Fachbereich Betriebswirtschaft Prof. Dr. Werner Pascha Lehrstuhl für Ostasienwirtschaft / Werner.pascha@uni- Japan und Korea duisburg-essen.de

Lecture: „Introduction to Business and Economic Studies on Japan”

Winter semester 2008/09

Mondays, 12 – 14 o`clock, Room LE 705, Starts: 20.10.200 8

The lecture provides a basic overview of important issues of the current Japanese economy. It will be important to draw connections to theoretical approaches explaining economic phenomena and to approaches explicitly developed for a Japanese/East Asian context.

a) Gliederung

1. History of Business and of the economic development of Japan

1.1 Economic modernisation and the Meiji-restauration 1.2 Growth, structural change and development crisies up to worldwar II 1.3 The economic system of the early postwar period 1.4 Development and structural change in a low growth environment 1.5 Current trends of the business cycle

2. Basic structure of the current economy: Capital, labour, and productivity/technological change

2.1 Savings, the financial systems and investment 2.2 The labour market and employment 2.3 Technology, innovation and productivity

3. The organisation of the firm and of interfirm relations

3.1 Corporate governance 3.2 Size matters: Small and medium enterprises (SME), venture enterprises and else 3.3 Interfirm relations, including the „keiretsu“-system 3.4 Management style

4. Japanese business and the state

4.1 Japan as a „slim state“: organisation, income and expenditures 4.2 Specific mechanisms of economic policy

5. International business and economic relations of Japan 5.1 Foreign trade and direct investment 5.2 International capital transfer of Japan and the role of theYen 5.3 Doing business with Japan – with special reference to German-Japanese economic relations

b) Readings

A basic text book on the Japanese economy:

David Flath: The Japanese Economy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, 2006

If you read German, you may also want to consult:  Pascha, W.: Teil „Wirtschaft“ in: Paul Kevenhörster, Werner Pascha and Karen Shire: Japan. Wirtschaft Gesellschaft Politik, Opladen: Leske + Budrich 2003 (currently not available in bookshops; 2nd edition under preparation)

Topical issues:  Monthly Report of Recent Economic and Financial Developments, http://www.boj.or.jp/en/theme/seisaku/handan/gp/index.htm  OECD: Economic Survey of Japan 2008

c) Credit

The lecture is relevant for the Master of Contemporary East Asian Studies (CEAS) as part of the introductory module, earmarked for the 1st semester. Exceptionally, students from other courses who would normally participate in “Einführung in die japanische Wirtschaft” may also join. However, it should be noted that the current lecture is more theory-oriented than the German- language one.

Foreign exchange students (Erasmus programme, etc.) are welcome to join. For them, this lecture counts as 4 credit points.

Credits are given based on a final exam paper, written after the end of the lecture in February.