Natsume Soseki

“You know when you’re getting closer to Tokyo because the peoples noses get longer and their faces get pointed.”

Botchan was written by a Tokyo author, about a very direct Tokyo character

Any differences we identify are tendencies rather

Than hard and fast rules.

Often differences between company cultures are greater even than national cultural differences

Stuttgart

Milano

Tokyo – 550 km (340 m)

Stuttgart – Milano

Washington DC – Charleston

London – Edinburgh

Not surprising there are some differences in style

Overspending on:Goood food

808 Bridges – they say

Northern Europe

Bad weatherDull food Rigid rules,Reserved people Orderly parking

Southern Europe

Good weatherGreat food FlexibleOpen people Chaotic parking

Accent is scary – sounds aggressive

Don’t stick to rules/agreements

Noisy, impolite, intrusive

Homesick - miss the food

Hard to meet people - don’t understand me

They’re prejudiced against Osakans

What difference?

Direct and open

Why did I learn Japanese? Wakarahen!

Targeted – sell good quality at a good price to individuals

They will keep the price to themselves so others don’t find the source of their ｂ argains and

discover that they are buying cheaply.

You can continue to sell at a good price.

Volume – Sell quality at a good, But slightly lower price to individuals

They tell all their friends about the bargain price and sales take-off quickly.

Of course, they’ll try to find out Where you’re buying, so they can buy direct.

A City of Merchants!

Can be difficult to get into the market – strong personal relationships

Negotiation style is tougher

Negotiation after deal is signed

Flexible thinking – many of the best comedians are from Osaka

Not afraid to say what they think Welcoming – once you’re in, people want to help Long history of links with the world – The Manchester

of the East

Adapt your approach Use the positive points to your

advantage

If you’re late for the Shinkansen and can’t buy a ticket, in Kanto, you often miss the train. In Osaka, you ask the ticket collector and buy the ticket on the train.

End 1996 - visited various cities – Hiroshima, Kobe, Osaka, Nagoya, Yokohama to find a factory location

Most dynamic reaction from Osaka City - showed me a number of potential locations

When I arrived back in the UK, the Osaka European office called me immediately

Osaka-style result – found the first office through personal contacts

1999 – Rented assembly location – normal bargaining over price.

Negotiated reduction in estate agency fee – everything is negotiable

2000 – Started assembly – received subsidies from Osaka Pref for workers taken on full-time

2002 – Re-negotiated rental agreement to reduce payments (negotiating after the contract has been signed is not necessarily a bad thing!)

2000 – 2005: Mixed full-time and temporary workforce produced consistently high-quality products

Outsourced service providers (Accounts, HR, IT) were effective and loyal

Local equipment, component and service suppliers were flexible and supportive

Maido arigatou gozaimasu