Although the concept of culture as a means of control seems to be rather vague and ambiguous, no one can deny its importance, especially in the case of the Japanese multinational companies and issues linked to their control over overseas segments. Cultural control has always occupied a central...

Purpose – This paper seeks to review the internationalisation strategies of Japanese and Singaporean firms within the context of Dunning, Hymer and Rugman. Design/methodology/approach – The literature pertaining to culture, environment and Asian management is reviewed and the question is...

Purpose – Building on previous studies of the managerial application and development of the 5S concept (5S), this research aims to identify and present key concepts of 5S from a Japanese management perspective. These findings link 5S to aspects of Japanese management approach, which are...

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore whether a connection exists between business operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. Design/methodology/approach – This research adopts the DEA method through a four‐step analysis to examine inter‐industry differences in...

Purpose – The main objective of this study is as follows: while “knowledge acquisition in international joint ventures (IJVs)” has been widely in the limelight, the question of whether learning mechanisms in IJVs with Western vs Japanese parents are different has not yet been answered. In...

A typical Japanese CEO is very different from a Western equivalent. The promotional structure is based on seniority and length of service. Evaluation of performance is constant through the 20‐30 years a person may work for a company before gaining senior management level. The Japanese...