Japanese General Trading Companies or sogo shoshas have been instrumental in the phenomenal Japanese economic miracle of the last 40 years. In 1982, the USA passed the Export Trading Company Act to home grow its own sogo shoshas ; to date the Act has been ineffective ‐ yet the need remains....

Within the last two decades, the Japanese economic machine has developed into the leading economy in the world on a per capita income basis and second only to the USA in GNP. Contends that Japan has virtually conquered the US consumer electronics, semiconductor, and machine tool markets and,...

For firms, small and large alike, the move towards internationalization implies a different role for every aspect of the organization. One important function within the firm that is becoming more and more global in orientation is the purchasing department. Many corporations realize that, in...

The United States has entered into a tripartite Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico with a planned 1 January 1994 debut. What are the possibilities of a North American Common Market being formed? What are the potential threats that could undermine NAFTA? What are the necessary...

In this age of the global economy, negotiating across cultures is an inevitable part of doing business for firms desiring to compete internationally. What problems could cultural differences cause? Can firms from some countries or cultures do better than firms from other countries? What problems...

Internationalization, the buzzword of the 1980s, has become the necessity for firms to survive in the 1990s. Contact with foreign firms is a given for US businesses. With this contact comes the issue of cross‐cultural negotiations. How do US businesses prepare themselves and conduct such...

The success of the European Union is without comparison. With the inclusion of the European Free Trade Association, as well as much of Eastern Europe (a likely inevitable event by the turn of the century) it will have a population, GNP, economic and political force second to none among the...

The globalization of business is a fact of life that many managers are quickly waking up to. For firms, small and large alike, the move towards internationalization implies a different role for every aspect of the organization. One important function within the firm that is becoming more and...

Confucianism is dead! Confucianism is obsolete! Confucianism is passé ! For at least the past 30 years the government of China has taken a strong stand against Confucianism. Yet it is impossible to do business in China and not feel the effects of Confucian philosophy. For example, strong...

The globalization of business is a fact of life that many managers are waking up to quickly. For firms, small and large alike, the move towards internationalization implies a different role for every aspect of the organization. One important function within the firm which is becoming more and...