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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 7 page paper examines the unique Japanese structure of the Keiretsu, explains what they are and how they work and argues that the advantages they once provided family members are no longer a source of competitive advantage and that they may be beneficial, but can also create liabilities and difficulties in a global commercial environment. The bibliography cites 15 sources.
Page Count:
7 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TS14_TEcompKetsu.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
Japanese firms and a barrier to the entrance of non Japanese firms to their market. The advantages were not seen as only limited to the Japanese market, but a potential
source of advantage internationally. The ties seen with the Keiretsu structure which are often hidden are more interesting due to their covert nature and for many there is still an
argument of increased advantage due to these hidden ties (Lai, 1999).However, even with the hidden ties and support that a Keiretsu can give to any company and the interdependences it
creates modern times have seen some changes, today we know and understand more about Keiretsu structure and with even the more powerful members of the Keiretsu families placed under commercial
pressure and the changing competitive environmental the advantages that is afford to group members may also be seen as a liability and the benefits less clear (Kim and Nofsinger, 2005).
The source of competitive advantage that these offered are also being eroded when we look at the way that a source of a competitive advantage needs to be Unique (Porter,
1980, 1985). If we want to examine this we need to look at the Keiretsu structure, how it operated and how
it may impact on the commercial environment and the operations of the member and non-member companies in industry. There are six major
keiretsu, some operating horizontally, other vertically, such as Toyota which belongs to the Mitsui Group, and the Sumitomo Group includes NEC (Namiki, 1999). These encourage long-term relationships suppliers whilst reducing
costs and enhancing productivity. It has often been rumoured that the only reason Nissan survived its economic difficulties was due to the strong support it received from its keiretsu. Family
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