During the 1950s -1980s Matsushita was able to benefit from traditional Japanese culture because the business was able to hold onto personnel through period of extreme growth, hence retaining acquired knowledge, experience and skills. This meant that Matsushita never needed to relearn tasks only to improve on what they already knew. From the 50s through the 80s during periods of extreme growth Matsushita could rely on employees to encourage their sons and daughters to follow in their foot steps and join the company where required and behave in an acceptable manner to that of their parents.
2. How might Japan's changing culture influence the way Japanese businesses operate in the future? What are the potential implications of such changes for the Japanese economy?
The paternalistic relationship characteristic of Japanese management changed, allowing employees options for different type of employment contracts whereby they could choose greater salary to forego company housing and seniority benefits. This affected Japanese business performance, improving productivity and individual rewards/incentives.
3. How did traditional Japanese culture benefit Matsushita during the 1950s-1980s? Did traditional values become more of a liability during the 1990s and early 2000s? How so?
The values of the 50-60x helped Japan become strong economically. The Confucian values included obligation to the workplace, strong loyalty and group identification, hard work, and belief in the greater good of the company. Although these traditional values helped Japan to become a strong economy, they became more of a burden in the 1990s and early 2000s when the economy went through a slow down and the "cradle to the grave" concept was not possible to keep for protecting jobs. Some businesses kept employees on the payroll as seniority gave protection to workers but their jobs were often less of a high-performing type and more for security only. This hindered company and industry growth, contributing more to the economic slowdown of the country.
4. What is Matsushita trying to achieve with human resource changes it has announced? What are the impediments to successfully implementing these changes? What are the implications for Matsushita if (a) changes are made quickly or (b) if takes years or even decades to fully implement the changes?
The company's continued commitment to long-standing employees means that the average age of its workforce is rising. In the 60s it was around 25, by the early 2000s it was around 35 years. The quick cultural change would help Matsushita to increase productivity fast but it would also result in the laying off of many senior employees. The longer adjustment of the cultural changes would delay the company's progress but could result in more acceptances among employees and possibly a higher level of morale.
5. What does the Matsushita case teach you about the relationship between societal culture and business success?
Societal values influence business success as these determine employees’ attitudes and their level of commitment for work. Management decisions are impacted by cultural values in terms of priorities and business objectives. Different cultural values result in different business practices. However, cultural values change over time and business leaders must be sensitive to the changes and its implications to business.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
remained stagnant. The economy of Japan changed in that the balance of wealth tilted towards the…
- 640 Words
- 1 Page
Good Essays -
From 1450 C.E. to 1750 C.E., Japan experienced unexpected political and economic transformation, yet the cultural continuities were much perserved. It was during this time period that the Japanese government became more politically centralized and economically flourishing. Meanwhile, the cultural traditions were much maintained, though new forms existed.…
- 477 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Because of the changes to the demand, the labor force in Japan began to become active in the industries. When they thought the retail and minor business were under different control, several of the new firms were starting to be under the supervision of the government. The government later changed these new companies into banking, mining, shipbuilding, and textiles. With the modification of the industrialization, it started to effect was positions of the workers. Japan was trying to obtain students and train them for jobs that they will work for, for their entire lifetime. That was another influence Japan adopted because of the western influences. Former and current workers worked as an individual worker, these workers had to beyond flexible, and accomplish their jobs. With the western influences, numerous of the oldest skills workers had started to become obsolete, because the new skill set was starting to be introduced. Therefore, with the new skill set and the flexible work set, Japan wanted additional workers that would adopt the new technology ways. (Do7) As the same with militarism, Japan started to realize that industrialization was just slowing the process of…
- 998 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
John Updike's "A&P" narrates a good story that most of its readers get caught up in the flow and attractiveness of its content. At some point, it can be difficult to tell who is narrating the story. One of the most challenging ideas in starting the investigation of fiction is the story's point of view or its perspective. But a story is decorated with the type, the tone, and the perspective of the voice telling it. Therefore, it is important for a reader to identify the narrator's voice so that he or she can identify and examine what effects that voice has on how they view the story.…
- 919 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
Discuss how assumptions that social reforms and equality would flourish in post-war Japan have or have not been realized. Who was assumed to benefit in Japan from the worldwide trend of “social empowerment?” Who or what has benefited thus far?…
- 462 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
1. With respect to THREE of the following, analyze the view that the 1960’s represented a period of profound cultural change:…
- 1132 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
POSITIVE: The increase in education opportunities for Japanese girls ultimately allowed them to question the status quo and strive to make further changes to better their situation. The Meiji reforms saw widespread changes to the education system by making it accessible to all. This created intense competition for placement in academic schools offering good prospects for entry into a noted university and ultimately enhancing employment opportunities and chances of success, in turn reflecting positively on the ie. NEGATIVE: In traditional society, the ie. had the role of instilling cultural values, whereas in modern Japan, the education system is now charged with that task, teaching junior students the importance of continuity and group identity within a hierarchical context. POSITIVE: Such increased education opportunities for girls gave them the necessary tools to reinforce the ideal of equality of the sexes, introduced by the post WWII democracy, written in the Japanese constitution in form of voting rights and equal opportunity employment, ultimately leading to a dramatic change in the status of women. Statistics also show that one third of Japanese women are entering institutions of higher education and re-entering the workforce as their children enter school. NEGATIVE: On the contrary, some within Japanese society consider such changes to be…
- 1023 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
While economic reform was necessary as the material conditions of the Japanese state changed, they also fell short of reaching true justice in respect to creating another market economy that was based on private ownership of capital and the means of production which only solidified class distinctions amongst the Japanese people. In short, a revolution (of the working class) was necessary to completely end the corrupt market economy and…
- 683 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
In the United States there are many different power relations. Many people argue that one of these political theories are better than the other one. In politics political participation, political institutions and public policy is a big part in politics. The political theories that are presented are Pluralism, State Autonomy, Elite Theory, Marxism, and Class Domination. Pluralism Theory is a center of how power is distributed between many groups. In State Autonomy there are two clear opposition sides between the states and they act in their own interests. Elite Theory is the theory of the states who describe the power relationships in the economy. Marxism Theory is the transition from capitalist to socialism. Class Domination…
- 450 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Kono, T. (1998). Transformations of corporate culture: experiences of Japanese enterprises. Washinton D.C. Walter de Gruyter…
- 2023 Words
- 9 Pages
Powerful Essays -
12• Compare and contrast Japanese and European feudalism in terms of economic, cultural, social, political and technological…
- 1135 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
The Tombow Pencil Co. established in the early 20th Centaury has survived many difficult times in Japanese history, including the Second World War, numerous recessions and fundamental technological changes affecting its market. However, profits have declined and remained low during the 1990’s despite efforts to modernise.…
- 3447 Words
- 14 Pages
Powerful Essays -
In the post-war period, Japanese manufacturing companies significantly increased their share of the global market of automobiles (Automotive News-Market Data Book, quoted in Womack, Jones, and Roos 1991, 69) as well as achieving more than 50 percent of the world markets in cameras, video recorders, watches, calculators, microwave ovens, motorcycles, and colour televisions (Oliver and Wilkinson 1992, 5). Much of this success was attributed to the forms of human-resource Management found in Japanese companies (Abegglen and Stalk 1987; Clark…
- 3854 Words
- 16 Pages
Best Essays -
Japan, located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of the Asian Continent, is a nation composed of…
- 1623 Words
- 7 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Abstract: The main objective of this essay is to define and analyze the negative aspects of the Japanese’s Economical drive. Most specifically, it will describe a phenomenon that is occurring in Japan called “Karoshi” or “death from over-work”, where thousands of Japanese citizens are dying due to stress from the harsh working conditions they endure. This essay will prove that the prioritizing of economic prosperity over individual well-being is damaging to society. In order to achieve this, I will disclose detailed information on the connection between excessive amounts of work and stress related death, as well as the social and political implications of this. If the reader accepts these consequences as truths, this phenomenon will serve as an eye-opening lesson.…
- 1941 Words
- 8 Pages
Powerful Essays