IBZ416 Contemporary Japanese Economy Instructor: Prof Dr Sierk Horn

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1 IBZ416 Contemporary Japanese Economy Instructor: Prof Dr Sierk Horn AIMS AND OBJECTIVES Japan remains one of the most powerful and dynamic economies of the world. The country s economic catch-up and over-taking in key industries within a exceptionally short time span the Japanese economy managed to bridge the gap between a quasi developing country to a leading industrialised nation has evoked a wide spectrum of reactions. Awe, assumptions of conspiracy or even economic warfare. Regardless of the juxtaposing notions of learning from Japan or confronting Japan the common denominator is the need to understand the structure and factors of its economic rise. In the wake of the collapse of the speculative financial bubble Japan has witnessed the longest recession period in the post-war era. "The lost decade" has replaced the "Japan as No1" syndrome and until recently the image has been that of a tumbling giant rather than that of vibrant economy. The Japanese economy is, however, on its way to recovery. Economic indicators suggest nothing less than successful reforms and revival. Amid rapid internationalisation and the prognosticated advent of a new global system, the Japanese economy once more underlines its flexibility to adjust to new challenges. It is the juncture of continuity and change of the economic system at which this module is situated. Knowledge about Japan is essential to make informed corporate decisions. In taking a fresh look at the structural characteristics and recent developments, the module will equip students with the awareness and understanding of current opportunities and challenges posed by the world s third largest economy. On completion of this module, students will have: acquired broad factual knowledge concerning the economic practices and institutions of Japan; examined Japan s integration with the world economy; studied structural characteristics, inherent problems and current reform efforts of the Japanese economy. ASSESSMENT In-class presentation (20%): Topics will be allocated in session 3. Report (40%): Hand-in date is August 23 July. Exam (40%): The final exam will be held on 26 July.

2 IBZ415 Contemporary Japanese Economy Lecture Syllabus Session 1 3/7 Session 2 4/7 Session 3 5/7 Session 4 9/7 Session 5 10/7 Session 6 11/7 Session 7 12/7 Session 8 16/7 Session 9 17/7 Session 10 18/7 Session 11 19/7 Session 12 23/7 Session 13 24/7 Session 14 25/7 Session 15 26/7 Introduction and Development Module Themes Japan s Economic Foundations Economic Miracle Patterns of Trade and the Domestic Market Contemporary Economic Issues (1) Contemporary Economic Issues (2) The State and the Industry The Japanese Company Japanese Human Resource Management In-class presentations In-class presentations The Japanese Production System Japanese Market Environment Future Challenges and Course Review Exam

3 MATERIALS Topical Readings* Japan s Economic Foundations Abegglen, J Perspectives of Half a Century. In 21st Century Japanese Management. Palgrave, Economic Miracle Lincoln, E.J The Slowdown of Economic Growth. In Japan: Facing Economic Maturity, Patterns of Trade and the Domestic Market Yamamura, K Shedding the Shackles of Success: Saving Less for Japan's Future. Journal of Japanese Studies, 13(2), Contemporary Economic Issues Katz, R The Incredible Shrinking Japan. In Japanese Phoenix. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe. The State and the Industry Yoshiaki Nakamura & Chihiro Watanabe Mangament and the Effect of MITI s R&D Project. Technovation, 23, The Japanese Company Sjöberg, O. and Söderberg, M The Sogo Shosha: Finding a New Role? In. Blomström, M., Gangnes, B. & La Croix, S. (Eds.), Japan s New Economy: Continuity and Change in the 21st Century. OUP. Japanese Human Resource Management Matanle, P., McCann, L. & Ashmore, D Men under Pressure. Representations of the Salaryman and his Organization in Japanese Manga. Organization, 15(5), The Japanese Production System Anon Making a Comeback. The Japan Journal, March, Japanese Market Environment Fields, G., Katahira, H. and Wind, J The Fourth Rush. In Leveraging Japan. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Future Challenges and Course Review Anon. (2010). The New Frontier for Corporate Japan. The Economist

4 Core reading: Abegglen, J st Century Japanese Management. Palgrave. Buckley, P.J. and Horn, S.A Japanese Multinational Enterprises in China: Successful Adaptation of Marketing Strategies. Long Range Planning, 42(4), Horn, S.A Interdisciplinary Engagement as an Acculturation Process: The Case of Japanese Studies. Social Science Japan Journal, 16(2), Horn, S.A. and Cross, A Japanese Management at a Crossroads? Asia Pacific Business Review, 15 (3), Ishiguro, K Changes in Japanese Companies Personnel Management Practises Relating to Female Employees. In S. Horn (Ed.). Emerging Perspectives in Japanese Human Resource Management. Frankfurt: Peter Lang. Meyer-Ohle, H Networking Bricks and Clicks. In S.J. Park & S. Horn (Ed.) Asia and Europe in the New Global System. Palgrave. Tipton, E.K The 'economic miracle' and its underside. In: Modern Japan, Routledge. *Topical readings will be made available on Moodle. Extended reading: David Flath, The Japanese Economy (Oxford University Press, 2000) Takatoshi Ito, The Japanese Economy (The MIT Press, 1992) Elise K. Tipton, Modern Japan (Routledge, 2008) Supplementary reading: James C. Abegglen The Japanese Factory, (Ayer Co Pub 1980) James C. Abegglen,George Stalk, Kaisha: The Japanese Corporation (Basic Books 1988) Masahiko Aoki, Ronald Dore (Eds.), The Japanese Firm: The Sources of Competitive Strength (Japanese Business & Economics), (Clarendon Press, 1994) Masahiko Aoki, Hugh Patrick (Eds), The Japanese Main Bank System: Its Relevance for Developing and Transforming Economies, (Clarendon Press 1995)

5 Euromonitor Asian Marketing Data and Statistics 2003 Min Chen, Asian Management Systems (Thomson Learning, 2004) George Fields, Hotaka Katahira, Jerry Wind, Leveraging Japan: Opening the Gateway to Asian Growth (Jossey Bass Wiley, 1999) Arne Holzhausen (Ed.) Can Japan Globalize?: Studies on Japan's Changing Political Economy and the Process of Globalization in Honour of Sung-Jo Park, (Physica-Verlag, 2001) Kenichi Imai, Ryutaro Komiya (Eds.), The Business Enterprise in Japan: Views of Leading Japanese Economists, (The MIT Press 1994) Masaaki Imai, Kaizen: The Key to Japan's Competitive Success (McGraw-Hill 1986) Sonia El Kahal, Business in Asia Pacific: Text and Cases (Oxford University Press, 2001) Kazuo Koike, The economics of work in Japan (LTCB International Library selection) (LTCB International Library Foundation, 1996) Kazuo Koike, Understanding Industrial Relations in Modern Japan (1988) Komiya Ryutaro, Okuno Masahiro (Eds.), Industrial Policy of Japan, (Academic Press 1988) Toyohiro Kono and Stewart Clegg, Trends in Japanese Management: Continuing Strengths, Current Problems and Changing Priorities (2001) Hiroshi Kumon and Tetsuo Abo, Hybrid Factory in Europe: The Japanese Management and Production System Transferred (2004) Paul Krugman (Ed.) Trade with Japan: Has the Door Opened Wider? (National Bureau of Economic Research Project Reports) (University of Chicago Press, 1995) Edward J. Lincoln, Troubled Times: US-Japan Trade Relations in the 1990s (1999) James R. Lincoln, Michael L. Gerlach, Mark Granovetter (Eds.), Japan's Network Economy : Structure, Persistence, and Change (Structural Analysis in the Social Sciences) (Cambridge University Press, 2004) Hendrik Meyer-Ohle, Innovation and Dynamics in Japanese Retailing: From Techniques to Formats to Systems (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) Sung-Jo Park, Sierk Horn (Eds.), Asia and Europe in the New Global System: Intercultural Cooperation and Competition Scenarios (Palgrave Macmillan 2003)