CASE STUDIES COMPARATIVE

MANAGEMENT

Student: SARIG MIGUEL ANDRE

Group: 167

Assignment 1. Japanese management in U.S. companies

In my opinion, Japanese system of management is a complete organizational philosophy, which

can affect every part of the enterprise. There are three basic ingredients, which are interlinked: a
lean production system, total quality management, and human resources management.
The Japanese system of management it also establishes the right technique to manage a business
or organization. Managers, as seen in movies, TV shows, and even real life, are usually
exclusively concerned with themselves, particularly in an industrial setting. Almost none of them
consider their workers, the idea that they will have a family to feed, or whether or not their
employees are satisfied. As a result, the major reason why Americans, for example, consider
their financial remuneration to be the most important factor in deciding whether or not to stay
with a company.
What kind of problems you think will have to solve Japanese managers in the U.S.?

When it comes to 'issues,' I believe the most challenging duty for Japanese managers is to keep
all of their personnel satisfied. Managers in Japan understand that if their workers are pleased,
the company will thrive as well. If the 'magicians behind the curtains' are not satisfied or at
ease, they will simply work for money, not to achieve the firm's objectives, and they will not feel
like a corporation. As a result, Japanese executives must engage with and discuss their co-
workers on a frequent basis.

How do you consider the knowledge transfer in management should be done?

Knowledge transfer is about more than preparing for a key employee’s eventual departure.
Instead, it’s about creating a proactive plan for sharing knowledge today in order to build a more
collaborative, aligned and informed workforce.

As a first step, a good idea would be to know what information do we actually need.
After that, we need to identify a company for example that we can learn from and of course,
collect the data.
Explicit knowledge is information that can be easily shared and passed on by writing or
speaking. It's information that can be quickly gleaned through a conversation, a book, or a quick
search on the internet.

Tacit knowledge is information that is difficult to write down or communicate verbally. It is

formed by a person's experiences, observations, and ideas, and it is transferred or imparted
through shared activities.

The B.O.D. is next move would be to absorb that knowledge and interpret it in a way that
everyone can understand. They can then apply what they've learned, put it to use, and evaluate
the results.

Assignment 2. Prentice Machine Tools

What is, in your opinion, the most appropriate strategy for Prentice top management in
order to deal with the situation? Consider the alternatives presented on the pros and cons
of each.

Do nothing.
This could put the corporation in a tough position, as other significant competitors may adjust
their rates to match the new ones.

Prentice Machine Tools must also consider that lowering their pricing any further may reduce
their profit or, at the very least, produce a break-even point. They would retain their advantage as
a pro, but I can think of a few more disadvantages.
For example, the purchase price in order to generate these techniques is not decreasing as well,
so by lowering it even further, they risk going bankrupt, given that regardless of the outcome in
the industry, fixed expenses such as leasing and variable expenses such as raw materials must
still be paid.

An instant price cut to keep the same competitive advantage as the prior time, which could prompt
similar steps from some competitors and result in a major price drop.

As a result, I couldn’t find a pro to this strategy  if Prentice Machine Tools decide to do nothing 
will lose the competitive advantage

Implementing a Marketing Mix

What does it mean?

The implementation of a Marketing Mix could give the company enough resources to solve and decide
what to do in order to progress.

This alternative has the main advantage to save the company’s time. As a result, it will give enough time
to observe what their competitors are up to as they keep an eye on the market as well.

As an effect, they may see a profit loss due to the fraud.

On a long term, which would be the most appropriate strategy for the firm Prentice?
Explain the answer.

The most appropriate strategy will be to attempt reducing the costs, especially the internal ones
as a result for the market drop or the price reductions.
The internal costs that can affect the most a company could be the employee’s wages. This
decrease can affect the performance of the employees and maybe a decrease in the number of
them as well. To maintain this level of internal costs with the employee’s wage most affected,
reducing the costs of raw materials and tools (equipment) could be an option to solve the issue
and to perform the strategy.

Assignment 3. Japanese robots

Develop a convincing explanation of Japanese management in the field of industrial robots

despite the fact that they were invented in the U.S. ½ page
Japan uses the highest number of robots, being followed by USA and UK.
A spokesman of Nissan, Datsun car manufacturer, said that "96% of the tasks of the plant
in Zama assembly are done by automatic machines, highly perfected, controlled by computer and
does not give errors. Nissan began using robots for the first time in 1969. In 1975 it possessed
52, two years later the figure reached 209, today more than 12.000. Another company spokesman
stated " of course we seek to reduce our labor costs but this is not the only thing that interests us.
After the Japanese method, Nissan has been talking with trade unions for many years before
engaging in this way.
One of their senior managers says that 99% of workers monitoring robots have at least
one diploma of secondary schools or technical schools and are happy that they can do something
other than painting or welding. Kajima, a Japanese trade union leader, said: "Nobody is willing
to spend eight hours a day in a paint shop where working conditions are dangerous. We need
robots. In terms of individual robots are welcome”.
Thus, as a result the Japanese management did right, they found a way to combine
utility with technology in a somewhat healthy manner. Indeed, I can agree the fact that robots
might lose some financial resources because they haven’t been the best since the beginning. As
mentioned, they are slowly starting to distinct between a car with two doors and one with four
doors, but we know that these took time, raw materials and financial resources. At the same time,
this idea can apply as well to humans. We are not born ready, we learn on the way and we make
mistakes which are okay in the beginning, therefore resources are also lost with the workforce.
The thing is, if a person makes a mistake, they usually waste some time and resources or in the
worst-case scenarios, they hurt themselves. Robots at the same time do not have consciousness
and it has happened before, moments in which a robot could not distinct between a human being
and a lifeless piece of equipment or material.

Innovation, creativity, and automation can all be beneficial come to a degree. The common
consensus in Japan is and they're the most advanced, and evidence of this can be found
everywhere. As a result, technology is beneficial, but only to a certain extent.

Assignment 4. Management-trade union relationship at IBM

Ensuring job safety make useless the need for a trade union?
The objective of the trade union is also to maintain transparency in the workplace. As previously
said, these trade unions allow employees to speak their minds without fear of being fired if they
do so.
Job safety offers physical protection rather than psychological safety, which is why Trade
Unions are still needed even if job safety exists.
If IBM would have adopted an authoritarian style of leadership, which would be the
impact on staff productivity?

Workers who do not deliver results are fired, according to the article. As a result, IBM's
management style is not far from dictatorial, as it is unclear whether employees are allowed to
defend themselves. People at work may resent not being able to offer their opinions because
authoritarian managers make decisions without consulting the group.

Relationship between top management and trade unions at IBM is common for U.S.
managerial system?

Yes, there must be a mutual reliance between the two.

If both trade unions and management understand that the other serves a true and valuable
purpose, they can work together more effectively. Unions represent workers in securing the best
contract of employment, whereas leadership is in control of an organization's assets and
workplace environment.

Discuss the following statement: "In the R&D intensive industries HR is one of the most
precious resources of the company, so IBM has no alternative but to handle their
employees very well."

Human resources are, without a doubt, the most valuable department of all.
HR plays a vital role in creating, maintaining, and changing the culture of an organization. Pay,
reward systems, learning & support, hiring and training, including promoting the company's
values are all components of HR's responsibilities. This is all about the individuals.
Workers are the main driver behind the success of every company. They design and manufacture
a product, market it, sell it, and also have a group of people who help customers who use it.
Assignment 5. Why we must consider cultural differences in doing business?
Why is it important for business to change?
Change in an organization leads to many positive aspects – that lead to retaining a competitive
edge and also remaining relevant in your business area.
Change encourages innovation, develops skills, develops staff and leads to better business
opportunities, and improves staff morale.

Why should businesses have adaptability?

Being adaptable is also important because it showcases your ability to be resourceful, displays
your leadership skills, determination, analytical skills and more. These are all valuable qualities
that an employer looks for in an employee.

On the other hand, globalization, modern tech, and increased transparency have put the
corporate sector into disarray. More and more executives are recognizing organizational abilities
that foster swift flexibility as a competitiveness in this time of uncertainty.

Businesses must excel at learning new abilities rather than being outstanding at one thing. Each
culture, as is well known, has its own customs and traditions, thus we must adapt.
In comparison to Americans, Japanese people, for example, have a unique manner of
negotiating.

What are the major cultural differences arising from the situation described?

One example is how Arabs always appear to be more immersed in the tea or coffee they
consume, giving the impression to the speaker that they don't really care.
In nations that allow women to visit, it is advised that they stay only in hotels that have been
approved by government officials for foreign women, and even then, they are not allowed to dine
in restaurants unless accompanied by a man, generally a hotel manager.
Application 2.
A message from the East

The behavioural patterns of American and Japanese employees reveal the contrasts in work
management approaches between the two cultures.

While Japanese executives are much more likely to remain with the same company throughout their
jobs, American executives are more willing to travel abroad and operate for a variety of companies.

Career growth opportunities, such as moves to their business's overseas sites, are viewed by Japanese
executives as an opportunity to learn more about their organization and how it runs.

When it comes to company loyalty, leaders in the United States and Japan think very differently.
Japanese managers prefer to stay with one company for the rest of their jobs because they believe it is
immoral to accept a job with another.

This is due to their strong attachment to their employer. They believe that their relationship with their
employer is reciprocal, and that they will soon look out for one another.

Managers in the United States, on the other hand, devote more time and effort to themselves than to
the organizations for which they work. They don't feel obligated to their company, and if a better job
opportunity presents itself, they will most likely take it.

Those in Japan tend to provide their employees with substantially better job security than firms in the
United States.

Executives in Japan are frequently well-cared for by their employment. Businesses will go to great
lengths to guarantee that their workers do not lose their jobs during times of economic struggle or
decline.

As part of their two-way cooperation, Japanese executives want their firms to look after them at all
times, despite of crises.

Managers in the US, on the other hand, are more likely to be fired if their organization is having financial
difficulties.