ECONOMIA POLITICA (GIAPPONE)

This lecture course provides an opportunity to receive an overall picture about changes and challenges in Japan’s economy, corporate governance, corporate management and corporate culture after 1990 and about nuclear power generation in Japan (before and after Fukushima 3/11). It demonstrates how theoretical basics in economics and management (macro & micro) can be applied to the analysis of Japan related issues, paying attention to both, the historical/specific path and impacts/implications beyond the specific (national) context in question.

Organizations are the core element of modern societies and economies. Crisis and prosperity of the latter are always closely related to the functioning of the first. For a deep understanding of both sides, it is essential to ask and explore, why and how individual subjects with different interests work together, knowing what is demanded or expected from them and what to do, without being explicitly ordered to do so or without having negotiated it. Since the early 1990s, Japan and its corporate organizations have been struggling with deflationary repercussions from the bursting of bubble economy or implosion of inflated asset market prices and increased industrial competition mainly from South Korean and Chinese firms. And since the late 1990s, mergers & acquisition activities have been increasing as the preferred option to grow domestically and abroad, involving not only inside-out, but also outside-in and inside-in cases. In this context, corporate culture raised attention as one of the key factors for sustainable corporate success. Japanese companies, facing fundamental challenges towards their traditional business model, value set and mode of integration by US dominated globalization and organizational restructuring are in need to reconfirm or redefine their rules and values, their corporate culture.


Against this background and after an introduction into the nature of the current economic situation in Japan, this course provides an overview about different core terms and models of corporate culture, discusses the relation of culture and change and identifies current challenges, particularly Japanese corporations are facing with regard to their internal integration. Students gain not only overall picture about the developments in Japan's economy and corporate world since 1990, but will be provided a demonstration how theoretical basics in Economics and Management (macro & micro) can be applied to the analysis of specific issues, related to Japan today with important impacts and implications, going beyond the Japan specific (national) context.

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.

This course is consisting of lecture inputs about the broader context of the economy and business & management in Japan since 1990, structured as three modules (macro, micro and nuclear power generation). The input modules about macro & micro related issues are complemented with open Q&A sessions for discussing propositions, explained in the related lecture module. Students are expected (a) to have a sufficient command of English, (b) to read and understand the recommended textbook and (c) to contribute to their own learning by expressing their views and asking their questions in the Q&A sessions. Notice, that there won't be any additional guidance and consulting (for the examinations) apart from the lecture inputs and Q&A sessions, mentioned above and as scheduled in February 2023 and March 2023. Students, not attending the class sessions (for whatever reason) are required to study the lecture materials (including the recommended textbook) and to prepare the examinations by themselves.

Lecture No. 1: Explaining Course Design & Personal Context

Macro Module
Lecture No. 2: (Negative) Single Case or (Early) Mainstream Indicator? Long-Term Trends in Japans Economy (Part 1)
Lecture No. 3: (Negative) Single Case or (Early) Mainstream Indicator? Long-Term Trends in Japans Economy (Part 2)
Lecture No. 4: Q&A session covering macro module

Micro Module
Lecture No. 5: How & Why occurred (the Idea of) “Corporate Culture? The Role of the (Past) Success of J-Corporations
Lecture No. 6: What is Corporate Culture? Core Terms & Definitions
Lecture No. 7: How are Corporate Evolution & Culture related to each other? Re-Relating Core-Terms & Concepts
Lecture No. 8: What Types of Corporate Culture? Typologies as Frames & Filters of Reality Recognition
Lecture No. 9: Corporate Cultures, National Cultures & Sub-Cultures. How to cross Bridges & Walls
Lecture No. 10: Can Corporate Culture (really) change? Organizational Dynamics & Current Challenges to Japanese Corporations 1
Lecture No. 11: Can Corporate Culture (really) change? Organizational Dynamics & Current Challenges to Japanese Corporations 2
Lecture No. 12: Can Corporate Culture (really) change? Organizational Dynamics & Current Challenges to Japanese Corporations 3
Lecture No. 13: Q&A session covering micro module

Nuke Module (Nuclear Power Generation in Japan)
Lecture No. 14: J-Power: How Political (State) Power has shaped Japan’s Economy & Energy Industry, and why lessons haven’t been learned from Fukushima 2011/3/11 (Part 1)
Lecture No. 15: J-Power: How Political (State) Power has shaped Japan’s Economy & Energy Industry, and why lessons haven’t been learned from Fukushima 2011/3/11 (Part 2)

Focus on the inputs, given in the lecture modules. Specified supplemental readings or recommended references are indicated in the lecture materials for each module. A digital version of the lecture materials (PDF presentations in English) will be uploaded to Moodle.

Enno BERNDT “J-Economy, J-Firm and J-Power” (ECF 2018, http://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/en/edizioni/libri/978-88-6969-277-2/ ) is recommended as general reference or "textbook" in the sense, that one can read again (repeat) and deepen the understanding of the lectures inputs.

Examination (conducted during the regular/general examination periods) will cover the content of the lecture inputs and will be conducted as online test within the regular examination periods. The online test consists of 20 true/false questions to be completed within 30 minutes. The test score will be translated into the CF grading scale (20 x 1,5 points= max. 30 points) and represents 100% of the assessment/grading for the course LM 5140 (AY 2022/23). Please notice, that there won't be other options to the online test as described above.

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Combining lecture input, giving in presence and covering the three subject modules (frontal, push-driven) with Q&A sessions (inter-active, pull driven) to discuss openly propositions, outlined in the lecture modules, and related questions.