A comparison of the balance sheet structure of the largest U.S. and Japanese firms for 1979 shows that Japanese firms significantly differ from U.S. firms in their greater reliance on bank-funded short-term debt, low levels and composition of net working capital, parsimonious use of...

Analysis of Japanese trading companies suggests that would-be U.S. trading companies could be emulate Japan's special, rather than general, trading companies. Factors likely to lead to success are: offering narrow high-margin product lines in geographically diversified markets; integration with...