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Maintains that women in the USA have much more leadership chances, less harassment and more respect from subordinates than Japanese women (who live in a male‐dominated world), who are reluctant to make decisions or take risks without consultations. Observes that women from Taiwan seem to have a much more transactional leadership style – taking risks and making rapid decisions. Discusses, in great detail, using extensive research via a multiple‐item scale to measure each item and lays out the results using figures and tables with great detail. Concludes with full results of the study and what they mean.

Discusses feasibility, desirability and value of Japanese management strategies in a Western context. Major Japanese companies are at the leading edge in refining management strategies, techniques and styles, for example, with regard to having a long‐term perspective and the continuous improvement of quality, stock control, skill formation, communications, training and employee development. As possible models can these approaches be transferred to different cultures?

The concept of company culture is now playing an ever‐increasing role in the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better company management, particularly in the industrial field. This monograph reviews the history and development of both national and company cultures, and then goes on to demonstrate the significance of a culture to proper company management. Well‐managed companies will have both a “quality culture” and a “safety culture” as well as a cultural history. However, it has to be recognised that the company culture is subject to change, and effecting this can be very difficult. Of the many national cultures, that of Japan is considered to be the most effective, as is demonstrated by the present dominance of Japan on the industrial scene. Many industrialised nations now seek to emulate the Japanese style of management, but it is not possible to copy or acquire Japan′s cultural heritage. The text is illustrated by a large number of practical examples from real life, illustrating the way in which the company culture works and can be used by management to improve company performance.

We have analysed the human resources management system in Japanese automobile companies, Toyota and Nissan, in their overseas production plants in the UK and have tried to analyse differences if any between their original human resources management system in Japan and in their foreign operations. We found out that these companies, as far as their internal operations are concerned, have tried to implement their original practices in spite of cultural differences. However, in the case of production management system they are not completely successful because of organisational differences in their foreign locations. We have analysed the effects of these novel practices on the industrial scene in the UK in general.

Uses a questionnaire survey sent to CEOs of US and Japanese subsidiaries located in North America to assess the amount of influence exerted on such companies by corporate headquarters and the effect of this influence on leadership styles of subsidiary management. US subsidiaries are found to be insignificantly influenced by their parent companies and to practise a professional style of leadership. However, Japanese subsidiaries are found to be significantly influenced by overseas parent companies and to practise a corporate style of leadership (when the CEO is Japan‐educated) and a professional style of leadership (when the CEO is US‐educated). These findings reinforce the perceived link between leadership style and cultural upbringing and education.

The increased market share of foreign investment trusts in Japan may be attributed to the fact that Japanese managers have dramatically underperformed benchmarks. Recently, we showed that this underperformance can be attributed to a unique Japanese tax environment. Using data from 1998 though 2001, we find that Japanese and foreign managers are becoming very similar in style and performance. However, Japanese managers suffered in the immediate aftermath of a major April 2000 revision in the tax code. We attribute this result to the huge inflow of new money into this sector and the style shifts necessary to accommodate this flow.

The study of international business has become increasingly important in recent years. So important that the American Assembly of the Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) has called for the internationalisation of business curricula. In 1992 and beyond, successful business people will treat the entire world as their domain. No one country can operate in an economic vacuum. Any economic measures taken by one country can affect the global economy. This book is designed to challenge the reader to develop a global perspective of international business. Globalisation is by no means a new concept, but there are many new factors that have contributed to its recently accelerated growth. Among them, the new technologies in communication and transport that have resulted in major expansions of international trade and investment. In the future, the world market will become predominant. There are bound to be big changes in the world economy. For instance the changes in Eastern Europe and the European Community during the 1990s. With a strong knowledge base in international business, future managers will be better prepared for the new world market. This book introduces its readers to the exciting and rewarding field of international management and international corporations. It is written in contemporary, easy‐to‐understand language, avoiding abstract terminology; and is organised into five sections, each of which includes a number of chapters that cover a subject involving activities that cross national boundaries.

The focus of human resource management has shifted from traditional topics to concepts such as globalization and international strategy. Management styles of Chinese‐Japanese and Chinese‐foreign joint ventures have been important areas of HRM research. Modern Chinese HRM practices and thinking are rooted in the cultural traditions of the country. Japanese cultural and geographical history has affected its business practices. Discusses Chinese and Japanese cultural characteristics in relation to business management and reviews the research literature. Presents the research study of Chinese‐Japanese joint venture management on which other articles by the same authors are based.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the leadership tendencies of Japanese people and relevant changes over time while exploring their task and relationship orientations on the basis of culture.

In order to explore the behavioural tendencies of working adults in the Japanese workplace, the paper focused on comparing the leadership orientations of 231 respondents on the basis of age, gender and public/private sector work experience. To deepen the understanding of Japanese leadership orientation, the authors precisely examine Japanese culture, organisation and management practices.

Japanese respondents have a significantly higher score on the relationship orientation. Their task score is also in the moderately high range. Japanese males were found to be more task‐oriented. No differences were found based on public/private sector work experience. However, older Japanese have a significantly higher focus on task orientation compared to their younger colleagues.

One of the limitations is the small number of responses. One specific limitation is the fact that this study was conducted with a convenient sample population. Future studies can compare specific populations in different parts of the country with similar working backgrounds and demographic variables.

The findings that Japanese employees are more focused on their relationship but that they also have a moderately high task orientation score are useful for managers and expatriates working in Japan to understand the behavioural tendencies of Japanese people and the relevant changes over time.

Japan is a high‐context culture; therefore Japanese people are traditionally regarded to be relationship‐oriented, and this was confirmed academically in the findings of this research. However, the paper showed that the Japanese also have a moderately high task orientation.

In the continuing endeavour to work towards ever better management, the engineering manager has a crucial role to play. The history of the engineer is reviewed and his/her possible present role in management is considered. Management objectives are outlined and defined and the specific role of the engineer emphasised. The best managers are leaders, in particular effective leaders of teams, and this is a management task well within the grasp of the engineer. The engineer′s specific training and initial experience give him/her special qualifications in this area. Indeed, there seems to be no reason why the engineer should not climb the management ladder right to the top, especially these days when technology is continually growing in importance. The demands made on the effective chief executive are outlined. It would seem that engineering management has come of age and that with the appropriate management training the engineer should be well capable of filling a senior management role.