Over the last 24 months, some of my closest friends in Japan, who happen to be recruiters, have personally revealed the subtext narrative that is the recently tumultuous field of sourcing and placing mid-level and executive talent locally and from abroad. The picture hasn’t been pretty. As banking collapsed in the U.S. and the general ...
Monthly Archives: March 2010
Toyota Prius: If It Don’t Brake, Fix It—Or Trade It In Just as it seemed Toyota Motor Corp. was power-steering its way out of the woods, sticky accelerator pedals and misaligned floor mats are threatening to veer the company off course. The world’s largest automaker is in the midst of a global recall for its ...
Tailor-Maid Jeans Walk into most clothing stores in Tokyo and you will be greeted with a friendly “Hello and welcome” by eager shop assistants. But none of them will say “Welcome, Master”— unless they are dressed in maid costumes. The Akihabara maid cafe fad was almost consigned to the history books until Japanese national clothing ...
Development, not controlled competition, is what’s needed to revive regional retail businesses
David Swan describes how the need for specialized skills is spurring a recruitment recovery
Although by now this book ranks more as a classic than as an “of the moment” barometer of Japanese business culture, Ivan P. Hall’s “Cartels of the Mind: Japan’s Intellectual Closed Shop” (W.W. Norton & Company, 1997) still resonates as a vital information touchstone for any foreigner doing business in Japan. With several decades of ...
One of the great delights of dining in Japan is the cornucopia of restaurants that specialize in one type of cuisine, as in the recent reviews of ramen at Ivan Ramen. Another unique dining experience is a meal based on pickles. Kintame, a store based in Kyoto, has two restaurants in Tokyo where diners can ...
As the world moves into a new phase of virtual offices typified by the 21st century style of doing business globally, anywhere and everywhere, Regus has emerged as one of the primary providers of solutions for executives and foreign business concerns looking for a temporary, yet prestigious and well equipped, office space in which to ...
A New Beginning 2010 yields an optimistic outlook for the legal field in Tokyo Last year was terrible for our clients, no doubt about it, but we are seeing signs that we have all turned the corner. It is easy to interpret signs of growth too positively of course, given that few people expected 2010 ...
Business opportunities, good products, the challenge, personal and professional growth, improved income and corporate reputation are all motivators to bring the best qualified people to your doorstep to stay. In Japan, the quality of relationships both externally and internally is a critical aspect as to whether individuals are attracted to join a new employer. This ...
The outlook for the financial year ending 31 March 2010 has some bright spots. If the economy is not booming, at least the economy is no longer shrinking. Resurgent economic Asian tigers are stimulating exports from Japan. However, domestic demand remains weak despite the government stimulus. Massive auto recalls are damaging Japanese pride in its ...