AOTS E-Newsletter: Insight (Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies)
2025/03/31 (Mon) 10:30
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆ AOTS E-Newsletter ◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
March 31, 2025
https://www.aots.jp/en/
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<Index>
1. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies - March 2025
In this edition, I will delve a little deeper into Eiichi Shibusawa's "The Analects and the Abacus."
Even in today's Japan, there are scandals and accidents that occur due to companies and their managers lacking ethics and morality.
There is no end to the unbelievable news stories about incidents that should never have happened.
For example, there was a case of a global automobile manufacturer that falsified numbers to meet test requirements.
In the food industry, there was a case of a company that lowered its costs, deceived consumers by lying about products' place of origin and ingredients, and fraudulently sold them at high prices.
If I may use an example from another country, there was also a story of a construction company that omitted steel frames that were required because it put profits first.
Buildings and bridges collapsed as a result of its shoddy work.
In Shibusawa's view, these incidents could be described as harmful effects that occur because people did not make the effort to develop morality.
There are people who misunderstand the meaning of "success," such as those who stop at nothing to achieve their target, but he never accepted that.
Wanting to improve one's profits is not a bad thing.
However, Shibusawa said that if such actions are not accompanied by morality (i.e., acting for the benefit of society), they will not be successful in the long term.
He urged managers in the business world and young people who will enter the workforce in the future to first "improve their character."
Hints on how to do this are written in "The Analects," a collection of ancient Chinese teachings.
At the same time, business talent is also necessary.
To succeed in today's era of sweeping transformations requires the ability to identify and flexibly adapt to market changes, innovative ideas, and capacity for action.
Both "the Analects" and "the abacus" are necessary.
If you proceed by effectively balancing morality and business, individual success will contribute to the prosperity of society as a whole and have lasting benefits.
That's true sustainability.
To be continued in the next edition.
Stay tuned for the next AOTS E-Newsletter.
Rikio Suma, Author
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Copyright 2016 The Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships, 30-1, Senju-Azuma 1-chome, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-8534, JAPAN
March 31, 2025
https://www.aots.jp/en/
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"AOTS E-Newsletter" is published by the Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships (AOTS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
*This email has been sent from a send-only address.
There have been more and more cases of subscribers not receiving AOTS E-Newsletters via Yahoo address or Gmail address.
If you are using Yahoo address or Gmail address and willing to continue to receive the AOTS E-Newsletters without fail, we recommend changing your email provider to another one.
It may be possible to avoid such a case by unblocking "johochosa@aots.jp" if your email provider offers such a service.
<Index>
1. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Insight: Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thoughts on the Management Philosophy of Various Japanese Companies - March 2025
In this edition, I will delve a little deeper into Eiichi Shibusawa's "The Analects and the Abacus."
Even in today's Japan, there are scandals and accidents that occur due to companies and their managers lacking ethics and morality.
There is no end to the unbelievable news stories about incidents that should never have happened.
For example, there was a case of a global automobile manufacturer that falsified numbers to meet test requirements.
In the food industry, there was a case of a company that lowered its costs, deceived consumers by lying about products' place of origin and ingredients, and fraudulently sold them at high prices.
If I may use an example from another country, there was also a story of a construction company that omitted steel frames that were required because it put profits first.
Buildings and bridges collapsed as a result of its shoddy work.
In Shibusawa's view, these incidents could be described as harmful effects that occur because people did not make the effort to develop morality.
There are people who misunderstand the meaning of "success," such as those who stop at nothing to achieve their target, but he never accepted that.
Wanting to improve one's profits is not a bad thing.
However, Shibusawa said that if such actions are not accompanied by morality (i.e., acting for the benefit of society), they will not be successful in the long term.
He urged managers in the business world and young people who will enter the workforce in the future to first "improve their character."
Hints on how to do this are written in "The Analects," a collection of ancient Chinese teachings.
At the same time, business talent is also necessary.
To succeed in today's era of sweeping transformations requires the ability to identify and flexibly adapt to market changes, innovative ideas, and capacity for action.
Both "the Analects" and "the abacus" are necessary.
If you proceed by effectively balancing morality and business, individual success will contribute to the prosperity of society as a whole and have lasting benefits.
That's true sustainability.
To be continued in the next edition.
Stay tuned for the next AOTS E-Newsletter.
Rikio Suma, Author
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Others
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
<Inquiries>
https://www.aots.jp/en/contact/
<Past Issues>
https://h.bme.jp/bm/p/bn/list.php?i=hri_hida&no=all
<Unsubscribe or change your registered e-mail address>.
https://www.aots.jp/en/publications/newsletter/
*If you want to change your registered email address, please unsubscribe once with your old address and register your subscription with your new address at the above website.
<Privacy Policy>
Your personal information is protected and is not made public.
Any information you provide through AOTS website and email will only be used by us to provide you with AOTS E-newsletters, occasional information and related questionnaires.
Copyright 2016 The Association for Overseas Technical Cooperation and Sustainable Partnerships, 30-1, Senju-Azuma 1-chome, Adachi-ku, Tokyo 120-8534, JAPAN