Japanese Economy and Business

Faculty of Economics, Shiga University
MSU Course Equivalency: International Comparative Dimensions of Business

Course Objectives and Overview: This course is a series of lectures delivered by the faculty members of the Department of Economics, Shiga University. The course is designed to provide an overview of the Japanese economy and business as well as current challenges. The topics covered are as follows: industrial policy, market structure, financial institutions, human resource management, corporate governance, marketing, the accounting system, and other relevant topics. In order to understand competitiveness at the nation level as well as firm level, such diverse topics should be examined. These topics are interrelated with each other and compose Japanese economic and business systems. Through dealing with these topics, the course is designed to help students develop their own framework for understanding Japanese economy and business as a whole.

In order to understand competitiveness at the nation level as well as firm level, such diverse topics should be examined. These topics are interrelated with each other and compose Japanese economic and business systems. Through dealing with these topics, the course is designed to help students develop their own framework for understanding Japanese economy and business as a whole.

  1. Japanese economic development and current policy issues
  2. Japanese management revisited and its future
  3. Overview of Japanese financial system
  4. Accounting Big-bang and the ripple effects on various systems
  5. Japanese marketing in the age of globalization: Its past, present and future

Each lecturer will last 90 minutes.

Requirements: These are the general requirements for this course. (Each lecturer may have additional requirements.)

  1. Attendance and participation: Attendance in the course is mandatory. The course grades will be based in part on participation in classroom discussions in addition to tests on information presented during classroom lectures and information found in the readings. Accordingly, classroom attendance will be recorded and monitored. Excessive absences will result in a lowered participation grade. Students must be prepared for class having read the assigned reading material.
  2. Think papers: Each student will be required to submit "think" papers related to Japanese economic and business issues.

Grading Summary:

  • Attendance/Participation - 40%
  • Think Papers - 60%

*The schedule will be changed by announcement.