You are to prepare a formal analytical essay of strictly on Japanese Business Etiquette and steps that Emily can use to make a favourable first impression when she visits Japan to meet with Mr. Hamasaki.
Emily’s Meeting
Difference in Culture, beliefs and business practices may make business between individuals from geographical regions that are very far apart quite difficult. Hence, Emily’s penetration of the Japanese market will not be devoid of difficulties. She therefore needs to make a very good impression on her first meeting with the Japanese store owner. Apart from doing this, she needs to understand the nature of the Japanese market and know how to communicate effectively with her host and also her customers. Australia and Japan are continents apart and so she has to know what may be considered unpleasant in this continent as well as some of the things that appeal to the Japanese. An analysis of the Japanese business principles and etiquette hence can give some insight on how she should be able to meet her goal of reaping from condiments once in Japan.
The Japanese bestow a lot of value to etiquette. It is not surprising that “Japanese etiquette’’ is one of the most searched term by those who tend to move to the country for business purpose (Dunn,2013). Lessons on manners form a concrete part of the kindergarten learning in which children are made to develop good behavioral traits. It is therefore important for foreigners to resonate with the Japanese manners when they interact with people from the country (Bardsley & Miller,2011). One thing that is good however is the fact that they are lenient when dealing with visitors and as such tend to overlook some things that they may consider as lack of etiquette for those of their own (Vardaman & Vardaman, 2011). Emily should therefore not put so much effort in trying to impress Hamasaki.
During the first meeting, some of the common expressions of etiquette such as politeness and sensitivity should not be lacking in the conversation. Business meetings such as this one need to be attended while dressed formally (Okoro,2012). It won’t be wrong if she adorns designer official business clothes since a good number of Japanese place value on class. Dressing alone will not ensure that the meeting is highly successful. Emily should understand that there are some Japanese traditions that may be overlooked but which may make a really big difference. Bowing, for example, before a handshake as a sign of respect is common among business people of this region and Emily needs to do this before she is offered a handshake. Chances are that after this is done she will be offered a seat for the conversation to begin. She should let her host sit first. After this, the discussion will begin. Emily should show that she is truly interested in learning from Mr. Hamasaki by jotting down some points as a sign that she takes what he says very seriously.
A peculiar thing about the Japanese business persons is the value they place on business cards. Business cards are taken very seriously in Japan (Plive.co.ke, 2017). It is important that Emily walks with one. She needs to present this while holding it with both hands and bowing slightly. Similarly, she should show warmth when accepting that one which will definitely be offered by Hamasaki. Since there is so much value placed on these cards, Emily needs to try as much as possible not to flick or write on her card. This would be misinterpreted as a lack of respect for the host. Emily needs to know that this is one area that she may use to create the best impression on her business partner. She should immediately put the card she is given into her case in front of Mr. Hamasaki since in case she gets carried away by the conversation and forgets the card it may suggest that she did not find their discussion fruitful.
Due to cultural difference communication between Emily and her business partner may be bumpy. An analysis of the country using Hofstede’s model reveals quite a number of things. From the power distance dimension Japan has a score of about 54 per cent, that is it is just slightly above average (Franke, Hofstede & Bond, 1991). This means that it is a hierarchical nation of which decision making may be quite slow since the top-ranking members of an organization have to be consulted. In contrast to other Asian countries this is quite low (Hofstede,1983). Emily needs to determine the position that Mr. Hamasaki holds in any organization that is associated with him. This way she can know what to say at any instant during their communication. If he is high ranking, it might be prudent to talk in such a way that it is evident she is aware of his class. A rating of 54 % in the power index means that in as much as it is a hierarchical country, it is also meritocratic. In case her meeting is successful, she should, however, expect to have a business in which there is wide consultation at each rank before a final decision is made.
When it comes to the individualism index, Japan registers a score of roughly 46. This means that they are a society that is not driven by the collectivist ideals (Hamamura,2012). Japanese people are paternal and people do not maintain very close links with their extended families. Due to this, they tend to express a high degree of loyalty to their affiliate company. One thing that should be noticed is that generally, Japanese business people make decisions after consideration of a groups collective thought as opposed to individual opinions. This country may be viewed as quite collective by the Western standards whereas, by the Asian standards, it displays a high degree of individualism (Yamawaki, 2012). Emily should, therefore, expect to be talking to an individual thinker and that in case he business picks up with a good number of local employees she may get loyal employees.
On the masculinity index, Japan ranks very highly (Hofstede, 2011). This is mainly because they are quite competitive. It is not easy for a lady to rise to the highest ranks in most companies (Takahashi,2012). The Japanese expression of masculinity is in their workaholic nature, something that is instilled in them while still young. Emily needs to understand that the chances that her host may be a machismo are high. She should therefore not try to appear too headstrong as this may be misinterpreted. She, however, needs to exude a lot of confidence and speak her mind without any fear.
On the real of uncertainty avoidance index, the Japanese people rank highly. This is mainly because they live in a country that is faced with a lot of events that cannot be easily predicted (Hofstede, 2011). Notably, Japan is one of the countries that are faced with natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis not forgetting volcanoes. The people here in a bid to survive these calamities have learned to always be prepared for such calamities. Japan has one of the most prepared people with a lot of feasibility studies being undertaken before they can engage in projects that may result in widespread losses or casualty in case of failure. Their engineers are for example known for designing buildings and machines that are able to cater for a wide range of factors (Kitagawa,2016). This is the reason why most of their projects never fail to impress. Emily should take this uncertainty index into consideration as she talks with Mr. Hamasaki about her project. She should try as much as possible not to sound doubtful lest she will be misinterpreted as being unsure of what she wants. Unquestionably, if she expresses a lot of doubt in the success of her business when it comes to penetrating the Japanese market, Mr. Hamasaki may not give her the best advice and aid to achieve her goals.
On the indulgence index, generally, the Japanese people ranks very low. This is usually around 42. This low score may be an indication that the chances that an average Japanese is pessimistic are quite high (Bebenroth, 2015).They also have a high propensity to cynicism. As such, most of them generally show some level of restraint, that is they do not readily indulge in social and leisure activities. She should take this into consideration while addressing her partner. She should not try to get too personal and ask too personal questions since the probability that this may make Hamasaki uncomfortable is quite high.
After the meeting, Emily still needs to show etiquette. Just as was done in the beginning she should bow as a sign of respect if she realizes that the conversation is not wrapped up by a handshake. Japanese people generally use this gesture more than the formal handshake. In addition, she needs to make sure that she does not overlook the common practices that show one’s commitment to the business deal such as arriving about fifteen minutes before the scheduled time for the meeting. She also needs to make a call around one hour before the time for the meeting takes place to confirm whether the firm owner Mr. Hamasaki will be available since there are chances that he may find get an emergency commitment somewhere else. She should also schedule a similar meeting with other Japanese business persons to get a broader perspective of what happens in Japan.
References
Bardsley, J., & Miller, L. (Eds.). (2011). Manners and Mischief: gender, power, and etiquette in Japan. Univ of California Press.
Bebenroth, R. (2015). Cultural Concepts. In International Business Mergers and Acquisitions in Japan (pp. 203-216). Springer Japan.
Dunn, C. D. (2013). Speaking politely, kindly, and beautifully: Ideologies of politeness in Japanese business etiquette training.
Franke, R. H., Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. H. (1991). Cultural roots of economic performance: A research notea. Strategic management journal, 12(S1), 165-173.
Hamamura, T. (2012). Are cultures becoming individualistic? A cross-temporal comparison of individualism–collectivism in the United States and Japan. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16(1), 3-24.
Hofstede, G. (1983). National cultures in four dimensions: A research-based theory of cultural differences among nations. International Studies of Management & Organization, 13(1-2), 46-74.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online readings in psychology and culture, 2(1), 8.
Kitagawa, K. (2016). Disaster preparedness, adaptive politics and lifelong learning: a case of Japan. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 35(6), 629-647.
Okoro, E. (2012). Cross-cultural etiquette and communication in global business: Toward a strategic framework for managing corporate expansion. International journal of business and management, 7(16), 130.
Plive.co.ke. (2017). I forgot one thing on my trip to Japan — and now I have to apologize to every person I meet. [online] Available at: https://www.plive.co.ke/bi/strategy/i-forgot-one-thing-on-my-trip-to-japan-and-now-i-have-to-apologize-to-every-person-i-meet-id6069020.html [Accessed 8 Aug. 2017].
Takahashi, K. (2012). Language learning, gender and desire: Japanese women on the move (Vol. 16). Multilingual Matters.
Vardaman, J. M., & Vardaman, M. (2011). Japanese Etiquette Today: A Guide to Business & Social Customs. Tuttle Publishing.
Yamawaki, N. (2012). Within-culture variations of collectivism in Japan. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 43(8), 1191-1204.
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