While much has been written about Japanese approaches to business, far less attention has been paid to other East Asian business systems. In this fascinating and informative book Richard Whitley looks at business in its social context in South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as Japan. He explores similarities and differences across the four countries in: the management styles and structures, decision-making processes, owner//employee relations, patterns of company growth and development of firms; markets and market development in terms of customer, supplier and inter-firm relations and the roles of the financial sectors and the state; and societies and the impact of key social institutions on business evolution. The author also compares East Asian business systems with dominant Western practices and considers the international transferability of different business `recipes'.
Clearly demonstrating how different business practices can only fully be understood with reference to the societies of which they are part, Business Systems in East Asia will be essential reading for all students and managers concerned with international business, the comparative analysis of organizations and the social foundations of business enterprise.
