Effects of Japanese Investment in a Small American Community: A Case Study of Autoparts in East Tennessee

Japanese manufacturing in the U.S. elicits much speculation. Concentrating on autoparts production, these studies show not only how Japanese manufacturing has brought change to East Tennessee but also how it has changed through its experience in America.

After the introduction to Japanese auto investments in the U.S., a Japanese woman manager educated in America explains how Japanese management practices have adapted at her plant. Following her, an American Human Relations Manager shows how his plant dealt with preventing cumulative trauma (repetitive motion) injuries even when such problems were not prevalent on identical machinery in Japan. A third study by an American development economist and an Asian political scientist presents an opinion survey on local attitudes to Japanese investment. Finally, a Japanese woman reports on her interviews with Japanese wives about their family's responses to culture shock in the United States. Together these studies show that Japanese companies are learning how to adapt and that American communities are learning from the Japanese too.

This book gives a cross-cultural perspective on Japanese investment