KIC

KOSHINKAN　KS204

English

Business is about creating and providing products & services to be sold through markets. This is done by selecting, developing and combining different resources and activities of different actors in organizations and through markets. This process is called managing or organizing. To generate a return on the investments necessary requires, that the value of goods exceeds the cost of their generation. This depends from how much and at what price customers buy these goods. But, why do actors with different interests work together within business organizations, behaving differently from the logic of market transaction and knowing what is demanded or expected and what to do, without being explicitly ordered to do so or without having negotiated it in advance? And what makes a business organization different from other business organizations? The actual way, how business organizations guide the thinking and acting of their members, is build by every organization's own historic path and by reproducing a set of hidden rules and values about how members of an organization relate to themselves, towards the organization as a whole and towards outsiders. This is called organizational culture and through that corporations are attempting to generate and maintain such contradicting qualities of collective and individual behavior like flexibility and direction, creativity and efficiency at the same time. This is the essence of functioning management under the current conditions of growing uncertainty, volatility and ambiguity.

Originally, the concept of corporate culture has entered the stage of public attention in the 1980s. This was the time, when (a) the mainly scale driven economy began to stagnate, (b) internalization of business accelerated, (c) the gap between losers and winners became evident even among big corporations and (d) consultancies were looking for new (products) concepts after the prior boom in portfolio management. Corporate culture can be seen as response towards these changes and was expected to deliver new insights and solutions for a broad spectrum of demand, reaching from top managers to academics. Japanese companies, facing fundamental challenges towards their traditional value set and mode of integration by US dominated or capital markets centered globalization and saturation of their home markets are searching for growth opportunities abroad and by that increasingly realizing the need for reconfirming or redefining their hidden rules and values.

Against this background, this course is approaching the subject of business and management in Japan (& related challenges) mainly based on the concept of corporate culture. After outlining the macro-economic and social context of Japan since the 1990s, the course gives a critical overview about different core terms, models and concepts (theories) of corporate culture, discusses the relation of culture and change and discusses current problems, Japanese corporations and managers in Japan are encountering.

During and after completing this course students will not simply reproducing common (standard) descriptions & stereotypes about Japanese business & management, about a perceived (proclaimed) uniqueness (particularity) and cultural continuity (traditions). Instead, students will pay attention to and become aware of complexity, diversity and contexts of the real world of business & management, achieve a critical perspective and deeper understanding of current challenges for managing and doing business in Japan, their origins and prospects.

There are no special requirements beyond a strong interest and common knowledge in economics, business and management. This course will be held in English.

Lecture/Instructor（When there are multiple instructors)	Theme
	Keyword, References and Supplementary Information
1	A Model, Again? Long-Term Trends in Japans Economy (VoD)
	Keywords: Macro Framing & Problem Definition (Porter 2000, Koo 2008, Berndt 2018)
2	Why has (the concept of) "Corporate Culture" occurred? (VoD)
	Keywords: History & The Central Role of the (Past) Success of Japanese Corporations (Porter 2000, Schein 2004, Berndt 2018)
3	What is Corporate Culture? (VoD)
	Keywords: Core Terms & Definitions (Schein 2004, Berndt 2018)
4	How are Corporate Evolution and Corporate Culture related to each other? (VoD)
	Keywords: Re-Relating Core-Terms & Concepts (Aoki et al. 2008, Aoki 2010, Berndt 2018)
5	What Types of Corporate Culture? (VoD)
	Keywords: Typologies as Frames & Filters of Reality Recognition (Schein 2004)
6	How to cross Bridges & Walls (VoD)
	Keywords: Corporate Cultures, National Cultures and Sub-Cultures (Schein 2004, Aoki et al. 2008, Aoki 2010)
7	Can Corporate Culture (really) change? (VoD)
	Keywords: Organizational Dynamics & Current Challenges to Japanese Corporations 1 (Aoki 2010, Berndt 2018)
8	Are not they excluding each other: Change & Culture? (VoD)
	Keywords: Organizational Dynamics & Current Challenges to Japanese Corporations 2 ( Weick/Sutcliff 2007, Berndt 2018)
9	Can You Change Your Own Mind and Behavior? Why is it so hard? (VoD)
	Keywords: Organizational Dynamics & Current Challenges to Japanese Corporations 3 (Weick/Sutcliff 2007, Pfeffer 2015)
10	Online Test no. 1 about basic ideas and models, introduced and explained in the previous lectures (Zoom live session)
11	Online Test no. 2 about basic ideas and models, introduced and explained in the previous lectures (Zoom live session)
12	Online Test no. 3 about basic ideas and models, introduced and explained in the previous lectures (Zoom live session)
13	Q&A Session about Final Reports /Final Presentations under a Virtual Task Setting (Zoom live session)
14	Submission of Final Reports/Final Presentation under a Virtual Task Setting (through manaba+R Report Section)
15	Feedback, Assessment & Concluding Comments about Final Reports and Course Grading (Zoom live session)

This course will be conducted in English and offered completely web-based (mixture of Zoom live sessions and Video on Demand) at BCP Level１and higher. Therefore students who cannot come to the campus due to COVID-19 related restrictions will be able to take the classes. It consists of lecture inputs (Video on demand/VoD), online-tests and Q&A sessions (both conducted as Zoom live sessions) and student's outputs/assignment (both to be responded to through the respective manaba+R section). Classes no. 1-9 (lecture inputs) are designed as combination of (a) lecture material uploaded to manaba+R (contents section), (b) guidance & instructions given through the course news section of manaba+R with (c) condensed explanations in form of videos, uploaded to Panopto. Classes no. 10/11/12 are reserved for a series of three mandatory online tests and afterwards Q&A sessions (as Zoom live sessions) about basic ideas, models and interpretations, introduced and explained in the lectures. Class no. 13 is scheduled as Q&A (Zoom live session) about the final report/presentation (assignment to be submitted to class no. 14). Class no. 15 will be a feedback session.

この授業は、BCPレベル1以上で、Webでライブ配信とオンデマンドからなる融合型として行う。1〜9回目のクラスは、レクチャーとして、manaba+Rによる周知を行い、manaba+Rのコンテンツからダウンロードできる講義資料の提供に加え、いつでも学習可能なオンデマンド型の動画コンテンツ配信（Panopto)で実施する。10〜12回目のクラスは、レクチャーのコンテンスを対象に、manaba+Rの当該機能を通じて、必須のオンラインテスト及び事後の質疑応答を（Zoomのライブセッションを通じて）行う。最終レポート提出（14回目のクラス）の前の授業（13回目のクラス）で、それを対象にしたQ&A（質疑応答）Zoomのライブセッションを通じて行う。15回目のクラスは、フィードバックです。

Concentrate on understanding the inputs, given in the lecture. If necessary, read through the lecture materials, uploaded to WEB CT (manaba+R), in advance.

Kind	Percentage	Grading Criteria etc.
Final Examination (Written)	0
Report Examination (A report to be submitted by the unified deadline)	0
Exams and/or Reports other than those stated above, and Continuous Assessment　 (Evaluation of Everyday Performance in Class)	100	see below (note).

"Continuous Assessment" means, that the final grading (final score) will be given for the combination of the following two components:

(a) three mandatory online tests (open book, scheduled for classes no. 10/11/12 and to be taken through the respective manaba+R section and a Zoom live link), each covering all lecture inputs. The score of a single test has a final score weight of 15% each;

(b) a report task, released at the beginning of the course: You will find yourself in a virtual situation within a company and facing a practical problem (creating and submitting a briefing report to your virtual CEO). The report has to be submitted through the respective manaba+R section during the class no. 14. Further details will be given and orally explained during one of the first lectures. Sensitivity towards the given situation and social context, consistency (logic) in your argumentation, originality of your own core propositions and creativity in expression will be evaluated. The score for this assignment has a final score weight of 55%.

Be aware, that both components (online tests + report task) are mandatory and submitting both (until the respective deadline) is the only way to receive a grade (credit) and that no exception (no rescue measures) will be provided.

Start early to generate ideas for your report task (second component/assignment) and take sufficient time for preparing your output report.

This course does not follow or use one particular textbook. Instead, the lecture materials indicate all references and sources required for each subject or lecture. The digital version of the lecture materials will be uploaded on the WebCT (manaba+R). These materials are mainly PDF slides in English. The lectures will be given in English.

Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN Code	Comment
J-Economy, J-Corporation and J-Power since 1990	Berndt, Enno	Edizione Ca'Foscari	9788869692765
The Holy Grail of Macroeconomics: Lessons from Japan's Great Recession	Koo, Richard	John Wiley & Sons	9780470823873
Corporate Governance in Japan	Aoki, Masahiko et al.	Oxford University Press	9780199284528
Organizational Culture and Leadership	Schein, Edgar	Jossey-Bass	9780787975975
Managing the Unexpected	Weick, Karl/Sutcliffe, Kathleen	Jossey-Bass	9780787996499
Can Japan Compete?	Porter, Michael et al.	Basic Books	9780465059898
Leadership BS	Pfeffer, Jeffrey	HarperBusiness	9780062383167
Corporations in Evolving Diversity	Aoki, Masahiko	Oxford University Press	9780199218530
Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach	Freeman, Edward	Pitman Publishing	9780273019138

Further references (articles) are indicated in the lecture materials, mentioned above.

http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/en/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-277-2/

Learning Management System （manaba+R）,Other (Separate instructions will be provided)

 In order (a) to get used to different views on hidden rules and values and (b) to prepare yourself for the report task (see: evaluation method), you are expected to choose and watch one of the following movies and to reflect about, how these movies (their stories & messages) can be or are related to the concept of corporate culture:

(1) "Gohatto" by Nagisa OSHIMA (2000);
(2) "Wall Street" by Oliver STONE (1987);
(3) "The Circle" by James PONSOLDT (2017).

【科目ナンバリング・カリキュラムマップはこちらから/Click here to see the Curriculum-Map and Course-Numbering】
URL:http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp//students/pathways-future/course/curriculum.html