Minoru makihara biography of abraham james

Rubin and Jacob Weisberg.

Minoru Ben Makihara, British, Japanese diversified corporation executive.

The country had fallen into recession, and the company was saddled with bad debts, slim profits, and a management style that looked inward in the midst of a global economy. His role was to set the organization on a change of course. In Japan, a land especially mindful and respectful of tradition, certain enterprises have long held a special place in society, and none more so than Mitsubishi.

Its origin goes back to the s, when three sailing ships transported raw materials to Japanese manufacturers and carried exports to markets overseas. That said, the Japanese economy was showing signs of serious weakness at the beginning of the last decade of the 20th century. Management practices such as lifetime employment guarantees that had long been lauded were instead being called into question.

Japan's reliance on industrial policy had already triggered a backlash in the United States with cries of unfair trade practices. With its emphasis on size and dominant market share, Mitsubishi Corporation may have topped the Fortune charts, but profitability was another story altogether, with earnings a minuscule percentage of sales.

In this environment of change, Mitsubishi Corporation was ready to select a new leader in Thirty-six years earlier, he had started out in the company's marine products department, watching over the export of salmon and crab.

Minoru Makihara (Japanese: 槙原稔 Makihara Minoru; January 12, – December 13, ) was a Japanese business executive who served as the chief executive (–) and chairman (–) of Mitsubishi Corporation.

Makihara's credentials were far from traditional by Japanese standards. Although his late father had been a Mitsubishi manager and his wife was the great-granddaughter of the company's founder, Makihara had been born in England and had studied for a year at St. In a system where career advancement could often be hindered by assignments outside Japan, he had spent more than twenty years in positions that took him not only to New York but to London, Seattle, and Washington, D.

The significance of Makihara's appointment was not lost on the business press. He argues against the closed world of the keiretsu. Makihara had a full agenda when he took office.