Invasion of the Salarymen: The Japanese Business Presence in America

by Jeremiah J. Sullivan

Overview

Japanese direct investment in the United States increased $100 billion during the late 1980s. By 1992, 400,000 Americans were employed in 2600 companies. This book, the first full-length study of Japan's U.S. business presence, describes the performance of Japanese companies and their approach to managing Americans. With a few exceptions, Japanese investment is unprofitable. Moreover, part of the blame for failure can be attributed to poor management. Sullivan reviews Japanese management practices and shows that, contrary to popular belief, they are rooted in the exercise of power rather than the development of loyalty. These practices work well in Japan but do not transfer easily to the United States.

Using the results of extensive interviews and surveys, Sullivan begins by profiling both an effective and an ineffective Japanese manager in the U.S. He describes their reactions to America's individualism, patriotism, and day to day work practices. Broadening the focus, he describes economic and strategic reasons for the rush of Japanese direct investment and summarizes the data on profitability (low), productivity (less than U.S.-owned firms), and the impact on the American economy (generally beneficial or at least harmless). Japanese management philosophy and practices are analyzed in terms of the idea of work, the nature of a company, and the function of profit. Also discussed are lifetime employment, trust-building, decision making, and communication in the organization. These practices are shown in use both in Japan and in Japanese firms in America. Several chapters describe training of Japanese managers for work in the United States and of Americans in Japanese-owned companies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275944049
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/30/1992
Pages:	376
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.88(d)
Lexile:	1240L (what's this?)

About the Author

JEREMIAH J. SULLIVAN is Professor of International Business at the University of Washington Graduate School of Business. He is the author of Pacific Basin Enterprise and the Changing Law of the Sea and Foreign Investment in the U.S. Fishing Industry. His scholarly articles have appeared in the Jourbanal of International Business Studies, Academy of Management Jourbanal, Jourbanal of Management, Business Horizons, Asia Pacific Jourbanal of Management, and many others. Professor Sullivan is a member of the Association of Japanese Business Studies, Academy of International Business, International House of Japan, and the Academy of Management.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Shall It Be War?
The Invasion
Why Are They Here?
How Are They Doing?
Japan Bashers Versus the Chrysanthemum Club
Japanese and American Ideologies
"Those Who Depart Are Forgotten, Day by Day"
Competitors, Reluctants, and Knowledge Seekers
Japanese Management Philosophies: The Brainless and the Brilliant
What is Profit?
Lifetime Employment and Managerial Power
Japanese and Americans Don't Trust Each Other
Matching the Right American with the Right Japanese
Talking is Not Down Time
Decision Making as An End in Itself
The Rule of Personnel
Manufacturing Management
Autos, Where Something Has to Give
Problems in the Office
Trouble at the Bank
Weakness on Wall Street
Marketing and Negotiating
Good Citizenship
Business Changes, But Do Japanese Managers?
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

A professor of international business, Sullivan gives us a clearly written, timely book about the increasing Japanese business presence in the United States. Not a ``how to manage'' book like Simon Partner's Saying Yes to Japanese Investment ( LJ 8/1/92), Sullivan's work focuses on the experiences, successes, and failures of Japanese companies and Japanese managers operating in the United States. The first chapter sets the stage by giving vivid examples of good and bad Japanese managers. The middle chapters deal with the impact of Japanese approaches to such topics as employment security, trust, training, communicating, and decision making. The final chapters examine Japanese management in various industries, banking and investment, marketing and negotiation, good citizenship, and adaptability to change. While Sullivan favors Japanese direct investment in the United States, he is fair and unbiased as he points out the pros, cons, and tradeoffs. This refreshing work is recommended for most business collections. See also Robert M. March's Working for a Japanese Company , reviewed above.Ed.-- Joseph W. Leonard, Miami Univ., Oxford, Ohio

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