2013-01-11, 22:26 | Link #2701 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Japan's Philanderers Stay FaithfulTo Their 'Infidelity Phones':
"Over the past few years, as many people rushed to trade in their old phones for smartphones, Japan's philanderers have remained faithful to one particular brand: Fujitsu Ltd.'s older "F-Series" phones, which feature some attractive stealth privacy features. The aging flip-phone—nicknamed the "uwaki keitai" or "infidelity phone"—owes its enduring popularity to customers who don't believe newer smartphones are as discreet at hiding their illicit romances." See: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/japans...035400852.html |
2013-01-13, 08:21 | Link #2702 |
Thinking outside the box
Graphic Designer
Join Date: May 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Age: 37
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Not sure if this is the right place to ask, seeing i'm planning a trip to Japan. With the island dispute, are there any violence of safety risks for Chinese tourists?
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2013-01-22, 06:55 | Link #2704 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Japan should let old 'hurry up and die': minister
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2013-01-22, 14:26 | Link #2706 |
Unspecified
Scanlator
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Unspecified
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there is actually a real issue of old worker in japan. basically company tend to keep the old people instead hiring the young one even if old person way of job is outdated and the young one is "smarter" than the old one. resulting stagnant in japan industry
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2013-01-22, 17:52 | Link #2708 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
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I wonder if Japan is having a job shortage problem like my country? Here it is very common for new college grads to not get jobs and people with less experience to get laid off first, bcause companies always respect the older workers first (even when they could pay the younger guy less).
We brought the problem onto ourselves by sending our unskilled labor away... now the only jobs we have that dont need a degree are Mcdonalds and crop picking, which both pay terrible. |
2013-01-22, 20:26 | Link #2709 |
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Montreal, QC, Canada
Age: 40
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Even then, that's pushing the so-called respect a little too far. Everyone, including myself in 30-35 years time, will have to be reminded on how outdated I am and the only thing the old should do is to prepare themselves for this fateful day.
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2013-01-22, 21:39 | Link #2710 | |
Franco's Phalanx is next!
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Little England, Europe and Asia
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I don't think he was referring to that at all. Wasn't he talking about the cost of public spending for the care for the terminally ill pensioners?
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2013-01-22, 22:17 | Link #2711 | |
~AD~
Join Date: Oct 2006
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Quote:
On the bright side: "You should respect your elder" On the negative side: "No young man should take on important position" Actually many of this seniority gap between old generation and young generation has been poured into film and manga, but still, as they say, old habit die hard... |
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2013-01-23, 02:37 | Link #2713 |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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The positive side of Seniority in Japan is that workers tend to have a great deal of loyalty for the companies they work for, and tend to work for it (and their own) benefit, as they know the company won't lay them off, so they'll be around to benefit from the companies success.
Western companies, by contrast, simply treat their employees like disposable chattel. Very few actually care much for their employers, and rarely put their heart and soul into their work, and companies put no effort into training their employees, because they "know" the employee will up and leave as soon as someone else offers them a larger paycheck. |
2013-01-23, 02:44 | Link #2714 | |
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Though in most big companies Western or Eastern, the top is completely detached from the bottom. I just had an argument with a senior manager over safety issues and TBH, he has absolutely no idea that writing letters won't solve issues with broken pallets - hammer and nails does.
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2013-01-23, 03:56 | Link #2715 | |
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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Quote:
As for the top being disconnected from the bottom, under lean you're supposed to practice Genchi Genbutsu, and at Toyota even the CEO spends some time working on the assembly line. I don't know how well Japanese companies have stuck to the attitude though. From my limited exposure to Japanese manufacturers, there still seems to be little "division" among the employees compared to a western company. Line workers, engineers and executives all largely dress the same, and work among one another, whereas in an old style western company all those roles were strictly separated. I think the manufacturing and software industries have been quickest to adopt Japanese style management. Retail, Fast food and maybe Finance have been the slowest, still relying on strict hierarchies and combative and competitive relationships, rather then cooperation. However, this is all from my reading, and much of my reading is dated. In my Education "Lean" was very much the in thing, but I don't know how much exposure it gets outside Industrial Engineering. After the Japanese property bubble I think people are less keen to copy the Japanese, to their loss, because I think on the whole many Japanese companies point to a better way to do business (though not in all respects). I'm curious to know what kind of approach the Chinese take. I don't know much about how their booming industry operates, but I have a feeling it's quite regressive, and might be pushing us backwards in terms of relying on brute force massed cheap labour rather then an efficient and involved work force, as in Japan. |
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2013-01-23, 04:16 | Link #2717 | ||
NYAAAAHAAANNNNN~
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 35
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Even though the company was separated, there are a couple of MNCs which I worked for who have clueless managers with the negotiator's sense - asking the 3 whats : "What is your problem?", "What would you suggest?", "What do you need?" (and in some cases, the 3rd one would result in "What if I give you X instead?"). The 2nd question makes the job even more fun than it is supposed to be, and practically the colleagues I have worked with enjoyed being asked the 2nd question. It isn't really about whether the manager is on the floor to have the experience or not, it is about whether the manager is willing to negotiate or not to get things done. Quote:
Objective : Read. Learn. Succeed. Success achieved : How can we make it more successful? Failed : What can we do to make it succeed? The philosophy of kaizen is as simple as it is.
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2013-01-23, 05:21 | Link #2718 | ||
Knight Errant
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Dublin, Ireland
Age: 35
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Though good negotiation is a plus, from what I can see if the manager is only talking, he's a superfluous part of the organisation ("muda"), and should be cut out. From what I've read of Japanese companies like Toyota managers and executives tend to involve themselves in the nitty gritty, and so I think they're directly contributing to the companies value rather then simply leaching off it (as can be often seen with certain American CEOs.) Another strength of Japanese companies is that CEOs usually come from the inside, rather then being some kind of rotating outside "caste", and so they should have some kind of idea about how their business are being managed. Quote:
@Azuma Denton: I wouldn't be too quick to condemn Japanese companies. Right now they've taken a hit due to China's extremely low wages, but in the long term Japan's industrial sector is much more secure as it's competitive advantages are very hard to imitate. As China's wages start to rise Japan will be in good shape again. Also, while much of Japan's business are plagued by a certain kind of cronyism, many companies still are able to pump out quality products at low prices, particularly when you look at companies like Toyota or Mitsubishi, who are world class in my book. Japanese efficiency can be seen in other sectors too, where else in the world could 20 minutes of decent quality animation be pumped out for less then $200,000? Even Macross Frontier cost less to produce episode by episode then the Power Puff Girls. That efficiency means that Japan still has fundamental strength. It's weaknesses I think are more governmental and financial (the exchange rate and high cost of living really hammers Japan). I'm personally against seniority, but I think the system of "lifetime employment" has many benefits. I think a bit more flexibility would be a good thing though. |
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2013-01-23, 06:13 | Link #2719 |
( ಠ_ಠ)
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Somewhere, between the sacred silence and sleep
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I work for an American company, and every few month number of people dissapear due to lay-offs.
Just last month three people from my team got laid off, one of them who shared my work. (Now I got double work...) As much as I love my job, and would LIKE to believe I'm a more valuable asset than the laid off ones, I know everyone is dispensible, and I'm not immune to it. That does make me worried, and yeah, it's kind of an unhealthy stress. I swear it seems like quarter of the company gets laid off every year.
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2013-01-23, 06:21 | Link #2720 | ||
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2009
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That's why American animators dont outsource work to Japan anymore, for a couple decades and counting iirc. Not denying that Japanese animation is efficient though. p.s. yes I kno there are more than 5 asian countries. Quote:
And also PPG was made in the time when American animators got paid $50,000 starting. The animation legends were raking in $100,000+ easy. Last edited by Kudryavka; 2013-01-23 at 06:36. |
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culture, discussion, japan, japanese culture |
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