Summary
By utilizing institutional matrix, this paper explains how different factors in each country interact with one another and how those factors consist the business system in China and Japan. Moreover, this paper also compares the differences and similarities of business systems in China and in Japan.
Business System
In order to understand the business system, we need to look at the most important component, the people, first. After recognizing the pattern of individual activity, we can apply this pattern in a broader sense and understand the system as a whole.
Japanese people tend to be more collectivistic than Chinese. Historically Japan and China had ruled under the idea of Confucianism, which stresses the importance of conformity and collectivism. Japanese people inherited the collectivism while Chinese people took the conformity. The idea of collectivism have been taught during education in Japan, while having some benefits, this idea made Japanese people lack of critical and creative thinking. Further, because of the high competitiveness in the lobar market, get in good companies is difficult. In order to be haired in good companies, one need to get in certain favored university, and in turn get in good university manes one has to get in some certain high school. This system shaped the education system in to test oriented, meaning that the score is the primary concern for Japanese schools, parents and students. This orientation hence lead to a lack of challenging the routine (lack of creative and critical thinking).
Unfortunately, we can also see the same pattern in China's education system and lobar market. Chinese students are also face severe competition, education system is ever more test oriented in China ...
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... economic downturn (Wartzman, 2009). These measures increases the loyalty of employees and also formed their identity, Japanese workers often refer to themselves as a “company man”.
Individualism dominates China, and company exists purely for profit. People rarely identify themselves as a company man. In most Chinese people’s mind, family is the most important.
Moreover, a long-term viewpoint dominates the Japanese business world, firms, banks, and shareholders (mainly institutional shareholders like pension management programs) do not only looking at the current figures like cash flow or the profit, rather, they tend to focus on the long term returns of the business. Since major keiretsu is publicly traded, a cross-shareholding system is developed for the greater good, a company hold another companies share for a long time, and prevents hostile takeovers.
She specifically emphasizes on the providence given by the American education system to resume studies after a break. In Japan, this provision is not provided for. Many of the students were of the view that the American education is quite superior compared to the Japanese education system. They observed that the learning environment is more learner-oriented. Specifically, they noted the keen follow-up on students ' assignments, which is not evident in the Japanese system. They also emphasized the cordial relationship between teachers and the students. However, they noted that the Japanese system might be more superior in the sense that students are more serious about their studies since it may cost their lifetime. In the Japanese system, the ministry of education as opposed to the American system designs the curriculum where the curriculum is designed by the state. This affirms the fact that the government greatly influences what is taught in schools. It is noted that "This limits the role played by curriculum developers hence weakening the education system" (Kim). Hence, the fact that each state is given freedom to design its curriculum creates disparity in the education system. This action was greatly objected by the students interviewed as they viewed it as a method of enhancing disparity in the education system. They also claimed that it caused discrimination when seeking interstate job
In Japanese education, prime factors of their success are viewed as effort instead of ability. In his article, “Strengths, Weaknesses, and Lessons of Japanese Education,” James Fallows says, “The Japanese school system acts as though intellectual ability does not matter, assuming that just about everyone has enough ability to succeed”(208). In other words, they must give it there all. Japan does not accept 90% because they aim for 100%. If Japanese students receive a grade of 90%, then they’ll study even harder to be ready for the next test. It’s great that these students put so much effort in their school, but with all their studying, they don’t have anytime to have fun. The down fall is that all their childhood memories are going to be devoted to school and not them having fun.
One dominate difference in education in Japan and the U.S. is the value and emphasis of education in these two cultures. Although it is evidently clear that both Japan and American cultures place importance on education, the way in which each country stresses education may be a topic of difference. Cross-cultural studies show that Japanese parents are extremely encouraging of their children to learn from early age, but it is also instilled in these children that education is the whole foundation for all of their success in life. In the Japanese culture...
In Japanese schools, from elementary schools to universities, teachers direct what students should do or how they should be. Students follow the school rules and the directions of teachers. In American schools, on the other hand, students have to be more independent than Japanese students in many ways. Because of differences between Japanese and American schools, Japanese students who begin to study in an American school are shocked, and they take a pretty long time to adjust themselves to the way of American schools. Differences between schools in the two countries are seen in classrooms and during classes: the style of lectures, the relationship between student and teachers, and the style of examinations.
In the mid-nineteenth century, the Tokugawa system that had successfully reigned over Japan for over two hundred years was beginning to feel the internal and external pressures of a modern world; ultimately calling for a renewal of the world order (Yonaoshi) (Wilson, 59). That calling came when a series of black ships led by Commodore Perry landed off the port of Uraga on July 8, 1853. After over two centuries of seclusion, Japan was being pried open by Western forces, who though were in search of setting up trading posts in Japan, indirectly served as the catalyst that set off the series of events that helped Japan transcend its fixed and permanent system, into the modern era that was characterized by rapid political, economic, social and cultural change (Wilson, 52-53).
As there are many different types of people, different standard of success are existing. High education level could be one of the standards of success for someone and excellent reputation could be other standards. Patriarchal period, which dominated by religion such as Christianity or Catholic, people taught various elements for success in life including morality and ethics. However, Capitalism and its market only focus on property and money so the visible wealthy becomes the only one important element for success. In fact, Hochschild illustrates the study which proves the changing of people’s preference in life. According to Hochschild, “between 1975 and 1991, the role of family in people’s idea of “the good life” declined while the importance of having money increased” (187). In this study, it is proved that having a lot of money is more important than family for the quality of life. In other words, people might be satisfied when they become rich in terms of the successful life. The money is not only productive conclusion for success, but capitalism forces to make people think in this way. For instance, Chua indicates the Chinese parents’ parenting style which might be great example how the capitalism takes important role in family and how it represents in parenting. In Chua’s article, she claims that “the Chinese believe that the best way to protect their children is by preparing them for the future […]” (56). Because of this reason, Chinese parents requires their children to get perfect grades and they cannot accept A minus or B as a children’s academic result. For Chinese parents, having excellent skill might be able to lead their children to successful life in the future. In the view of capitalism, Chinese parents’ parenting styles seems based on capitalism market system. Capitalism market system divide only ‘useful’ and ‘useless’ and its influences
Japan and America each have their own value system that draws comparable interest for how it shapes society and patterns of interaction. Even though there are similarities between the two-value systems, it is essential to understand the fundamental differences that deal with equality, respect, and communication style. Understanding the motivations behind behaviors will lead to successful intercultural interactions.
Last week, in our “Is Your Infrastructure Solid?” blog post, we discussed the importance of building systems into your business and the predictable nightmare that most small business owners suffer when they lack clear systems and processes. If you are like most entrepreneurs, you understand the concept of systemization, but are completely overwhelmed by actually having to create the system or process necessary for your business. And you should be.
The Japanese culture has allowed for very little diversity. This started very early in their history. The social controls used to eliminate diversity are the family, the power of gender, the poor treatment of minority groups, the corporate Japanese mentality, and the respect required by people in authority. However, due to globalization and the shrinking of the world, Japanese society is starting to make the change to diversity. The individualistic mentality shared by the new technology driven younger generation is putting pressure on the old Japanese status quo. The transformation is happening very slow, but as the population ages and the old conservatives are being replaced by the new liberals, the old way of thinking is also being replaced by the new.
In the Chinese culture they value many things and have many rights. “Benevolence, the core value of Confucianism, extends from the
The article “Japan’s School System” tells us that in an Asian classroom students will feel an incredible amount of pressure starting from grade school and up, while U.S. teachers are too afraid to raise the bar because of potential discouragement of the student. We examine evidence from the article “Strengths, weaknesses, and lessons of Japanese education”. A negative of the Asian school system, is the conformity that must be upheld. This achieves better education because it becomes the “thing to do”. When everybody is on the same curriculum there is no other choice but to follow the herd. While conformity creates better math students, it demises the aspect of creativity and individuality. The boat may float, but not posses any inspiration or differentiation from the others. The U.S. places a much bigger emphasis on creativity and choice. Thus providing students with opportunities that help them learn about them selves, and develop original ideas. An important characteristic that the U.S. education system lacks, is the idea of effort being directly correlated to success. In his article “Japan’s School System”, James Kilpatrick states that “The Japanese theory is that all children have the same potential for learning”. It is effort that separates successful students from the unsuccessful students.
China's development is praised by the whole world. Its developments are not only in the economic aspect, but as well in its foreign affairs. Compared with other developed countries, China is a relatively young country. It began constructing itself in 1949. After 30 years of growth, company ownership had experienced unprecedented changes. Entirely, non-state-owned companies can now be more involved in sectors that used to be monopolized by state-owned companies.
The largest educational system is in china there is a law that makes it mandatory that all Chinese students have nine year of education experience this law was passed in 1986. The importance of having an education is the key to success to be comfortable and abl...
In conclusion, the institutional structures of business systems throughout Asia share their similarities and can be distinguished through their differences as well. Through this broad insight and comparison of the major business systems of Asia, we are able to see the parallel practices in terms of employment, education, finances, the workplace and other crucial business aspects.
Japan has lived five main stages until 1990’s, in which the definition of business ethics has changed radically. We will be stating the five main periods and describing how Japanese companies dealt with their social and legal responsibilities: