Albrecht Rothacher - Böcker

Attempting a coherent portrait of the heart of Japan's economic and political decision making, this book presents the top 2000 men occupying the core positions in Japan's ruling party, the central ministries, and in big business and its organizations. Elite career patterns, social origins, upbringing, university education, cognitive orientations and ways of life are reviewed, as are the interactions in the exclusive world of Japan's increasingly hereditary and bureaucratic class of power holders in conservative politics and big business. Other books by Rothacher include "Economic Diplomacy Between the European Community and Japan" and "Japan's Agro-Food Sector: The Politics and Economics of Excess Protection".

This book describes the profound structural change in Japan's agriculture from its politically marginalized, economically fragmented, traditional labour-intensive postwar mode of production to its current dual modern shape of a highly capitalized, politically organized and protected sector.

Elite career patterns, social origins, upbringing, university education, cognitive orientations and ways of life are reviewed, as are the interactions in the exclusive world of Japan's increasingly hereditary and bureaucratic class of power holders in conservative politics and big business.

This insightful volume covers the development of 19 prominent European, American and Asian companies from their humble origins to their current status as global operators. Each case study comprehensively reviews the changes in the company's corporate structure and the successes and failures of its marketing and branding strategies over time. A wide range of business sectors is covered, including food and drink, retail, apparel, electronics, aviation, cars and entertainment. Of prime importance for corporate survival and growth in all sectors and countries is the crucial shift from owner/founder-run companies to consolidated management-led corporations.The wide spectrum of sectors and countries of origin featured also permits valuable conclusions to be drawn on the persistence of distinctive national management styles and brand images. This clearly proves that there are corporate limits to globalisation, which companies implementing thoughtless cross-national mergers ignore at their peril. This second edition has been thoroughly updated and enlarged to cover the crucial and often dramatic corporate developments of the past two decades.

This insightful volume covers the development of 19 prominent European, American and Asian companies from their humble origins to their current status as global operators. Each case study comprehensively reviews the changes in the company's corporate structure and the successes and failures of its marketing and branding strategies over time. A wide range of business sectors is covered, including food and drink, retail, apparel, electronics, aviation, cars and entertainment. Of prime importance for corporate survival and growth in all sectors and countries is the crucial shift from owner/founder-run companies to consolidated management-led corporations.The wide spectrum of sectors and countries of origin featured also permits valuable conclusions to be drawn on the persistence of distinctive national management styles and brand images. This clearly proves that there are corporate limits to globalisation, which companies implementing thoughtless cross-national mergers ignore at their peril. This second edition has been thoroughly updated and enlarged to cover the crucial and often dramatic corporate developments of the past two decades.

Rethinking Europe examines the trajectories of Europe's past multinational empires to inform a rigorous critique of the current state of the European Union and propose directions for its future. Building a firm historical basis for the subsequent analysis of contemporary Europe, the book describes the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and Empire; the Empires of Byzantium, Charlemagne and the Ottomans; and the confederal systems of Germany, Switzerland and the US. In this context, the current shape and constitution of the EU are critically reviewed and proposals put forward for root-and-branch reforms to make the post-Brexit EU attractive and operational again for enlargements to the West and East. The book assesses the vision of a Eurasian Union from Lisbon to Vladivostok and expands it beyond, including Japan, Korea and Taiwan as a Eurasian customs union area.

This book sets out to give a straightforward insider's account of the current realities of European integration. It succinctly reviews the reasons and methods of European integration, analyses what the European Union (EU) really does, and examines how funds are spent. The whole range of current EU policies is critically reviewed: the Single market; the Euro; and the common policies on agriculture, fisheries, the regions, industry, competition, transport, the environment, social affairs, consumer protection, research, taxation, justice, trade, development, foreign affairs and defence.This book argues for a much slimmed-down European executive. It needs to become fully accountable in a democratically legitimised bicameral federal system, and take charge only of policies essential for effective internal and external security and for a working economic and monetary union. To avoid policy paralysis and continued mismanagement by a redistributive and over-regulatory bureaucracy, most of the current “low politics” and EU funds should be returned to the member states and their regions. This book thus makes a long overdue informed contribution to the debate on Europe's future constitution.

This book sheds new light on the political economy of Russia under Putin’s rule. The author, a former EU diplomat, presents a historical review of the Russian economy and 60 years of state-communist mismanagement, followed by oligarchic privatization. The book offers profound insights into Putin’s rule and the power mechanics of the state-dominated management of the Russian economy. It identifies and assesses the lack of rule of law, together with an arbitrary and often corrupt administration that systematically discourages entrepreneurship and the emergence of an independent middle class. Furthermore, the book discusses Russia’s budgetary policy, its dependence on the export of natural resources, state-owned enterprises and their privileges, and Russia’s external trade.This hard-hitting, substantial analysis debunks the myth of Russia’s economic might and is a must read for anyone seeking to understand the economic realities of the Eurasian continent, or considering doingbusiness with Russia.

Der große Chinaboom ist angesagt. Können wir Japan deshalb vergessen? Wohl kaum. Japan erholt sich von seiner Stagnationskrise. Sein Markt wird noch lange sieben Mal größer sein als der Chinas. Dieses Buch schildert die historischen und strukturellen Grundlagen der japanischen Wirtschaft, die Organisation der Keiretsu-Konzerngruppen, die Verflechtung mit der Politik und den Ministerien, die Sozialbeziehungen in der Wirtschaft, die Vertriebssysteme und die Grundlagen des japanischen Managements in der Personalführung, der Entscheidungsfindung und in den Kanban-Systemen der Produktion. Firmengeschichten, Branchenberichte und Regionalportraits veranschaulichen diese Einsichten. Schließlich gibt das Buch wertvolle Tipps zum richtigen Sozialverhalten für Ausländer im japanischen Wirtschaftsleben und zum interkulturellen Dialog mit Japanern.