1st Edition

The History of Mitsubishi Corporation in London 1915 to Present Day

By Pernille Rudlin Copyright 2000
    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    256 Pages
    by Routledge

    The History of Mitsubishi Corporation in London examines the culture clashes, the friendships and the changing businesses that Mitsubishi Corporation's London branch oversaw in the eighty-five years following its foundation. It examines the paradox of how Mitsubishi Corporation could operate internationally for nearly a century, and still remain resolutely Japanese. With the slowdown in Japanese economic growth however, this book asks whether the corporation needs to change its mission, as well as controversially questioning whether information technology is in fact a barrier to, rather than a driving force for, successful globalization.
    As a long-term employee of Mitsubishi both in Tokyo and London, Pernille Rudlin has a unique perspective on the world of Japanese corporate culture in Britain. No other corporate history has examined a Japanese subsidiary in such detail, including interviews with more than thirty employees past and present.

    Introduction 1. The lead up to 1915: from domestic shipping to international shipbuilding 2. 1915-1920: an apprenticeship in international commerce 3. 1921-1930: survival through international diversification 4. 1931-1941: nationalism, trade friction and decline 5. 1947-1960: securing resources to rebuild Japan 6. 1961-1970: growing with the Japanese economy 7. 1971-1980: supporting Japan's foreign investment 8. 1981-1990: responding to globalisation 9. The 1990s and beyond: representing Japan in a globalising world

    Biography

    Pernille Rudin worked for the Mitsubishi Corporation for nine years, in both London and Tokyo. She is a graduate of Oxford University and Insead Business School, and co-author of Kaishano Nakano Gaikokujin (Outsiders inside the Japanese Company).

    'There is much to admire in this study...Rudlin has done her homework very well indeed.' - Business History