Contextual influences on Japanese management practices

"Japan is the world's second largest economy and has the world's highest per capita income (Harcher 1994). It is the only major non-western country that has undertaken an indigenous nationwide industrialisation programme (Lorriman 1994). As Australia's major trading partner, Japan and Australia have developed an excellent and continually strengthening relationship. This paper seeks to contribute to that process by taking a fresh look at the contextual influences upon the unique Japanese management practices (JMP) in Japanese firms. JMP are credited with having contributed greatly to Japan's postwar success in domestic and international markets. Keys (1994), Kerbo and McKinstry (1995) and Fingleton (1995) all observed tht JMP are changing due to cultural, governmental, industrial and environmental pressures and Keys, Denton and Miller (1994), Harber and Samson (1989), Clammer (1995) and Whitehall (1991) have noted the need for further investigation of this phenomenon and for more complete theoretical models on subject."--p. 1.