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Can't find it here? Try MegaEssays.com NEGOTIATING WITH THE JAPANESE By: sorin stoian NEGOTIATING WITH THE JAPANESE AMERICAN CORPORATIONS WISHING TO ENTER INTO VIRTUALLY ANY TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP-GROUND LEASES, SALES OR TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP OF FACILITIES-WITH A JAPANESE COMPANY MUST OVERCOME SEVERAL FORMIDABLE BARRIERS IN THEIR DEALINGS WITH THE JAPANESE. THIS ARTICLE WILL ACQUAINT THE AMERICAN READER WITH THE VAST DIFFERENCES IN MANAGEMENT THINKING BETWEEN WESTERNERS AND JAPANESE THAT OCCUR AS A RESULT OF BASIC CULTURAL DIFFERENCES. BUSINESS VISITORS TO JAPAN ARE EASILY MISLED BY SURFACE APPEARANCES, SUCH AS THE PREVALENCE OF SPOKEN ENGLISH AND WESTERN CUSTOMS IN HOTELS, SHOPPING CENTERS AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, IN THE JAPANESE COMPANIES WITH WHOM THEY'RE DEALING. THIS SURFACE "WESTERNIZATION" MASKS THE VERY REAL CHASMS SEPARATING WESTERN FROM JAPANESE THINKING. OUR CONCERNS IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THE PRAGMATIC ONES OF NOT JUST ATTRACTING JAPANESE INVESTMENTS TO THE U.S., BUT ALSO OF MINIMIZING SOME OF THE JOINT DIFFICULTIES IN ANY TYPE OF PROPOSED RELATIONS BETWEEN JAPANESE AND AMERICAN CORPORATIONS. IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL WE MUST CLEARLY RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY WHERE THESE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE WEST LIE, BUT ALSO BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE, IN FACT, AREAS WHERE THERE ARE NO COMMONALITIES OF INTEREST AT ALL! THESE LATTER ARE IN AREAS RELATING TO CORRECT AND PROPER SOCIAL RELATIONS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND OFTTIMES THERE CAN BE NO TRANSLATION OF THESE IDEAS FROM JAPANESE INTO ENGLISH, NOT ONLY, BECAUSE THE WORDS SIMPLY CAN'T BE TRANSLATED, BUT BECAUSE THE VERY CONCEPTS THEMSELVES ARE INHERENTLY ALIEN TO WESTERNERS. THE DEVELOPMENT OF JAPANESE CULTURAL ATTITUDES IS UNIQUE IN THE WORLD'S HISTORY. NOWHERE IN THE WORLD TODAY IS THERE A COUNTRY APPROACHING THE PRE-EMINENCE OF JAPAN WHOSE CULTURAL AND ETHICAL BEHAVIOR PATTERNS ARE SO LITTLE UNDERSTOOD BY THE REST OF THE WORLD.
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