The sogo shosha, Japan's general trading companies, are regarded as a key element in the country's rapid economic growth after World War II and its great success in international trade. In Japanese fiscal year 1975, the ten largest sogo shosha had total sales of $155 billion, accounting for 56 percent of Japan's exports and imports, 18 percent of domestic wholesale trade, and 31 percent of GNP. On the international level, the transactions of these companies in the same year were 5 percent of world export trade. This book—the first comprehensive, English-language work on the sogo shosha—systematically describes and analyzes the basic characteristics, business methods, sales and profit trends, strategies, national roles, global reach, strengths and weaknesses, and future prospects of these global trading conglomerates. In examining both the national and the global facets of the sogo shosha, the author presents the economic and social origins of the ten largest companies, how they differ from the pre-World War II zaibatsu, and how they resemble and differ from Western multinational corporations. A wealth of statistical and tabular material supplements his account of the sogo shosha as Japan's chief importers of foodstuffs, raw materials, and equipment; as the advance guard of Japanese exports; as a driving force to rationalize the domestic distribution system; and as investor-organizers of multinational overseas natural resource development programs.

As the title suggests, this is an ambitious book. Broad in scope and rich in detail, it examines the rise and fall of Japanese foreign direct investment (FDI) in nearly two dozen industries, from electronics and automobile manufacturing to real estate and construction services, in almost every region of the world over the past half century or more. The result is an encyclopedic volume (459 pages with index). . . useful for East Asian business scholars or those interested in the overseas activities of Japanese firms. Farrell has written. . . a sweeping survey of Japanese FDI. Walter Hatch, Journal of Japanese Studies Roger Farrell has written a weighty compendium on Japanese direct foreign investment. At over 450 pages it covers the full array of Japan s diverse industries and sectors, from fisheries and lumber to steel and automobiles, and in the service industries from banking to telecommunications. Apart from the breadth of coverage, this work is even more remarkable considering that Japanese multinationals and their overseas investments have been largely under the radar of social scientists of late, especially so since the ascent of China in the early years of the present decade. David W. Edgington, Growth and Change Enhanced with indexes, appendixes, and editorial opinions on the subject, Japanese Investment in the World Economy is a complete and comprehensive scholarly reference, ideal for college and community library economics collections. Midwest Book Review The Economics Shelf This book examines Japanese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the world economy over more than five decades. It provides a unique focus on the internationalisation experience of selected industries, such as forestry, textiles, electronics, motor vehicles, steel and services as well as case studies of individual firms. Roger Farrell considers the theoretical explanations for Japanese FDI and particular motivations which have been an ongoing rationale for FDI, including: energy and resource security the theme of retaining market access the relocation of manufacturing to retain international competitiveness withdrawal after the bubble economy the new phase of investment in the 2000s. Japanese Investment in the World Economy is distinctive in that it examines overseas investment by firms in the primary, manufacturing and services sectors over the period in which the Japanese economy became the second largest in the world. The book provides a succinct overview of Japanese FDI of interest to professionals and students of business, economics, international relations, politics and Japanese culture.

First published in 1986, this work reports the results of the Leverhulme project on multinationals and intermediate product trade based at the University of Reading during the academic year 1982/3. Chapter 1 summaries the main results of this project. Part I focuses upon the theoretical component of world trade, dealing with both the theories of division of labour and vertical integration. Part II presents a number of specially-commissioned case studies relating to the project, concerning the motor industry, the bearing industry, the synthetic fibre industry, the tin industry, the copper industry, the banana industry and the shipping industry.

New insights and a provocative perspective characterized this book by Professors Welch, Benito, and Petersen. . . Managers will find the framework of this book very appealing and relevant to their everyday international efforts and inquiries. The book is mandatory reading for academics and graduates in business, international marketing, and international business. Carlos M. Rodriguez, International Marketing Review Numerous books and articles on entry strategies and entry modes explain why companies choose a certain mode and how companies should enter foreign markets. This book, however, deals with the strategic decision making process when deciding which mode to use on entering a new market. The approach in this book is novel in that it discusses and suggests how companies can use a mixed mode approach to achieve success in foreign markets. Moreover, it deals with issues such as how and when to move from one mode to another, which has always been an important question for firms as well as for scholars. To summarize, this is a timely publication which, based on solid theoretical grounding, provides excellent guidelines for managers formulating strategies to enter new markets, as well as expanding their operations in foreign markets. Pervez N. Ghauri, Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, UK Also known as entry modes or foreign market servicing methods , foreign operation methods are critical criteria for companies ability to function in the international business arena. This comprehensive and accessible textbook explores the characteristics, choice, utilization and management of foreign operation methods. The book provides an extended analysis of the various foreign operation mode options, including those that have, until now, received relatively cursory treatment. Issues such as international licensing, franchising, outsourcing, project operations and management contracts are also discussed. In addition to providing an overview of the various theoretical perspectives on foreign operation mode choice, a treatment of emerging strategy concerns such as mode combinations and mode switching is included. Featuring a thorough overview of the various theoretical perspectives on foreign operation mode choice and use, and treatment of emerging strategy concerns such as mode combinations and mode switching, this textbook provides a somewhat broader coverage of foreign operation methods than current literature has offered until now. It will prove invaluable for a wide-ranging readership encompassing undergraduate and postgraduate students, academics and practitioners in the field of international business.

The late twentieth century has witnessed a dramatic upsurge in foreign direct investment in the Third World. Based upon thorough statistical analysis, the book presents exhaustive case-studies of foreign investment policy in 'metropolitan' countries and of the experiences of 'host' countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. With a wide geographical and historical focus, it also makes an important contribution to current debates on dependency theory.