The Japanese “sogo shosha” – Japanese General Trading Companies – have played a major role in the phenomenal growth of the Japanese economy. Throughout the century, sogo shosha have secured raw material import inputs and have marketed and manufactured high value‐added exports of the...

As more businesses invest in China, there will, of course, be increased marketing opportunities there. But while China′s current government continues to encourage foreign investment, the future holds some political uncertainties. This vast country has the opportunity to become a supereconomic...

As the Japanese economy has become increasingly international, the issue of keiretsu relations has become a focus of attention. Keiretsu is an indigenous feature of Japan's production and distribution systems that some say leads to unfair competitive practices, triggering intense discussions...

The dyadic relationship between U.S. parent advertising agencies and their foreign affiliates were examined, using information gathered from 344 respondents in 52 countries. Parent agencies tended to position themselves to control their overseas affiliates by either totally or majority owning...

As the Japanese have catapulted themselves to become a supereconomic power, many reasons have been given regarding their rapid progression – one of which is the claim that they are the world′s premier marketers. Certainly US marketers would argue this point. However, the unparalleled rise of...

In the last 30 years, Japan has come from a second‐rate status to the world′s economic giant, leading the world in electronics, automobiles, steel, shipbuilding and virtually anything else to which she has set her mind. The Japanese aim was and still is to be world‐class suppliers of the...

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....