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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1985)
editorial Roots for Japan’s success run deep The news last week about the General Motors Saturn small-car assembly plant wasn’t phat GM picked a small town in Tennessee to build the plant, but how the plant, once it is built, will be operated. The plant, in response to the increasing share of the American automobile market being claimed by the Japanese, will incorporate Japanese production methods. Scrutiny of Japan’s success found the relationship bet ween Japanese employees and their companies to be the most significant difference between American and Japanese production. Japanese companies hire employees for their en tire working career, and employees more often are involved in company decisions. The “us vs. them” attitude of workers and management that predominates in American companies is absent. So, GM, frustrated by market losses to Japanese car manufacturers, decided to try its hand at Japanese-style auto making for its small cars. By hiring workers on a permanent basis, paying them salaries, and implicating them in managerial decisions. GM hopes to instill in its American workers the loyalty Japanese workers have for their com panies, and thus, increase production and profits. The plant will mark the first time Japanese-style car pro duction will be attempted on a large scale in America. It is also a move in which America will shed its egocentricity and try the methods of an Eastern country. However, GM may find that it will take more than im itating Japan's outward corporate structure to enjoy the kind of success that japan has under the system, lhe Japanese production system is far more complex than just higher employee involvement and job security. The Japanese system, rather than being designed specifically to maximize production, is a reflection of Japanese society as a whole. The system exists as ii does because much of society operates on similar principles. If any one term could describe the Japanese, "group identity” would be the most accurate. Working as part of a team, and sacrificing self-serving goals for the good of the whole aren’t traits that are practiced by the Japanese; they are social requirements. For example, unlike Western names, Japanesa names are pronounced family name first, personal name last, which emphasizes that it is more important which family you come from than who you are personally. And this extends to the workplace. For example, the word for "workplace” in Japanese derives from the term ie. which incorporates the traditional concept of household. Many Japanese see their workplace as an extended family, often living in company housing in close proximity with other employees, and constructing their entire social lives from co-workers. Westerners — particularly Americans — on the other hand, emphasize rugged individualism and self-reliance. The strong American emphasis on the individual may con flict with the values of group-identity GM will try to instill in Saturn plant employees. Although the company may be successful in incor porating some aspects of Japanese production, several key elements will be unavoidably absent. For the system to generate the success of the Japanese system, American values and attitudes would have to be dramatically reshaped. But the few elements that Americans are able to incor porate may boost production and help American workers feel less like useless cogs in a huge, uncontrollable machine. And if this happens, the new production technique may not only promise changes for automobile production, but for all forms of management in America. Read carefully Jack Straton's recent attempt (ODE, July 30) to discredit my letter (ODE, July 18} contains more fallacies than 1 could possibly deal with in 250 words. 1 will try to deal with some of them, though. Straton begins his attack by asserting that I “argued for prayer in public schools ... " Wrong. A careful (stress “careful") reading of my letter would reveal that I was simply challenging the Supreme' Court's (and the Emerald's) re cent "interpretations" of the First Amendment as being historically illegitimate. For evidence, I directed students to two essays bn the subject, one by Judge Rehnquist and another by constitutional scholar. John Whitehead. In a shoddy attempt to discredit these essays, Straton attacks my supposed presup positions. ("Visoky's presup positions that longer essays contain deeper truth, and that one person can 'prove' what another intended or thought, are absurd.") Wrong again. I do not presuppose “that longer essays contain deeper truth." 1 do presuppose, however, that longer essays give a writer space to pile up evidence to prove or disprove a particular point. As for Straton's contention that it is “absurd” to believe “that one person can ‘prove’ what another intended or thought." 1 would only ask him what he thinks the study of 1 Oregon daily . - emerald The Oregon Daily Emerald is published on Tuesdays and Thursday during the summer session except during exam week and vacations by the Oregon Daily Emerald Publishing Co., at the University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 97403. The Emerald operates independently of the Universi ty with offices on the third floor of the Erb Memorial Union and is a member of the Associated Press. The Emerald is private property The unlawful removal or use of papers is prosecutable by law. General Staff Advertising Director Production Manager Classified Advertising Assistant to the Publisher Susan Thelen Russell Steele Vince Adams Jean Own bey Advertising Sales: Tim Clevenger, Michael Gray, Nancy Nielsen, David Wood. Production: Vince Adams, Kelly Cornyn, Storm! Dykes, Kathy Gallagher, Steve Gibbons, Kelly Neff, Michele Ross, Peg Solonika, Karen Stallwood, Colleen Tremaine, Hank Trotter, Steven Wall. Editor Managing Editor, News Editor Editorial Page Editor Entertainment Editor Photo Editor Night Editor Associate Editors Administration Higher Education, Community Student Activities Features Julie Shippen 01 ana Elliott Michelle Brence Sheila Landry Karen Statlwood Sheila Landry Kirsten Bolin Scott McFetridge Julie Freeman Marty Schwarzbauer Reporters: Sean Axmaker, Frale de Guzman, Linda Hahn, Kim Kaady, Barbara Shaw. Andrea Skulca. News and Editorial 666-5611 Display Advertising and Business 666-3712 Classified Advertising 686-4343 Production 666-4361 Circulation 666-5611 history is all about? Does he think, for example, that I could not "prove” what Hitler thought about or intended for .the lews? History. Mr. Straton: look in to it: Perhaps you could begin by reading the essays I recom mended. But do read them carefully. * Tom Visoky foumalism Obie’s Agenda Eugene's small size, interest in and support of small business, and close community spirit at tracted me to Eugene. Eugene is the most special, place I have, lived.' I hear this often from other ' Eugene' residents.' they , feel it' too. The Agenda/River froht Park project will ruin Eugene’s specialriess. Eugene will become another ugly, big city. 1 don't want this. 1 want Eugene to remain small, special, nurturing, vital and en vironmentally aware. . •, The Eugene — Mayor Brian Obie's — Agenda. Riverfront Research Park project. Is being "shared” with the people of Eugene after its governmental body already has decided its plan of action. This is riot in volving the people’s par ticipaion. This shows a tremen dous social irresponsibility on the part of our elected officials and public employees. 1 am convinced that the (obs/careers involved in this proposed project will be given to people outside Oregon. Jobs here should go to the local peo ple — here. Not long ago. many people entered the computer/high tech field; the promise was careers for everyone. Now that field is in,a sluing California's Silicon Valley is,an example. The peo ple who devise and implement . such money-making schemes are not willing to look at the long-term effect* of such a plan; ' at the destruction it will'cause.. I propose, an alternative - small, light industry ehcourag. ing local employment! Use the _. millions.of dollars to be used for Obie's Agenda tq encourage small loo«l entrepreneurs to create new business in already existing structures,, and to ex- \ pand existing business • • Nan Cohen Eugene Encouragement As a former Peace Corps volunteer (Liberia, West Africa,. 1975-77). I appreciate . Diana Elliott’s remarks, contained in her July 10 piece on l-ive Aid. in support of the.Corps. However. I disagree with her crlticismsof anyone who. in order to help the people of the Third World, does less than join the (Uirps. Pasting for a day. con tributing a quarter to a fund raiser on a street corner, buying a ticket, and attending a benefit . concert ,.. these are all steps in the right direction. As opposed to those who have done nothing, these faster*. donors and concert-goers have at least done something. They deserve encouragement, not censure. With encouragement, they will perhaps do more. Under cen sure, they may rejoin the multitude of the uncaring and uninformed. If so. the world will be, on the whole, a great deal less compassionate and. in the end, a lot hungrier William Pattison Kogut journalism, M.A., j.D. ] Letters Policy The Emerald will attempt to print all letters con taining fair comment on topics of interest to the University community. Letters to the editor must be limited to 250 words, typed, signed and the identification of the writer must be verified when the letter is turned in. The Emerald reserves the right to edit any letter for length or style. Letters to the editor should be turned into the Emerald office, Suite 300, EMU.
