Should we kow-tow to Kao? (knowledge-management style of Japanese consumer-goods company is questioned)
Economist (US), The, March, 1996
Kao Corp has been lauded for its innovative knowledge-management style that has made it highly successful in its native Japan. Kao's detractors, however, claim that its financial success owes more to its monopolistic tactics than to any management style, regardless of its innovative nature.
TOKYO
IF COMPANIES thrived on platitudes, Kao's strategy, as outlined by the consumer-goods company's president, Fumikatsu Tokiwa, would surely turn the company into a world-beater. Mr Tokiwa proclaimed that Kao will grow "if we produce products that benefit the consumer". He says that his company's goal "is to better consumers' lives" by "creating innovative products."
Kao is more interesting than Mr Tokiwa lets on. For the 16th year running, its pre-tax profits...
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