Analysis: why Japan world-level Giants collective in crisis? Toshiba, sharp, Japan-IT information
80, the Chinese know that Toshiba is the first Toshiba double door fridge with a light green, and later China and Japan relations deteriorated, Toshiba's personal laptop battery abnormal heat was ridicule of Chinese consumers. Today Toshiba is not production of white goods manufacturer, and its core business and strengths is that nuclear power plants as well as electronic wafer. In particular, in 2006, Toshiba to spend $5.4 billion takeover of the United States as the world's most famous nuclear power equipment company-Westinghouse (Westinghouse), Toshiba to become one of the most promising Japanese companies.
But over the Toshiba of today seems under siege, according to media reports, Toshiba may have been insolvent, meaning Toshiba capital (equity) far enough to repay Bank loans. Why does Toshiba fell into such a plight?
Toshiba Press Conference on outline of President chuan Chi on February 14
Before answering this question, let us look at a big Japanese company sharp, sharp also produces electronic wafer at the same time, the production of flat-panel TVs is world class. Over the years, Sharpe did not like Toshiba, as expansion strategy, but slow and steady does its business, unfortunately sharp home appliances and other electronic products, while of good quality, but bear the offensive of the Korean and Chinese household electrical appliance enterprises, Sharpe finally acquired by Foxconn's parent company Hon Hai.
The two Japanese companies rise and fall are warning us of a truth, enterprises have first-class technology does not mean that it can win in the fierce market competition. Enterprise Management is a complex and comprehensive strategies, strategic direction is wrong, no matter how advanced the technology won't help. Of course, talking about the abstract reasoning doesn't reveal the mystery of Japanese big business fails.
Come back to see Toshiba Corporation, it should be said that Toshiba get into such a situation had its chance, which means there are unlucky elements. 2006, Toshiba acquired Westinghouse from Toshiba for market environment at the time decisions to the upper right, unfortunately the great Kanto earthquake in Japan in 2011, Fukushima, through nuclear explosion of horrifying images to television screens all over the world. After that, Japan stopped new nuclear power plants, nuclear power plants under construction in the United States have strengthened safety measures, causing the original contractors who sign contracts with construction costs could not be completed. Meanwhile, Europe also led the anti-nuclear movement, this was compounded by Westinghouse and Toshiba.
Other hand, core technology and key parts of the wafer as a computer, companies devote maximum resources to reduce costs and improve quality. Many Japanese in the past more than 10 years of producing electronic wafer manufacturers pulled out of the competition in the market, other industries in transition. Toshiba because it is large in scale, speed up transformation of, this may be one of the main reasons which caused fatal injuries.
In fact, Japanese companies are also successful examples of transformation, the most typical is the Fuji Film. In those days the world's most famous film makers is nothing more than the United States, Kodak and Japan's Fuji, there are a small number of cherry blossom films, early exit. I don't know how to forward the need to transition the Fuji Photo film, its management was prescient. Fuji Film at the same time reducing film production, increase investment and development face masks for women, it is said, are used in the production of film technology. Kodak's transformation is slow, so, Kodak has rarely come into our eyes.
Modern enterprise management, speed may be the most important. The fierce market competition, ever-changing market demand, technology market is clearly being eliminated, is only likely to be successful in marketing to technology. Consumers do not need technology, advanced again in vain.
Another problem is widespread in Japanese enterprises, that is, many large enterprises in Japan during the economic boom, so successful, so they don't want to give up their management models, always failing due to external causes, such as macroeconomic slowdown, a strengthening yen and so on. In fact, for all businesses is that external factors are common factors, improve their business major should look internally.
Final note, Japan's big business can be divided into two kinds, one entrepreneurial family maintained influence of big business and is not necessarily the family business, but the family has the right to decide on matters of personnel, such as Toyota Motor (114.24, 0.47, 0.41%), Suzuki Motor, which strengths are strategic decisions faster. There is weakness, once the policy mistakes may lead to fatal injuries.
Another a enterprise, on as Toshiba and sharp, its senior is from company internal promoted up of, each a session General Manager do 3-4 years, then on substitutions, hard looks forward to these led has what foresight, because he of responsibility and task is in term within less made errors, so, this a enterprise of led layer usually no innovation capacity, not seeking active, but seeking no had. Compared to the competition, they are better at relationships between colleagues, it's a little like Chinese officialdom alike. I work for a large company, it also sometimes goes to other large companies carefully, every time and I can't help but feel Japan's big business and officialdom alike in China.
That why most Japanese companies falling into the Toshiba and sharp's plight? It should be said that many companies are encountering the same problem in varying degrees, but not exposed. The other hand, large enterprises in Japan despite the whiff of incompetence, but very strong, so the top leadership change like a revolving door, short term does not seem to influence their management. In this regard, Professor TU weiming of Harvard University has a very classical observation, he noted that: "the development was not filial piety of Confucianism in Japan, but loyalty to the emperor. "That is, the Japanese lack of filial piety, but loyal. Japanese society cannot be said quite like that, but there is some truth to it. Loyalty is a virtue, but also a social and an enterprise the ability to fix leader errors in order to ensure sustainable development. Otherwise, it may lead to a fiasco.
This article only represent my personal view
解析：日本世界级巨头企业为何集体陷入危机？ - 东芝,夏普,日本 - IT资讯
80年代，中国人最早知道东芝是那款淡草绿色的东芝双门冰箱，后来中国和日本关系恶化，东芝生产的个人笔记本电脑的电池异常发热遭到中国消费者吐槽。但今天的东芝早已不是生产白色家电的制造商了，其主业和强项在于核电等成套设备以及电子晶圆。特别是2006年，东芝斥资54亿美元收购了美国的全球最著名的核电设备公司-西屋公司（Westinghouse），东芝成为最被看好的日本企业之一。
可是笼罩今天的东芝公司的好像四面楚歌，根据媒体的报道，东芝公司很可能已经资不抵债，也就是说东芝的资本金（所有者权益）远不够偿还银行的借款。为什么东芝会落到这步田地的呢？
东芝社长纲川智在2月14日的记者会上
回答这个问题之前，我们再来看一家日本的大企业夏普，夏普也生产电子晶圆，同时，其生产的平板电视应该是世界一流。这些年，夏普并没有像东芝那样搞扩张战略，而是稳扎稳打做其主业，遗憾的是夏普的家电以及其他的电子产品虽然质量不错，但承受不了韩国和中国家电企业的攻势，最终夏普被富士康的母公司鸿海收购。
这两家日本著名的大企业的兴亡都警示我们一个道理，企业仅仅拥有一流的技术并不等于就能在激烈的市场竞争中获胜。企业的经营管理靠的是一套复杂的综合性战略，战略方向错了，再先进的技术也无济于事。当然，谈这种抽象的大道理并不能揭开日本著名大企业经营失败之迷。
回来看东芝公司，应该说，东芝落到这步境地有其偶然性，也就是说有不走运的成份。2006年东芝收购西屋公司，从当时的市场环境来说东芝上层所做出的决断没有错，不巧的是2011年日本发生了关东大地震，福岛核电站爆炸，通过电视屏幕核电站爆炸的惨烈影象传到全世界。那以后，日本国内停止新建核电站，美国的在建核电站加强了安全管理措施，造成原来签订的承建合同随着建设成本提高不能完成。同时，欧洲大陆也掀起了反核运动，这对西屋公司和东芝公司是雪上加霜。
另一方面，电子晶圆作为电脑的核心技术和核心零部件，各家公司都投入最大的资源降低成本，提高质量。过去的10多年有很多家日本生产电子晶圆的厂家退出了市场竞争，转型做别的产业。东芝因为其规模大，转型的速度快不起来，这可能是造成致命伤的主要原因之一。
其实，日本企业的转型也有成功的例子，最典型的就是富士胶卷。想当年世界最著名的胶卷厂商无非美国的柯达和日本的富士，还有一家小很多的樱花胶卷，很早就退出了。我不知道富士胶卷是怎样前瞻到转型的必要性的，显然其管理层是有先见之明的。富士胶卷在缩小胶卷生产的同时，加大投资开发女性用的化妆面膜，据说，其中应用了生产胶卷的技术。柯达胶卷的转型慢了很多，所以，柯达公司已经很少进入我们的眼帘。
现代化的企业经营管理，速度可能是最重要的。市场竞争激烈，市场需求千变万化，以技术定市场显然要被淘汰，唯一可能成功的是以市场来定技术。消费者不需要的技术，再先进也白搭。
另一个问题是日本企业普遍存在的，那就是日本的很多大企业在经济高峰期，太成功了，所以，他们不愿意放弃原来的管理模式，总是把经营不善的原因归咎到外因，比如宏观经济减速，日元升值等等。其实，对所有企业来是，外因是共同因素，改善经营主要应该在内部找原因。
最后说一点，日本的大企业可以分为两种，一种是创业家族保持影响力的大企业，并不一定是家族企业，但创业家族在人事方面有决定权，比如丰田汽车(114.24, 0.47, 0.41%)，铃木汽车，这种企业的强项是战略决策速度快。也有软肋，一旦决策错误可能导致致命伤。
另一类企业，就如东芝和夏普，其高层是从公司内部提拔上来的，每一届总经理做3-4年，然后就换人，很难期待这些领导有什么先见之明，因为他的责任和任务是在任期内少犯错误，所以，这一类企业的领导层通常没有创新能力，不求有功，但求无过。比起市场竞争，他们更擅长于在同事之间搞关系，这有一点跟中国的官场相像。我本人在大公司工作，也有时去别的大公司讲课，每次都会不自觉的感到日本的大企业和中国的官场神似。
那为什么大部分日本的大公司没有落到东芝和夏普的地步呢？应该说，很多公司也不同程度地遇到相同的问题，只是没有暴露出来。另一方面，日本大企业的上层虽然无能，但其 中层非常坚固，所以，最上层的领导像走马灯似地换，短期看似乎并不影响其经营管理。关于这一点，哈佛大学的杜维明教授有非常精典的观察，他指出：“儒学在日本的发展不是孝道，而是忠君。”也就是，日本人可以不孝，但不能不忠。不能说日本社会完全是这样，但有一定道理。忠诚是美德，但同时一个社会和一个企业要有修正领袖错误的能力，才能保证其可持续发展。否则，可能导致全军覆没。
本文仅代表笔者个人观点