Managers' Forum ~ Book Reviews
Leveraging Japan
Reviewed by: Milva Manninen
This book Leveraging Japan, Marketing to the New
Asia, was written by
four very prominent people. The book is copyrighted in 2000 so
all the data
presented is very current. This book is a good source of insight
on how to
market your product in Japan.
George Fields, Hotaka Katahira, Jerry Wind and Robert
Gunther are the
four authors. George Fields is a very well know business man
who has been
involved in some 10 market-entry projects for large US based corporations
entering Japan. He is also well know in Japan by all media.
Hotaka Katahira
is a leader in research on marketing in Japan. He is a professor
of
marketing science at the University of Tokyo. Jerry Wind is one
of the most
cited authors in the field of marketing. Robert Gunther is an
acclaimed
author of business books who had a minor part in developing this book.
The first chapter takes a look at the current situation
in Japan. The
rapid increasing foreign investment. The book examines the opportunities
and
also goes over the myths that are not true anymore. The second
chapter takes
a closer look at the forces behind this change, ex. the change into
a
consumer-based market. The third chapter discusses Japans important
role in
Asia and how companies can take advantage of this when entering the
Asian
market. This leads into chapter four which discusses entry
strategies.
After this the rest of the book focuses solely on marketing and issues
such
as branding, positioning, new product development, etc.
I find this book to be a very valuable tool for
anyone who is interested
in entering Japans market. It offers a variety of suggestions
and facts
which a person can then self formulate their picture of the Japanese
market.
In the end of each chapter there is questions which encourage the reader
to
think about what they just read. I highly recommend this book
for all
international business people.
Fields, Katahira, Wind: Leveraging Japan; Marketing to the New
Asia:
Jossey-Bass Publishers: 2000. ISBN 0-7879-4663-X
(the documentation on this very good book is
not complete)
