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New ideas in business
The list is from Harvard Business Review, worth a quick read, try this:
An entrepreneurial Japan--which once would have seemed oxymoronic--may ultimately overshadow the much touted start-up cultures in China and India.
A good bet. Scrolling down to the bottom you will find Clay Shirky and also David Weinberger's interesting "The Folly of Accountabilism."
The pointer is from Ben Casnocha.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on February 1, 2007 at 08:08 AM in Education | Permalink
Comments
Tyler -
Just like to point out that it's not such a new idea...our book on this, "Japan's Business Renaissance," has been out for some time. Japan is back, and in a big way. Thanks.
Posted by: Adam Carstens at Feb 1, 2007 9:20:55 AM
Maybe Hori-san is right but I meet with Japanese managers on a regular basis to determine if they are worth investing in and I have yet to see much of a turnaround. Employees are still not gotten rid of, just moved around even if the company has nothing for them to do and companies will still not shut down money losing businesses, they just continue to throw in good money after bad. Return on equity is still a non-Japanese concept as well as earning a return above your cost of capital. Balance sheets are better, less debt and margins have somewhat improved but by and large it's still business as usual. Some of the more innovative companies like Toshiba remind me of Bell Labs. They come up with great inventions but fail to capitalize on them.
The examples cited just show that some of the more wasteful aspects of Silicon Valley financing are being repeated in Japan. And just copying new ideas rather than old ones doesn't make you innovative.
Posted by: asiequana at Feb 1, 2007 11:02:15 AM
Dr. Cowen -
Please assure me that neither naivete nor doctrinal purity have led you to give credence to Mr. Hori's sales pitch.
Hori's IPO numbers are wonderful until you realize that most of these IPOs are just the hiving off of divisions of conglomerates. The number of new businesses coming to market is small. Kasahara Kenji and Mixi are notable not because they are the vanguard of a New Japan but because they are rare points of light in the murk. Mikitani and Rakuten are old news (Rakuten’s IPO was in 2000).
Hori mentions in passing the negative aspects of Japan’s entrepreneurial culture, as represented by Horie Takafumi’s Livedoor and Murakami Yoshiaki. What he neglects to mention is that the two men and their businesses were targeted for destruction by the ruling elites—and that both men are likely innocent of the charges against them. Horie’s and Murakami’s fates represent stark warnings to anyone of swashbuckling bent that the Iron Triangle is alive and well and will admit no upstarts.
Posted by: MTC at Feb 1, 2007 9:32:48 PM
Japan is the best place to live in the world. Our woman carries the responsibility of serving men in the culture.
Even high school girls go out for sexual intercouse, which we call "ENJO KOSAI", or "dating for assistance".
You may call it an escourt service by your culture, but actually it isn't.
check out here:
http://www.edstrong.blog-city.com/japan_sex_teenage_girls_and_consumerism.htm
When you get too old, think moving to Japan!
P.S. we make best porns of the world, all variety! I guess you never have a chance.
Posted by: Kanji at Feb 2, 2007 10:49:51 PM
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Posted by: mirror at Feb 6, 2007 4:35:19 PM
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Posted by: 謝文豪 at Apr 1, 2008 10:11:49 PM
