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Limits and Latitude of Labour Adjustment Strategies in Japanese Companies

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Japanese Management in the Low Growth Era

Abstract

Personnel management policies, one of the hallmarks of the Japanese enterprise system, have come under increasing pressure in the wake of the collapse of the bubble economy.Notably, employment guarantees and seniority principles are regarded by critics as too costly and outdated. An analysis of current personnel adaptation measures reveals, however, that adjustments undertaken are less dramatic than expected. Nevertheless, it is argued that the specific strategies pursued are potentially conducive to organizational restructuring and the development of competitive competencies. Hence, any convergence toward more ‘Western’ methods of large-scale dismissals is not to be expected any time soon.

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Dirks, D. (1999). Limits and Latitude of Labour Adjustment Strategies in Japanese Companies. In: Dirks, D., Huchet, JF., Ribault, T. (eds) Japanese Management in the Low Growth Era. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-58257-8_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-58257-8_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-63518-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-58257-8

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