The challenges and opportunities of a common corporate language

Biodata

Prof. Dr. Ralf Bebenroth is Professor of International Business at the Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration at Kobe University in Japan. Born in Germany, he has lived in Japan for 25 years and knows the country from an insider’s as well as outsider´s point of view. His research topics are:

· Corporate Governance Issues connected with Japan and Germany

· M&A research, especially success factors of inbound Japanese acquisitions,

· Expatriate research, focusing on foreign expatriates in Japan

· Research in business and marketing

Abstract

The presentation starts with a historical introduction about Japan starting from Edo period (about 1603), showing that Japan is a unique country in many ways.

After rather general information on the country, a case study will be analyzed where the author collected information from managers regarding language challenges in a German-Japanese Joint Venture. We will see that besides language issues, cultural openness of people matters even more for adapting to different cultures. Very briefly scientific research is presented, where a moderated mediation model will be introduced and discussed. The presenter will involve students to actively participate in the presentation. To say, no knowledge on Japan or any specific knowledge on statistics is necessary to understand the presentation.