Dear SSJ Forum members,

The next meeting of Contemporary Japan Group (CJG) at the Institute of Social Science (ISS, or a.k.a. Shaken), University of Tokyo, will be held on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 6:30 PM in the Akamon General Research Building (Akamonto).

The meeting is open to everyone. Hope to see you all there!

Title:
Show Me the Money:
Japan's Most Profitable Companies and the Global Supply Chain

Speaker: Ulrike Schaede (Professor of Japanese Business at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), at the University of California San Diego)

Date/Time: March 15 (Tue), 2011 at 6:30-8:00 PM
Location: Room 549
5th floor, Akamon Sogo Kenkyuto, Institute of Social Science, Hongo Campus, University of Tokyo
Map: http://web.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cjg/contact/

Language: English
RSVP: NOT required
Admission fee: Free

Abstract:
The most interesting Japanese companies are no longer those that mass-produce high-quality consumer end products. In their stead, leadership in technology and success in terms of profitability have shifted to companies that excel in input components and materials, but many of these companies are unknown. Schaede introduces comparative data on profitability between the US and Japan for the 2000s, and explores the most profitable firms in Japan. Interviews with these companies lead to an identification of their strategy and management practices. These stand in stark contrast with Old Japan management approaches. A better understanding of New Japan companies is necessary to grasp Japan's important role in the global supply chain of many high-tech products.

Biography:
Ulrike Schaede is Professor of Japanese Business at the School of International Relations and Pacific Studies (IR/PS), at the University of California San Diego. Areas of expertise include Japan's corporate strategy, government-business relationships, antitrust and financial markets. Her current research projects concern the strategic repositioning of Japanese companies to assume leadership in 21st century technologies, corporate restructuring, changing human resource practices and entrepreneurship in Japan. Her latest book Choose and Focus: Japanese Business Strategies for the 21st Century (Cornell UP, 2008) argues that Japan's business organization has undergone a strategic inflection point so fundamental that our existing knowledge of Japanese business practices is no longer adequate for a full understanding of Japan.

The ISS Contemporary Japan Group provides English-speaking residents of the Tokyo area with an opportunity to hear cutting-edge research in social science and related policy issues, as well as a venue for researchers and professionals in or visiting Tokyo to present and receive knowledgeable feedback on their latest research projects. Admission is free and advance registration is not required. Everyone is welcome!

For more information, please visit our website; http://web.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/cjg/ or contact Satsuki Takahashi (tsatsuki@iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp).