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Major factors affecting contemporary Japanese business environment

Michaela Blahová (Centre for Applied Economic Research, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin, Czech Republic)
Parissa Haghirian (Faculty of Liberal Arts, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan)
Přemysl Pálka (Department of Finance and Accounting, Faculty of Management and Economics, Tomas Bata University in Zlin, Zlin, Czech Republic)

International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management

ISSN: 1741-0401

Article publication date: 2 March 2015

1985

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate factors influencing contemporary Japanese business environment mainly in the field of strategic management and, therefore, having influence on corporate performance and its measurement in selected manufacturing companies located in Japan in respect to their key business perspectives focused on people, processes and systems, innovations, finance, social responsibility and ecology, and that in relation to ongoing economic crises and a fundamental transformation of mature societies (in particular in USA, Japan and Western Europe).

Design/methodology/approach

The research involved assembling key academic and other literature on the subject of trends in strategic management and performance measurement in Japan as well as semi-structured interviews with managers within manufacturing companies located in Japan that deal with performance measurement, finance, strategic management, etc. and a review of various internal management reports.

Findings

The research has been useful in identifying companies that respond to current changes and trends the fastest and the most effective.

Research limitations/implications

Among the limitations of the conclusions belongs rather a small sample of companies involved in the research. Moreover, the respondents may have seen their own company more favourably than an objective outsider would have done.

Originality/value

This paper shares insights on current trends influencing Japanese business environment and how these trends are implemented, used and updated in a selected sample of companies located in Japan.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Czech Science Foundation for the grant No. 14-18597P – “Creating Strategic Performance Model Framework Based on Utilization of Synergy Effects of Selected Management Systems” and the Operational Programme Education for Competitiveness co-funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and national budget of the Czech Republic for the grant No. CZ.1.07/2.3.00/20.0147 – “Human Resources Development in the field of Measurement and Management of Companies, Clusters and Regions Performance”, which provided financial support for this research.

Citation

Blahová, M., Haghirian, P. and Pálka, P. (2015), "Major factors affecting contemporary Japanese business environment", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 64 No. 3, pp. 416-433. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-09-2014-0138

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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