Japanese companies have been said to rarely have strategies that resemble the ones that can be seen in literature from the Western world. However, even though Japanese companies do not show the same kind of strategy as can be found in the west, it does not necessarily mean they have no strategy at all. Recent studies have shown that Japanese companies do show clarity in their approach to strategy. Still, not much research can be found on this subject. When the world is becoming more globalized and multinational, it is of interest for both the companies’ stakeholders and shareholders to know how they operate, and their strategic planning process is one part of this. The research question therefore becomes: How does the process of strategic planning in Japanese companies work and in what way is the Japanese culture an influence? The main purpose of this master thesis is to provide a deeper understanding concerning the concept of strategic planning in Japanese companies. It also has two sub purposes. Firstly, this research aims towards understanding the current strategic planning process, in what way it is used in Japanese companies. Secondly, it will try to understand if the Japanese culture influences the strategic planning process and if so, in what way.The thesis is based on a qualitative study with semi structured interviews where five respondents were divided into two categories (based in the respondents’ background), two respondents with a Japanese view and three with an international view. A constructionist ontological position, interpretivism epistemological position and an inductive scientific approach have been adopted.The theoretical framework is divided into two parts; the first concerns the strategic planning process and the second Japanese business culture.Analysis was done across the two different categories of respondents’ and from my research I have found that the strategic planning process in Japan is different from company to company but that they all tend to share one important step, consensus. I have also found that Japanese culture has had a great impact on the strategic planning process although there seem to be a shift towards becoming more streamlined and more international to be able to compete on the global market.The practical implications of my findings are that since Japanese companies seem to incorporate their culture into their strategic planning, it is important that the field of strategic planning research take into consideration the culture and its effect on the strategic planning process. Japanese companies also need to assess if strategic planning should be used as a way towards becoming more globalized, and if so, in what way.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references.

In the wake of the recent and prolonged economic crisis, corporate governance in large corporations has come under increasing scrutiny. Employment is said to be precarious, and some commentators talk of how the social contract is being shredded. Against this backdrop, more nurturing approaches to employment and human resource management have an intrinsic appeal. With its stakeholder capitalism, Japan provides one such model. This thesis examines that model through the prism of a qualitative study of business repatriates and their careers. Using six career stories, it gives us a window on to contemporary Japanese HRM practices as they impact ‘core’ employees working with the assumption of lifetime employment at large Japanese companies. As a result, we learn about the ongoing strengths and weaknesses of Japanese HRM, and see how practices may change. The study’s longitudinal research design allows these career stories to unfold dynamically as the participants reflect reiteratively on their experiences and hopes, while interviews with two other repatriates, four HR managers, one mid-career job-changer, and a European administrator with long experience in multinationals add further depth and perspective. The repatriates express support for the HR systems in their companies, while also reporting frustration related to issues such as the opacity of the job assignment system. Their time abroad has changed how they think about their work and their employers, yet they are less vectors for change and more an internationalised old guard. Overall, this study gives us a detailed and nuanced picture of how Japanese repatriates experience their careers and think about their futures. It shows the value of an in-depth grounded approach to understanding contemporary attitudes in Japan related to the ongoing debate about HRM practices. The narratives of these Japanese business people, who have been exposed to what is alleged to be better practice overseas, demonstrate the importance of the continuity and stability of the Japanese employment model. Moreover, the traditional model emerges as logical and effective, suggesting that the considerable criticism of that model over the past two decades is misplaced. In addition, interpretation of the data suggests future avenues of research into how we understand change and continuity in Japanese HRM practices.

No description available.

本研究旨在呈現日本泡沫經濟崩潰之後，企業變革的方向，觀察日本式經營從過去至今的演化過程，並以「究竟何為日本式經營？」為中心，研究分析日本式經營的優勢及核心所在，瞭解日本企業如何藉此厚實自身能力資源，在劇烈變動的環境中，掌握未來企業的變革方向。如今世界正面臨全球化、IT網路化等，此種前所未有的結構上的變化，透過泡沫經濟崩潰，讓日本企業提早面臨環境改變，迫使其進行策略方向的轉變及組織變革。由於現在企業面臨的環境不確定性提高，此寶貴的經驗對於現在及往後的企業變革，將具有高度的參考價值。 本研究先根據既有的研究，以日本式經營的演進，將日本經濟分為三個階段，形成期：1955至1973年高度成長期、適應期：1974至1991年安定成長期到泡沫經濟崩潰、轉換期：1992年迄今 泡沫經濟崩潰之後的經濟停滯。從「企業實體」、「策略」、「系統」等 三個層面，歸納每個階段的日本式經營特徵、瞭解日本式經營從過去迄今，維持及改變的部分為何。並以現在--轉換期的日本企業實際的做法為例，整理分析從今以後日本式經營的變革方向。 若將過去學者的眾多研究歸納整理，日本式經營從1955年迄今始終存在著不變的特徵，「長期性」及「培育人才」。這是日本式經營的核心，也是企業的優勢。日本企業即使在轉換期的變革中，也是以此優勢為中心，繼續進行變革。並且也繼續實行將既有的優勢再建構及深化，將弱點持續改善，藉由企業社會責任的實踐及強化，以企業成長及地球環境共存為目標，穩健進行提高利潤、結構改革等，厚實因應外在環境變化的基石。 / The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the direction of business change after the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy by observing the evolution process of Japanese firms. With the question, “What is Japanese management?” as central focus, research was aimed at analyzing the core and advantages of Japanese firms to discover how, amid a strong changing environment, firms used their solid resources and abilities in mastering their direction of future change. Currently, the world is confronted with globalization and the combination of IT and Internet; this new structural change caused the collapse of the bubble economy, leading Japanese firms exposed to early environmental changes, compelling them to change their strategies and organizations. Nowadays, since firms face increased uncertainty, the Japanese experience has high referral values for current and future business changes. Based on the findings of existing studies, this study divides the evolution of Japanese firms into three stages: the formation period: from 1955 to 1973 as the period of high growth, the adaptation period: from 1974 to 1991 as the period from stable growth to collapse of bubble economy, and the transition period: from 1992 onwards as the period of economic stagnation following the bubble burst. The characteristics of Japanese firms in each stage are induced and the changes and non-changes throughout the history of Japanese firms are identified. Furthermore, by studying Japanese firm’s case during the transition period, the study hopes to discover insights that point to the direction of Japanese Management’s future change. If past researches are collected and analyzed, the everlasting Japanese firm characteristic from 1955 onwards is the “long-term” quality and the “investment in human capital” quality, both of which are the core and advantage of Japanese management. Even during the transition period, organizational changes were centered on these advantages. These advantages were reconstructed and deepened, whereas weaknesses were tweaked. Profit margins were increased and structures were changed via the implementation and strengthening of a company’s social responsibility as well as the goal of coexistence between firm continual growth and world environment.