Webcasts

With the world’s second largest economy, Japan is an attractive market for Western companies. To conduct business successfully in Japan, Westerners need to understand Japanese culture and business etiquette. The strong hierarchical group mentality and distinct social etiquette in Japan require study and understanding. What messages are indirectly communicated through your way of speaking or your body language? How do Japanese companies balance business with social events? What are common mistakes that Western companies make? What is the most successful approach to doing business with Japanese people? 

Please join our Doing Business in Japan webcast on December 9, 2008 to gain the cultural competence needed when doing business with Japanese companies. The 90-minute session will consist of a 60-minute presentation, followed by 30 minutes for Q&A.

• Intro to Japan
  • Geography of Japan
  • Basic demographic and economic data
  • Recent economic performance
• Basic concepts in Japanese culture
• American stereotypes of Japanese
• Japanese stereotypes of Americans
• Characteristics of companies in Japan
  • Long-term thinking
  • Lifetime employment
  • College hiring
  • Seniority system
  • Recent changes
• Meeting/Negotiating with Japanese
  • Meeting for the first time
  • Structure of a meeting
  • Strategies for successful negotiation
  • Socializing after the meeting – etiquette for eating and drinking
  • Networking effectively in Japan
• The Japanese decision-making process
• Communicating with Japanese
• Maintaining strong business relationships
• Dealing with the government
  • Government officials
  • Quality issues
• Multicultural workplaces
  • Managing Japanese employees
  • Working under Japanese managers
  • Gaining trust as a foreigner