Japanese Management free essay sample

Critical comparison of 1973 1983 books on British Japanese management philosophies practices. British Factory-Japanese Factory by Robert Dore Under Japanese Management by M. White M. Trevor. Although the majority of large companies wish to retain lifetime employment there are many critics of the system, who argue that it is too rigid in todays dynamic marketplace. Hirakubo, (1999) argues that for companies to survive it is essential that they are more flexible and less bound to the traditional Japanese management style of lifetime employment. He argues that if Japan cannot develop a more fluid job market and flexible management style, firms will continue to suffer. Nikkeiren also comments that the rigid methods of employment traditionally used in Japan, i.e. lifetime employment cannot respond to the socio-economic changes taking place. He argues that more dynamic and elastic structures should be set up to allow flexible responses to the changing economic and business conditions.