Better Together: Fostering Student-Level Intercultural Competence Through Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) and a Collaboratively Created Assessment Tool

Many Japanese universities have been undergoing processes of internationalization to mitigate demographic realities that conspire against robust student enrolments. These internationalization initiatives often attract students from other Confucian-based contexts who are expected to move away from their homeland and fully integrate into an unfamiliar, Japanese environment. Resultantly, international student needs are often camouflaged by cultural similarities that favour group harmony and collectivism over more equitable approaches to learning. Therefore, this Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to serve student needs by fostering the development of intercultural competencies through a pilot collaborative online international learning (COIL) project open to all students, and the creation and adoption of a context-specific rubric for intercultural competence assessment at a small, private, Japanese university to make the on-campus environment more inclusive for all students. A combined servant leadership and creative leadership approach is a foundational complement to traditional Japanese organizational practices for leading the change effort. Moreover, a context-specific adaptation of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is supported by the Change Leader’s Roadmap (CLR) in the implementation process. A context-specific, critical-theory-supported approach to AI is also fundamental to the monitoring and evaluation process. The resulting project is focused on increasing student-level intercultural interactions to better align the university’s public-facing policy documents with on-campus practices to make the learning environment more inclusive

The transferability of Japanese style management practices: a case study of the Malaysian public enterprise sector

Japanese-style management has attracted a lot of attention from managers, business executives and scholars worldwide. The sudden intensity of interest in the so-called Japanese Management Model has been partly due to the rapid ascendancy of Japan as, a leading economic superpower in a relatively short period after her humiliating defeat in the Second World War. In 1982, Malaysia officially launched the "Look East" policy to emulate the Japanese by adopting Japanese-style management practices. It was believed that by adopting Japanese-style management techniques, the Malaysians can replicate the Japanese success. This study aims to discuss what constitutes Japanese-style management and also to determine if it can be transferred to the Malaysian public enterprise sector. From this study, it was revealed that only some elements of Japanese-style management are transferable to Malaysian public enterprises. There is a number of problems encountered in trying to transfer the Japanese practices to Malaysian public enterprise sector, especially if they are not compatible with the Malaysian values. The problems of transferring Japanese management techniques across national boundaries are further compounded when the transfer is from private sector to public sector. Even in the case of Japan, her public enterprise sector does not even have a reputation of efficient management. It was also found that despite the official policy and persistent effort towards "Japanisation" by the government, the majority of Malaysian workforce still prefer the present existing management system. To some extent, the study has provided some answers to questions regarding the feasibility of adopting the Japanese-style management. But most important of all, the study has revealed that Japanese-style management is not a panacea to the problems confronting the public enterprise sector in Malaysia

The impact of national culture in MNC's home country on the strategy making process in their overseas subsidiaries: a comparison between Dutch and Japanese companies in Thailand

The main purpose of this dissertation is to understand that the national cultures of MNCs' home countries play an important role in determining the SMPs in their overseas subsidiaries. To attain this purpose, a comparison between Dutch and Japanese companies in Thailand concerning the relationship between national culture and SNIP has been the focal point of this dissertation. The research findings with the integrative model answer the central research question that the national cultures of the Netherlands and Japan intervene in the SMPs of Dutch and Japanese companies in Thailand respectively.The research findings have theoretical implications for further developments in comparative management because the outcome of this investigation discovers some constructs that can minimise difficulty in and complexity of conceptualising and operationalising some variables for comparing SMPs across cultures. A synthesis of Hofstede's model of national culture and Wheelen and Hunger's model of SNIP develops a model of comparative strategic management for comparing SMPs in MNCs when taking national culture into account. However, the empirical evidence from this study is insufficient to verify the validity of Quinn and Rohrbaugh's (1983) CVM even if a presumed linkage between SNIP and corporate performance exists. However, the relationship between national culture and SNIP does presumably exist.With the qualitative research design developed for this cross-cultural study, the interaction between theory and evidence generates the propositions for the future research. In comparison with the outcomes from most cross-cultural survey research, the research findings from this dissertation give a more profound, comprehensive, integral picture of the SMPs of the companies under this study.The research findings also help the practitioners, the corporate strategists and the top executives in MNCs, both in the parent companies, the regional head offices and the overseas subsidiaries, international managers and expatriates to understand how national culture of MNCs' home countries has an influence on the SNIP in their overseas operations. This comprehension helps them to formulate better corporate strategy when dealing with other cultural perspectives differentfrom their own ones. The employees of MNCs also derive the benefit of hindsight from the research findings. When these employees understand the impact of foreign cultures on foreign-based companies in their countries, they can accommodate themselves to the foreign working conditions and behaviours in these companies. All the parties in MNCs can work out a better solution for multicultural problems on the basis of mutual understandings.Nevertheless, the limitations of this study comprises lack of combinatorial and broader factors, indigenous subjectivity on interpretation, asymmetrical perspectives on corporate settings, less responsiveness to and less interaction with the local national culture in the host country and lack of HQs', RHOs' and other host countries' perspectives. To minimise these shortcomings in the future research, the inquirers must analyse the effect of combinatorial factors concomitantly, include more macro factors, co-operate with foreign researchers, pay more attention to a lowest-rank workers' perspective, and embrace the industries that are more responsive to local markets and the perspectives of HQs, RH0s, and other host countries.To gain a better insight into the cultural impact on SNIP, the researchers in the future need to pursue more comparative research. They must change the choice of MNCs' nationalities and the locations of the host countries. To counterpoise a tendency to conduct this kind of research in industrialised countries, the locations in the future research must be industrialising countries. If possible, these researchers must test the integrative model through the use of quantitative survey with a largescale sample. The outcome of the future research might help to develop a new theoretical framework for comparing SMPs across cultures further. The field of comparative strategic management might emerge from a synthesis of comparative management and strategic management when the linkage between national culture and SNIP is confirmed

Japanese manufactures in the UK electronics sector: The impact of production systems on employee attitudes and behaviour.

Recent research at Japanese manufacturers in the UK has tended to simply focus on their employee relations practices, arguing that where they operate effectively they result in a loyal and highly productive workforce. It often goes on to point out that there is a link between these practices and the companies' production systems, suggesting that employee relations practices are an integral part of the production system at a Japanese company. However, the research fails to adequately show the implications of this link. Its attempts to examine the issue have remained descriptive, devaluing its results and conclusions. This research remedies this deficiency. The research's central argument and findings are that production systems vary considerably between Japanese manufacturers in the UK and that contrary to popular belief some of these companies' production systems display serious shortcomings. It argues that employment relations practices at these companies though an integral part of their production systems are only one of several sets of characteristics necessary to the successful operation of the company. It is also important to consider a company's organizational structure and managerial effectiveness. Strengths and weaknesses in these other production system characteristics affect employee responses to a company's employment relations practices, impeding or assisting the intended improvement of individuals in the performance of their work. Either a vicious or virtuous circle can therefore emerge since employee responses to a company's employment relations practices will further contribute to its production performance. Testing this argument involves the design and use of an innovative model that identifies the key characteristics necessary for the production system at a Japanese manufacturing transplant in the UK to perform efficiently. Identification of these characteristics allows the model to be used as a benchmark against which to compare the production systems of Japanese manufacturers. The research applies the model to the production systems of nine Japanese companies in the UK's consumer electronics sector and identifies a number of differences in their production system characteristics. Two of these nine companies are then selected as case studies and their production systems are examined in detail. In addition, workforce reactions to the employee relations practices at these two companies are also measured using questionnaire and interview data. The results confirm the research's argument that the closer a company's manufacturing system comes to displaying the model's full set of production system characteristics, the more likely it is that its employee relations practices will elicit workforce attitudes and behaviour desired by the company

The Japanese-South African business dynamic : 10 recommendations to consider for improving current and future relations.

Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006.This thesis reveals key issues that have been identified by practitioners, Japanese and South African, supported by the appropriate theory, that may pre-empt potential problems that arise between South Africans and Japanese as a result of behavioural differences, expectations and general approach to business. By understanding, addressing, or altering behaviour, the competitive advantage and synergy may be realised. The objective of this study is to assist individuals and companies by offering ten recommendations for consideration when entering into a Japanese-South African business relationship

Governmental justification for capital punishment in Japan: case study of the de facto moratorium period from 1989 to 1993

Whilst studies on capital punishment in Japan have been conducted by various scholars from various perspectives, empirical research on the de facto moratorium period is largely unavailable. This thesis aims to investigate how consistently the Japanese government justified capital punishment during the execution-free period from 1989 to 1993. Its primary goal is to throw light on the elite-driven nature of the capital punishment system where important decisions are made within the closed institutional dynamic, often irrespective of domestic or international factors. It will also highlight that capital punishment policy has been dealt with by the Japanese government as an issue of law and order, which does not necessarily invite criticism from human rights perspectives. The thesis then proceeds to empirically examine the governmental discourse on capital punishment from 1980 to 2002. It will contend that investigations from an appropriate approach can make clear the elite-driven nature of capital punishment policy in Japan. Finally, it will suggest implications for the international and domestic anti-death-penalty advocates regarding their campaigns over Japan, and reflect on how this thesis can help tackle future research

Japanese Banks' Mergers and Acquisitions: Competitive Advantage & Organizational Recovery through Strategic Relatedness and Resource Orientation

In late 1990s, diversification was the name of the game for the Japanese banking sector. The problem in the Japanese financial system started on December, 29, 1998 with the burst of the bubble economy which resulted in Yen 75 trillion of non-performing loans among the financial sector. Simultaneously, Japanese policy makers as well as the banking institutions launched a massive restructuring, risutora drive. This study, exploratory and descriptive in nature is based on eight interviews conducted in Japan on the five Japanese mega-bank M&As. The motivations, strategic fit and resources that play a critical role towards providing a competitive advantage and organizational recovery for the Japanese mega-bank engaging in the M&A activity are presented in case study style, with a multi-cross case analysis. A conceptual model was derived from the literature, tested through this research and adapted in light of the Japanese bank M&A strategies. The results suggest that the Japanese mega-bank M&As act as a source of influencing a competitive advantage but also in tandem act as a support mechanism in 'pulling' the Japanese banking sector out of the crisis mode and thereby providing financial recovery to the system as a whole. The ranking in terms of deriving a competitive advantage among the banks is placed in the following order Bank 1, Bank 2, Bank 3, Bank 4 and Bank 5. More specifically, the competitive advantage can be derived in terms of complementarily relatedness among the combining bank strategic assets; i) markets, ii) products and services; and iii) resource traits, organizational resources including leadership style and corporate culture; and physical traits such as IT systems integration, which rose in terms of cutting costs by reducing unwanted resources. Simply put the integration level, strategic relatedness and the types of resources are classified as strategic inputs and the benefits acquired for a competitive advantage and organizational recovery are defined as strategic outputs. Secondly, the study maintains that with the change in traditional Japanese banking practises, the era of 2000 is defined by diversification i.e. M&A strategy adopted by Japanese banks in terms of strategic fit, and types of resource but also where the resources are derived from. In other words, the source of the resources where the resources are derived from i.e. combining, new and their uniqueness also acts as an imperative indicator for Japanese mega-bank M&As. Resources prominent among the Japanese mega-banks are i) keiretsu (client resources); ii) organizational (management and leadership; knowledge; culture; and human resources); iii) physical (IT systems; branch networks and other real estate assets); iv) strategic (markets and products and services) and v) financial (capital markets and cross-shareholding patterns among keiretsu and main bank affiliates). Thirdly, these banks display a unique quality - the 'dual role' that strategic relatedness traits not only act as a combination potential but also act as resources and vice versa. The motivations include government de-regulation; non-performing loans of banks; over-crowding in the banking industry; and size competitiveness and diversification; via capturing markets, increase in profitability; and aligning with the changing needs of the Japanese clients. The research also aims to bridge the gaps in Japanese banking literature by building our understanding on how the Japanese banking sector has distanced itself from the traditional banking culture since the de-regulation wave instigated in Japan in mid to late 1990s. While there has been change in terms of financial cross-shareholdings, the traditional ties in terms of sharing strategic resources continues, introducing out-side directors, breaking away gradually from the amakudari systems and the long term employment and seniority based-wage system. The Japanese banking sector learnt from its mistakes and therefore, has not only been able to escape from the sluggish international banking environment of late but has also been able to diversify into cross-border investments and act as a learning source for the global financial institutions which has been in a state of perils since 2008, on the helms of sub-prime losses and failure of major investment banks

Hoshiin Kanri: An exploratory study at Nissan Yamato engineering ltd

To date there has been no identified academic research of Hoshin Kanri in the West and the purpose of this thesis is to clarify the Hoshin Kanri process within the context of Western practice highlighting issues and identifying potential areas for future research. A review of the literature suggests that Hoshin Kanri links an organisation's strategy with its operations on a day to day basis, the thesis therefore discusses Hoshin Kanri within the theory of strategic management contributing to knowledge and understanding not only of Hoshin Kanri but of strategic management. The methodology adopted was an in depth single case study design utilising a tracer approach thus extending knowledge of a research method upon which other researchers can draw. The case study of Nissan Yamato Engineering Ltd. explores the Hoshin Kanri process within a Japanese owned company operating within a Western context held to be an exemplar of practice. A conceptual model of Hoshin Kanri is proposed, and the research suggests that emphasis in the West upon issues of culture and empowerment has obscured the need for organisational arrangements which integrate strategic concerns with day to day management at an operational level