Japanese Keiretsu

Following the 1994 downturn in the Japanese economy, the Japanese kereitsu are facing hard times. However, those economic analysts and members of the news media who are tempted to write them off as dinosaurs are making a mistake. There are many observers who feel that the keiretsu are more viable than ever, and there is much research that confirms this point. This article looks at some of the current research concerning the management success of kereitsu as well as some of the modern industries that this uniquely Japanese system of business organization is being applied to. Rather than dealing exclusively with the auto industry, this report looks at a number of concepts all based on the thinking of the relatively new discipline of Economic Sociology.

A summary of challenges for …