Does Japan Still Matter? Past Tendencies and Future Opportunities in the Study of Japanese Firms

Abstract

This paper engages with the question ‘does Japan still matter’ by systematically reviewing publication patterns in peer‐reviewed academic journal articles addressing Japanese firms and their management practices, illustrating the academic discourse surrounding Japanese firms over four decades, and by identifying future research opportunities. Initially, particularly from the 1980s when Japanese firms came to prominence, these practices tended to be identified as ‘best practice’. However, at least in part due to socio‐economic changes, this tendency has become less prominent since the ‘bubble economy’ burst. Instead, three broader developments are observed: the examination of the continuity and change in the traditional Japanese model, a more complex approach that involves multiple themes of research, and leveraging new contexts to examine Japanese firms, including the long‐term recession, the rise of the East Asian economy, and the increasing importance of corporate social responsibility.

Money, honour and duty: Global professional service firms in comparative perspective

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Recruitment source practices in foreign and local firms: a comparative study in Japan

“…Thus, our approach provides a more holistic view of recruitment practices in domestic and foreign firms. In addition, our study adds to declining research on HRM in Japan (Endo, Delbridge and Morris 2015), and to contradictory arguments of HRM stability (Jacoby 2005;Robinson 2003) and change (Kramar and Parry 2014;Pudelko and Harzing 2007) in Japan. Further, more research is needed because Japan as the third-largest economic power in the world continues to be an important but challenging country for foreign firms (Peltokorpi and Vaara 2014).…”

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