This book attempts to bridge academic knowledge and practitioner's knowledge regarding the control and coordination of subsidiaries in Japan. It specifically explores two questions: why do corporations establish subsidiaries and form corporate groups? How do corporate groups manage their subsidiaries? Based on the case studies presented in the book, the author identifies four different types of parent-subsidiary relationships and uses this typology to understand control and coordination issues within Japanese organizations.The chapters in the book are designed to cover many characteristics of large Japanese corporate groups. Chapter 2 gives the definition of corporate group in Japan and distinguishes it from the keiretsu business group, while Chapter 3 provides a backdrop and context for understanding the corporate landscape in which Japanese firms today operate. Chapters 4 and 5 provide a literature review on some of the major literatures that are related to the research questions concerning why corporate groups exist and how they are managed. Chapter 6 attempts to bridge academic knowledge with practitioners knowledge by looking at five corporate groups: Hitachi, Panasonic, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry, Nihon Yusen and Japan Airlines, and by identifying areas where practitioner's knowledge could be used to expand existing theories. Chapter 7 proposes a four-part classification of subsidiaries to facilitate the discussion of different issues that arise under different parent-subsidiary settings. Chapter 8 attempts to illustrate a simplistic roadmap for creating successful subsidiary management, while Chapter 9 concludes the book.Written in a simple and accessible manner, this book will be of interest to business practitioners, decision makers in organizations and academics alike.

Corporate law and governance are at the forefront of regulatory activities worldwide, and subject to increasing public attention in the wake of the Global Financial Crisis. Comprehensively referencing the key debates, the Handbook provides a much-needed framework for understanding the aims and methods of legal research in the field.

In the interests of globalization, many companies today are establishing theories and practices for international management accounting. This book discusses the current status of international management accounting in Japan through interviews with three major electronics companies. By tracing the history of the business expansion of the three companies, as well as their transition of strategies and accompanying organizational structure, key features and details of international management accounting are faithfully described. The book is divided into two parts. Part I describes general concepts of international management accounting in global companies, while Part II analyzes the experiences of three leading electronics companies — Matsushita, Sharp and Sanyo — in international management accounting. Written in a scholarly yet accessible manner, this book will benefit both academics and industry professionals practising in the field./a

Offers insights into the management of companies operating in an international environment. This book describes the emergence of a revolutionary corporate form - the transnational - and reveals how the nature of the global competitive game has fundamentally changed.

This publication provides an overview of the duties and responsibilities of boards in company groups across 45 jurisdictions. The introduction outlines the global landscape of company groups, their economic role and the principal challenges they present with respect to corporate governance polices.

Since the bursting of Japan’s bubble economy, from 1990 onwards, its multinational companies (MNCs) have faced new competitive challenges, and questions about the management practices on which they had built their initial success in global markets. Japanese engagement in the international economy has undergone a number of phases. Historically, Japanese MNCs learnt from foreign companies, frequently through strategic alliances. After the post-war ‘economic miracle’, Japanese manufacturers in particular converted themselves into MNCs, transferred their home-grown capabilities to overseas subsidiaries, and made an impact on the world economy. But the period after 1990 marked declining Japanese competitiveness, and asked questions about the ability of Japanese MNCs to be more responsive and global in their strategies, organization, and capabilities. It has been argued that the established management practices of Japanese MNCs inhibited adaptation to recent demands of global competition. This volume presents new case evidence on how Japanese MNCs have responded to the new challenges of the global market place, and it provides examples of how they have transformed strategies and competitive capabilities. This book was originally published as a special issue of Asia Pacific Business Review.

Part of a series on the modern Japanese economy which explores all the major areas of Japanese economic life, this book examines the managerial hierarchies of large-scale Japanese industrial companies since their emergence.