Description
In this book, Professor Thomas examines the background, education and training of the Japanese salaryman in the context of Japanese society, having studied the training programmes of six major Japanese companies. He also surveys the historical, cultural and political events that have shaped the evolution of the salaryman. The Japanese attitude to industrial training as a long-term investment is contrasted with those often found in the West. Current issues and problems in adult education are discussed and the Japanese way of dealing with them explored. The case studies address key issues such as on-the-job training, senior-junior relationships, residential courses and the importance placed on kokusaika or “internationalization”. The author also gives an overview of the way that Japanese business functions, including the well-documented central role played by the government in business, the tradition of company loyality and the myth of security of tenure, as well as Japanese attitudes to the outside world, minorities and women.
