Japanese Business Practices

Business traditions and practices are greatly influenced by the culture in which they function. The values of a culture help to define the underlying structure and philosophy of business. Many traditions and practices within a culture are often integrated into the country's businesses. To better understand the relationship between culture and business, a case study involving two contrasting cultures will be analyzed. Throughout this paper, the cultural impact on business practices will be evaluated between …

…Tab/>American businesses are not based on the group, but rather on the individual. This fact is clear through the types of businesses in the United States. Although there are almost 20 million businesses in America, seventy percent of those are sole-propietorships (Slavin 89). Clearly the success of business is placed on the individual if the business is owned by an individual. Even Japanese business analysts recognize the American business tendency toward individual self-reliance (Reischauer 129).