by Akira Ishikawa (Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan) & Tai Nejo

Amid the current, protracted recession in Japan, new corporations — termed global excellent companies by the authors of this book — have been rising since the end of the 20th century. They are not yet in the spotlight but have a huge market share worldwide with regard to their specialized products and services.

These corporations have climbed to the top of the global market while many other large Japanese companies have fallen into a slump. The authors highlighted their corporate policies and strategies for achieving high earnings — the secret of “producing something from nothing” and “enabling the lesser to win against the greater”. They have long focused on specific niches, improved the speed of their business undertaking, and effectively used information technology. The authors set out to study these companies and analyze their practices so as to gain insight into the way companies should be managed in the 21st century.