Global Business Cultural Analysis – Japan

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Even though the Japanese stayed a very private culture for a major bulk of time, they are trying to learn to be more vulnerable and open to other religions by taken a stance on various religious viewpoints. Japanese are also firm believers in the importance of religious customs that they instill in their children very early on in their life. Nevertheless, the most important religions practiced in the Japan at this present time are Confucianism, Buddhism, and Shintoism and they’re to stay till the end of time.

Ethics

The collectivist nature of the Japanese is significant when deliberating over ethics in Japan. Japanese are taught from very early on that it is their duty to be loyal to their place work, and for this they are compensated with lifetime employment. Japanese men are told at a very young age that to survive and to get out of unfortunate circumstances they must rely on hard work and skills (Rastogi, P.) Japanese are taught the importance of taking care of others before themselves and that would mean putting work before themselves. Unethical behavior in the workplace or in general is not common at all. Children in Japan are taught to think analytically in areas of how they feel, perform, and think because it encourages public and national interests (Rastogi, P.). Japanese are often referred to as “workaholics,” they put in very long work hours. Japanese want to be in harmony in their everyday life at home and work and they feel it is their responsibility to pursue improvement in their organization and would never want to humiliate the organization they work for.

The way that the Japanese are brought up in life shows how religion and their moral behaviors link together in everything they do in life. Much of the Japanese culture is interlinked and it shows how ethics, religion, and collectivism are all connected.

Values and Attitude

Japanese values and attitudes are cultural expectations and morals specific to their culture. Japanese have continually instilled that their country’s welfare are put in front of their own welfare. This collectivist belief is what has propagated their culture and has influenced the country since the very beginning. As mentioned before, Japanese value harmony in everything they do in life and are taught the concept at a very early age. With such high value placed on harmony and peace is the way of life it offers very little opportunities for opposition to take place. Education is a high on their list, if you want to go far in life Japanese must have the education and Japanese devote a lot of time into the educational system. Much of the attitude towards school comes from their family because the family plays a vital role in their children’s schooling, especially the mother.

Manners

Japanese pride themselves on good manners. For example, Japanese, unlike American’s, do not shake hands when greeted they bow. “The way of bowing reflects each person’s social status, and the social position towards one another, resulting in bows of up to 90 degrees in angle, when very deferential, to a slight nod, when greeting someone of lower social standing or of junior rank (http://www.jref.com).”

Japanese believe that good gestures and body language are of importance during a meeting or when handling their business. The Japanese also consider themselves delegates of the organization they are working for and want to make their company look present well.

Japanese always look out for the best interest of the company they work for.

Customs

Workaholics. Japanese are considered “workaholics.” When hired on at a corporation it is expected of you to do whatever it takes to accomplish your job. An article called, Japanese Choices discusses, and “The traditional relationship between the corporation and a worker across the world has been ‘parent to child’ The corporate ‘parent’ provides for the worker ‘child’. They do this through the promise of a lifetime of employment, through clearly demarcated promotion based on seniority, and by well-defined hierarchies of decision-making. In this ultra secure context, the role of the work ‘child’ is to behave in a passive, disciplined manner, by working long hours, rarely questioning authority and by fitting into the hierarchy (Gratton, L.).” This idea is exactly what the Japanese look at if they want to fit in with the higher hierarchy.

Punctual, Building Relationships, Polite and Formal. When Japanese set-up meeting they prefer to have an appointment in place for the meeting. Japanese are very punctual people when it comes to their work. When you finally do get to sit down to meet be ready to meet with several people not just one. Japanese are looking for a long-term business relationship and are very polite and formal during the meeting.

Social Structure and Organizations

Social Classes. Japan is pretty much the same harmonized society; the country does not display the multifaceted cultural, religious and class separations that are portrayed in numerous countries. There are not huge variances amongst the rich and the poor in Japan as they are in other countries, 90 percent of the Japanese populations consider themselves middle class (countriesquest.com). There were two periods of social unrest where there were transformations that took place in the modern era, the first was the drive for modernization under the control of the Meiji government at the end of the 19th Century; and the second was during WWII, when the allies were in control (countriesquest.com). During the social unrest it resulted in more empowerment to individuals. Consequently this caused for change, Japanese men and women obtained more freedom in the personal life.

Women. Japanese social structure still sees big disapproval in the role that the Japanese women play in society. Japanese believe that the woman’s should be subservient. Most women do not hold a prominent position that grants them power in a company in Japan. Japanese have started assimilating the philosophies of Western Countries, where the Japanese will start to see more women in those prominent positions. Japanese have this belief for the longest time that the women should stay at home and take care of the children and make sure they are properly educated, but modern Japan is shifting its ideals more toward the Western ideals.

Older Population. The older populations are regarded with deep respect. A lot of Japan older population is getting to retirement age, which could be a problem because as the older