Terrie's Job Tips -- Space Planning for Employees, Part II: Hot Desks

The movement of human traffic within Japanese firms having an external customer service and/or sales effort is a study of contrasts. In the morning, after the departmental meetings, the office is a buzz of activity, with sales and service people on the phone to prospective and existing customers. Appointments are being made and customers are happy to get the personal attention.

Newsletter:

TT-472 -- Wal-Mart Persists, ebiz news from Japan

US retail giant Wal-Mart entered the Japanese market after it bought into Japanese supermarket chain Seiyu in 2002. However, the company have a rough ride -- Terrie considers some of the problems with its branding and asks how it might be able to take advantage of the current economic climate. Read Now

Newsletter:

GW-301 -- The Hottest Gizmos and Gadgets from Japan

This week's Gadget Watch takes a look at the new bluetooth adapter headphones, the demise of the Gocco print kits and the BT bluetooth keyboard for mobile phones.

JIN-468 -- Japan and Myanmar

Japan and Myanmar have had a history marked by both friendship and hostility. We take a look at the course of relations and question which way they might be headed. Read Now

Terrie's Job Tips -- Space Planning for Employees, Part I: Rapid Build-up

Today’s column is for employers and managers who are tasked with starting a new operation or rapidly expanding an existing one, and who need to find an office space to cope with the increase in staff. Just how big should the office be? Do you want to load up on extra space while waiting for sales to rise, or try to office-hop to keep up with expansion?

Newsletter:

WW-174 -- Off-portal sites in Japan see excessive growth

Wireless Watch looks at how Goal.com managed to boost their business in Japan with a little help from a local outfit called UBIT.

TT-471 -- Knife-resistant T-shirts, Secom, ebiz news from Japan

In mid-March, 2008, a company called Nihon Uni introduced a new t-shirt which is made of toughened polyethylene fibers to make it knife resistant. What is the shape of the market for these products? How much do media reports of stabbings affect consumer perception? For the full story, Read Terrie's Take Now

Newsletter:

GW-300 -- The Hottest Gizmos and Gadgets from Japan

This week's Gadget Watch takes a look at NTT DoCoMo 8 new 906i series and 11 new 706i series mobile phones, Star Wars R2-D2 DVD Projector and FUJIFILM FinePix Z200fd face recognition camera.

JIN-467 -- Schindler Japan: Going Up?

Remember the Schindler elevator disaster? This week's newsletter covers the company's changing fortunes in Japan and takes a look at the challenges the post-crisis management faced as wells as the lessons Schindler learned about the Japanese market. Read Now

Terrie's Job Tips -- Getting a Second Opinion, Part III: Foreign Start-ups and Joint Ventures

Apart from small companies, the other type of foreign firm that has trouble doing balanced interviewing is the start-up subsidiary or fresh joint venture of a major firm overseas. Not only are these companies hampered by the tyranny of distance, and in particular the remoteness of their HR recruiting professionals, they also have the challenge of cultural differences.

Newsletter:

Pages