Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony

Rating:
Summary: Such a Simple beginning for a giant called SONY
Review: "Made in Japan" gives us insight in to Japanese working ethos, their dedication and vision. It is a story of SONY, a company that is world leader in many electronic and IT products, told in simple manner by creator of SONY Mr Akio Morita. Coming from him, one has to believe every word of it. It is fascinating to read and travel along, as the story progress, with a small seedling's growth in to a big corporate giant that SONY today is. No brashness, no adoption of unfair means, no showing off its economic strength. It is a plain simple story of a dreamer who dared to dream and succeeded. An interesting reading.

Rating:
Summary: Just a question of objectivity, passion and human respect
Review: An objective approach toward creating a winning company. A company, through a visionary leader, that focuses on its main resource: Its people. Akio Morita shows us that before being a good speaker, a leader must be a listener. A clear and easy book to read which brings us an other vision of doing business: Consensus, respect and risk taking.

Rating:
Summary: East is the best.
Review: Exhilarating. Reveals the mystery behind the corporation that made others run for competition. Also reveals a lot about Japan its people and the real issues facing Japanese society. If biased by anti-Japanse campgains then surely this book will help to understand the real Japanese Management.

Rating:
Summary: Very good book from a chinese view
Review: I can't put it down until I finished it within 2 days. I was kind of embarrassed by Mr. Akio's observation about China, but it is quite honest and down to earth. We Chinese should learn a lot from Japan's rising experiences. From this book, we can learn how to deal with the free world, how to improve the quality of our products, how to simply be open minded... Thanks for Mr. Akio and his great book.

Rating:
Summary: Great company and leader - Outdated and dubious book
Review: I wavered awhile between three stars and two stars, because a company and entrepreneur as brilliant as Sony and Akio Morita seem to deserve at least three. However, in the end, the book's errors just piled too high. It opens well, with the story of Sony's founding and rise from leaking offices in a half-wrecked department store just after World War II, to becoming one of the world's great companies. This is a fascinating and inspiring story, and Morita tells it with flair.

Then, unfortunately, the downward spiral begins. Morita consistently takes his experience at Sony and assumes that every other Japanese company operates the same way, which is a fantastically wrong assertion (as the last thirteen years of Japan's seemingly endless recession have shown). He also frequently takes good basic management techniques, like trusting employees and giving them creative leeway, and tries to brand them as somehow uniquely "Japanese".

Then there are all the claims which are simply out-and-out false, such as Japan supposedly having the world's best construction technology. (It actually has perhaps the worst in the industrial world, as the Kobe earthquake unfortunately demonstrated.) Or how Japan is supposedly a nation fanatically devoted to not wasting anything. (Yet it only recently discovered the concept of "second-hand goods", instead of throwing nearly-new furniture and clothing away. Plus, Japanese garbage trucks groan under the weight of the world's worst overpackaging.)

Reading between the lines, a person can see the roots of so many of the problems that Japan faces today. For example, Morita spends a good deal of words attacking the excess of lawyers in the United States. While this can, of course, sometimes be a serious problem, it also gives U.S. consumers a way to protect themselves. Japan's consumers, on the other hand, without an accessible court system, are almost completely at the mercy of bureaucrats and executives. Complaints about dangerous products or chemicals in drinking water are simply ignored, because they lack any threat of legal action. In another example, Morita praises the "trust" and agreements without contracts that exist among Japanese corporations. In reality, this "trust" is a death pact, as bankrupt inefficient companies are propped up by their buddies, instead of letting them fall and create openings for fresh and innovative entrepreneurs.

Other than the glimpses into Sony's history and corporate culture, this book is only interesting as a museum piece - yet another in the flood of "Japan is going to take over" books that came out in the Eighties. Although, of course, considering all the "Internet companies are going to take over" books that came out in the Nineties, not even this is a uniquely "Japanese" phenomenon.

PS: Anyone wanting a healthy reality check about the current state of Japan should read "Dogs and Demons" by Alex Kerr.


Rating:
Summary: Refreshing
Review: Inspite being deeply insightful of management technique it is written in a very fluid and story like manner that makes it a joy to read. Also provides insight into the culture of the Japanese people and the impact it has had on the way in which they do business. Wonderful!

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: Of my 3 favorite books, this is one of them. Made in Japan is part autobiography, history, economics, Japanese culture and business all rolled in to one. The writing style is one of the most comprehensible I've ever read. Very interesting, insightful, and informative. Akio Morita is a very cool guy, and he's lead an interesting life. If you like business, economics, or Japanese culture, this book is definitely worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read
Review: Of my 3 favorite books, this is one of them. Made in Japan is part autobiography, history, economics, Japanese culture and business all rolled in to one. The writing style is one of the most comprehensible I've ever read. Very interesting, insightful, and informative. Akio Morita is a very cool guy, and he's lead an interesting life. If you like business, economics, or Japanese culture, this book is definitely worth the read.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and true!
Review: The story of Sony is one of those economic miracle tales that show how hard work, determination, and patience win out in the end.
In an era of "cut-your losses" business practices where no one is willing to ride it out, it is inspiring to read the story of someone who struggles hard to overcome difficulties and drives for success in the future.
Akio Morita, writing quite eloquently in the first person, tells the story of being a rebel in the Japanese sense, going against the grain. His approach, outlined chronologically in the book, reads like many inspiring tales of early business successes in America. At the time, his approach was radical in Japan. Now it would be considered radical, even stupid, by most VCs. But it has all worked out, hasn't it!
If nothing else, this book teaches us patience and perserverence in growing a business.

Rating:
Summary: Inspiring and true!
Review: The story of Sony is one of those economic miracle tales that show how hard work, determination, and patience win out in the end.
In an era of "cut-your losses" business practices where no one is willing to ride it out, it is inspiring to read the story of someone who struggles hard to overcome difficulties and drives for success in the future.
Akio Morita, writing quite eloquently in the first person, tells the story of being a rebel in the Japanese sense, going against the grain. His approach, outlined chronologically in the book, reads like many inspiring tales of early business successes in America. At the time, his approach was radical in Japan. Now it would be considered radical, even stupid, by most VCs. But it has all worked out, hasn't it!
If nothing else, this book teaches us patience and perserverence in growing a business.