This book tells the story of critical avant-garde design in Japan, which emerged during the 1960s and continues to inspire designers today. The practice communicates a form of visual and material protest drawing on the ideologies and critical theories of the 1960s and 1970s, notably feminism, body politics, the politics of identity, and ecological, anti-consumerist and anti-institutional critiques, as well as the concept of otherness. It also presents an encounter between two seemingly contradictory concepts: luxury and the avant-garde. The book challenges the definition of design as the production of unnecessary decorative and conceptual objects, and the characterisation of Japanese design in particular as beautiful, sublime or a product of ‘Japanese culture’. In doing so it reveals the ways in which material and visual culture serve to voice protest and formulate a social critique.

Knowledge Horizons charts the feasible future for knowledge management. This practical and provocative resource presents the work of many of the leading voices in knowledge management and related disciplines, who explore the current trends and offer pragmatic and authoritative thinking on applied knowledge management from a variety of positions. Knowledge management is the new frontier for businesses, organizations, and institutions of all kinds. For those that hope to conquer this new territory, establishing a better understanding of current and future knowledge management trends and adoption of the most effective practices is imperitive. There are numerous options for executives: intranets, extranets, groupware, and core competencies are continually being refined. New entitites and rules in terms of intellectual capital and the "Chief Knowledge Officer" are emerging. Knowledge Horizons addresses these issues by exploring current and future knowledge management trends, gauging the future value of knowledge management investments, and how they will drive new business initiatives, and integrates the experience and insights of managers and cutting-edge research from experts in the field.

What does "environment" really mean in the complex, non-Western milieu of present-day Tokyo? How can anthropology contribute to the technical discussions and quantitative measures typically found in environmental studies? Author Peter Wynn Kirby explores these questions through a deep cultural analysis of waste in contemporary Japan. His parameters are intentionally broad—encompassing ideas of "nature," attitudes toward hygiene, notions of health and illness, problems with vermin and toxic waste, processes of social exclusion, and reproductive threats. Troubled Natures concludes that how surroundings are conceived, invoked, and enacted is subjective, highly contextual, and under continual negotiation—with suggestive implications for anthropology, social science, and environmental studies generally. Kirby casts his anthropological lens over two Tokyo neighborhoods, comparing environmental consciousness and conduct in communities facing specific toxic threats (real or perceived). In each fieldsite, the tension between lofty rhetoric and daily practices helps highlight the practical ambivalence of Japanese environmental consciousness. Waste practices and ideas of pollution in Tokyo tie clearly into broader social issues such as exclusionary practices, emergent lifestyle changes, recycling efforts, and novel forms of energy production. Throughout, waste and environmental health problems in Tokyo collide against diverse cultural elements linked to nature(s)—uneasy relations between animals and humans; "native" conceptions of the "foreign" and the "polluted"; reproductive challenges in the face of a plunging fertility rate; and changing attitudes toward illness and health. The book’s thoughtful inquiry into the ways in which environmental questions circulate throughout Japanese society furnishes insight into central elements of contemporary Japanese life. As for the pivotal question of how to shape environmental policy internationally, Troubled Natures reminds us that efforts to influence a society’s waste shadow must unfold over a distinctive sociocultural topography where attitudes to garbage, health, purity, pollution, and excess can impact environmental priorities in profound ways.

A revealing look at Japanese design weaving together the stories of people who shaped Japan’s design industries with social history, economic conditions, and geopolitics. From cars to cameras, design from Japan is ubiquitous. So are perceptions of Japanese design, from calming, carefully crafted minimalism to avant-garde catwalk fashion, or the cute, Kawaii aesthetic populating Tokyo streets. But these portrayals overlook the creativity, generosity, and sheer hard work that has gone into creating and maintaining design industries in Japan. In Designing Modern Japan, Sarah Teasley deftly weaves together the personal stories of people who shaped and shape Japan’s design industries with social history, economic conditions, and geopolitics.. Key to her account is how design has been a strategy to help communities thrive during turbulent times, and for making life better along the way. Deeply researched and superbly illustrated, Designing Modern Japan appeals to a wide audience for Japanese design, history, and culture.

The interrelated Seibu and Saison enterprise groups have shaped Japanese consumer culture and made the Tsutsumi family fabulously rich. Beginning with the colorful founder, Yasujiro Tsutsumi, Thomas Havens traces the family's fortunes through the rise of its various companies. He examines the strategic thinking, management styles, and marketing techniques of Yasujiro and his sons; explains how the companies have prospered outside Japan's zaibatsu and keiretsu business establishments; and demonstrates how the Seibu enterprises have shifted Japanese culture from a frugal, hardworking society to a New Breed that takes affluence for granted.

Large and medium sized retailers have increased their international operations substantially over the last 25 years. This is evident in: the number of countries to which these retailers expand; the growing international sales of retailers; and the heightening of the level of commitment of retailers to their international activity – a trend that is likely to continue over the next decade as general globalization in the service industries increases. The managerial implications of the moves to become global are considerable. Different retailers are pursuing different approaches, to varying degrees of success and are no longer simply multi-national, but are also multi-continental. Consequently, existing concepts and theories of international business fit uneasily in explanations of international retailing, so new corporate strategies need to be explored. Featuring in-depth studies of seven retailers, by international scholars from Japan, the UK and Sweden, Global Strategies in Retailing explores recent developments in strategy that are related to international retailing and in particular, the emergence of a Global Portfolio Strategy. As such, this book will be important reading for all international business and retailing students and academics researching in these areas.