
Japanese work ethic hides inefficiencies
BBC
Working practices at companies such as Toyota, which reported record profits this year, have been copied by businesses throughout the world.
But just how efficient are the Japanese?
"Toyota and Sony are efficient, but they are atypical," says James Kondo, of the Tokyo branch of business consultants McKinsey.
"Generally, Japanese firms are quite unproductive on a national scale. They are quite unproductive in general. A very small percentage are models that we should be looking at. Only a tiny percentage are globally competitive."