Against the success of Japanese exporting companies during the last decade, a brief but comprehensive review of the factors behind their performance is presented. Based on a combination of secondary and primary data, the structures within which the exporting companies operate are spelled out and...

Through a synthesis of research results on Japanese consumer behaviour, this paper offers conclusions about the Japanese marketplace. Insights provided on Japanese consumers may prove useful to marketers contemplating entry into Japan.

The paper discusses six Japanese marketing cases in depth. It is shown how the “success” interpretation which so often is promulgated by the firms and press alike in fact hides serious mistakes and results which in other countries would be interpreted as “failures”.

Selected empirical findings on the effects of a product′s “made‐in” label are integrated with theoretical developments in consumer information processing and the economics of consumer search. The result is an internally consistent theory of how country‐of‐origin effects vary across...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an empirical assessment of the degree to which global firms have penetrated markets in emerging countries in the new millennium. The focus is on the “big four” emerging countries of Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC), and the study...

Drawing on an in‐depth case study of the Volvo automobile company’s strategy in the early 1990s, before the Ford takeover in 1999, this paper demonstrates how policies designed to reduce inventory costs and slim the distribution pipeline can affect a business’ network of suppliers and...