus on the research problem . It will introduce the research questions ,propositions and assumptions as well as providing a justification for the research.…

    • 266 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mindmap

    • 6759 Words
    • 28 Pages

    Welcome, and congratulations on downloading your personal copy of "The Power of Mind Mapping" The purpose of this free e-book is to show you the great potential of mind mapping, and to provide you with some useful tools for creating your own mind maps easily. My intention is to introduce the basic concepts of mind mapping and give you everything you need to get started. After reading this e-book, you will be equipped with all the knowledge and inspiration necessary to develop your own winning mind mapping techniques! Here is a short sample of the things mind mapping can do for you... • • • • • • • • • Dramatically accelerate your learning capacity Instantly see connections and links between different subjects Develop effective brainstorming techniques Help your mind become a powerful idea generator Quickly gain insight into the big picture of any project Increase your ability to memorize and remember Boost your creativity Optimize and simplify any project you may have …and much more!…

    • 6759 Words
    • 28 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Need for Change

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Over the last half century the pace of change in the life of human beings has increased beyond our…

    • 261 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mind Mapping

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The elements of a given mind map are arranged according to the importance of the concepts, and are classified into groupings, branches, or areas, with the goal of representing semantic or other connections between portions of information. Mind maps may also aid recall of existing memories. The mind map can be contrasted with the similar idea of concept mapping. The former is based on radial hierarchies and tree structures denoting relationships with a central governing concept, whereas concept maps are based on connections between concepts in more diverse patterns. However, either can be part of a larger personal knowledge base system.…

    • 734 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    & Pierce, 2006 ; Thompson, Greer & Greer, 2004 ; Mohrdin, Jaidi, Sang, Osman, 2009).…

    • 2461 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays

Related Topics