Growth Through Competition, Competition Through Growth: Strategic Management and the Economy in Japan (Electronic book text)

This book examines two characteristics lying at the heart of Japanese management - growth pursuit not by acquisitions, but by internal investment, and the intensive competition within and between Japanese firms. The author also looks at how Japanese firms maintain efficiency and flexibility under the apparently rigid system of lifetime employment. The book begins by enquiring into the financial and human aspects of the firm with a particular emphasis placed on the human side. The motivation, behaviour, and organization of Japanese management are discussed and the consequences of the Japanese management system on the country's industrial organization and macroeconomy are examined. Throughout the book it is emphasized that competition is at the heart of the Japanese economy and management to the same, if not to a greater degree, as in the West. This competition is enhanced by the growth preference of Japanese management, and competition in turn makes growth feasible.