BBusinnesss Pra
acticee in Situa
S ations- Manneers ata Wo
ork -Center for L
Language Educa
ation and Reseaarch〒949-7277 新潟県南魚沼市国際町 777 番地
777 Kokusai-cho, Minami Uonuma-shi, Niigata 949-7277 JAPANhttp://www.iuj.ac.jp/

Acknowledgements
First of all, we consulted the employees of Japanese companies in Myanmar andVietnam for creating this textbook and receiving advice. It inspired the cases in thetextbook.
We also consulted the following book for structure: “A guidebook for supporting foreign
children –sharing the courses of children’s lives” by Bonjin-sha publisher.
We also consulted Mr. Kazuhiro Mihashi of Mihashi Corporation for valuable advice
from a corporate viewpoint since the inception of this textbook. We received insightful
suggestions from Ms. Minako Suzuki of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. about employee training.
We created this textbook through much consultation and in collaboration with Ms. Keiko
Kobayashi, who used to work for Isetan Co. Ltd. and was engaged in human resource
development. She provided us with detailed advice on essential rules and manners whenworking in Japanese companies.
Furthermore, we learned much from Professor Aya Kondou and Professor Reiko Ikeda,
who were the lecturers of a workshop titled “Japanese education workshop through casestudies –a method to design activities for discussion for problem solving.” This workshop
was organized by the society for teaching Japanese as a foreign language on 5th March
2011. What we learned through the workshop greatly benefited our creation of thistextbook.
This textbook could not have been made without suggestions and help from the people
mentioned above. We are deeply indebted to all of them.
July 2016Authors
Bibliography
Saitou, H.(ed.), Imazawa, Y., Uchida, N., Hanajima., K. (2011)

A guidebook forsupporting foreign children –sharing the courses of children’s lives－, Bonjinsha
Kondou, A., Ikeda, R. (2011) Japanese education workshop through case studies –amethod to design activities for discussion for problem solving－a workshop organized by
the society for teaching Japanese as a foreign language on 5th March.

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Table of contents
Instructions································································ 2p
1. Time management ··················································· 4p
2. Organizing work environment - Your office desk - ············· 8p
3. Organizing work environment - Documents and papers - ···· 12p
4. Communication - Making an appointment - ···················· 16p
5. Communication - Reporting to superiors/ supervisors -······· 20p
6. Communication - Leaving your desk - ·························· 24p
7. Preparation - Attending a meeting - ······························ 28p
8. Checking - Check documents and papers - ···················· 32p
9. Reporting - Handling complaints - ······························· 36p
10. Schedule organization ·············································· 40p
11. Prioritization - Think of effective execution - ················· 44p
12. Prioritization - Consult supervisors/colleagues - ·············· 48p
13. Being proactive - Silence does not speak for you - ············ 52p
14. Being proactive - Be resourceful with ideas - ················· 56p

<Instructions>This textbook is prepared for people who aspire to work, or are already working, in relation to Japan, to learnmanners and rules in Japanese business contexts.
There are 14 themes pertaining to manners at work in this textbook, which are: time management, keeping
the work environment in order, communication, preparation, reporting, schedule organization, prioritization,and being proactive. They are distinct themes, and any of them may be undertaken randomly to suit theneeds of the learners.
Each theme is structured with the following: situation (case), consideration, employee's opinion, supervisor'sopinion, discussion, conventional Japanese communication, and typical corporate culture in Japan. Their
descriptions are as follows:

Situation:
A thematic situation is introduced as observed in a business context. It provides the topic thatparticipants may use to think about their own behaviors, in actuality or hypothetically, as anintroduction to the theme. Pay attention to the background of each situation, and facilitate a goodunderstanding of the case.

Consideration:
A multiple-choice simulation allows participants to take an objective approach to their own
attitude towards work. The purpose is not to find a correct answer, but to provide insights into theparticipants' own work practices and ethics. It is therefore permissible to select more than one
option, and also to encourage them to suggest an option that is not among the ones provided. Italso helps to analyze each option to understand what is problematic in them. Describing thereasons for selecting particular options will also give participants the opportunity to objectify theirown attitude towards work.

Employee's opinion:
A given situation features a new recruit or an employee still unfamiliar with Japanese corporate
cultures. The Employee's opinion section describes inner thoughts of this employee (Mr. A, Ms. B,etc.), with the section entitled as "Mr. A's opinion" or "Ms. B's opinion," etc. The employee would
have some thoughts about the situation, seen from his or her perspective. Participants may agree ordisagree with the statements. It is important to empathize with their understanding, then prompt
them to reflect on what can be done, similarly drawing on the supervisors’ opinions given in thefollowing section.

2

Supervisor's opinion:
There is a marked importance in understanding superiors' viewpoints to gain insights into how
work is or should be done. It also helps to understand typically Japanese corporate cultures byfollowing the thought process from the supervisors' point of view. This section can be utilized to
introduce certain aspects of Japanese culture or Japanese corporate cultures. It will be of value tobe well-acquainted with such cultural aspects.
Discussion:
This section is designed to give participants an opportunity to develop their ideas as to how to
improve their work efficiency or sensitivity to colleagues and other personnel at work, based on
their understanding gained from the preceding sections. Discuss each item as a starting point toconsider desirable ways and attitudes, comparing the particulars of the Japanese corporate
cultures and their counterparts in the participants' own cultural backgrounds.
Conventional Japanese communication:
This section introduces Japanese expressions in speech relevant to the theme. Often theexpressions contain phrases and speech patterns used in Japanese corporate contexts, including atypical polite form - keigo - although students at a beginner's level of Japanese may find it
difficult to understand. Phrases and vocabulary relevant to the theme are underlined. Beginners inJapanese may start by learning and understanding these words and phrases. Participants whoselevels are intermediate or above may be given the task of memorizing these phrases or sentences,or alternatively, the tasks appropriate to their acquired language skills.
Typical corporate culture in Japan:
This section explains certain aspects of Japanese corporate cultures corresponding to the given
situation. It provides points of view regarding the accepted actions the employee in the episodecould have taken, or possible precautions that could prevent problems. Additionally, it provides
advice as to how to deal with situations similar to, or different from the situation given for thetheme. Participants may be given an opportunity to think about what they can do before moving
on to this section. Also, there are key words at the end of each thematic part, which may be used
as a prompt before explaining the respective aspects of corporate cultures in Japan. Other ideas
for the use of this section include preparing a checklist using the items provided in the section,and letting participants run a self-check. Some themes have rather detailed explanations.
Instructors may be creative in devising ways to pursue the course, for example, by preparing
excerpts or assigning two sessions for a particular theme, as appropriate to the levels of theparticipants.

We hope that this textbook serves the purpose of giving course participants invaluable opportunities
to think about their attitude towards work and Japanese corporate cultures, as well as to reflect on
their own work ethics.

3

Theme1. Time management

1) Situation
Mr. A made an appointment for a meeting with a client company at three o'clock. It wasfor the purpose of discussing a contract. On the day of the meeting, it was raining andbuses were running behind schedule. When he finally arrived at the client company, it
was 3:20 p.m. The client asked him, "What happened?" He answered, "Well, it's raining,and my bus was delayed." The client had a wry smile on his face.

Consideration

Think about the situation from the client's point of view. Choose one of thefollowing three statements that is closest to your opinion. Explain the reason
for your choice.
1. It is understandable that he arrived late if the bus was running late due tothe rain.
2. I would be appalled to hear him say that he was late because of the rainand the bus running late.
3. I would not mind it because I had been in the same situation myself
before.

[Mr. A's opinion]
I left the office five minutes earlier than planned because it was raining, but the bus did not arrive on time,
so I ended up being late for the meeting. I did leave early, so my being late was not my fault. I was late by
only 20 minutes, it wasn’t that I was one or two hours late, so it is not a big deal. If the meeting wasunsuccessful because I was late, it would surprise me. They should relax a little bit.

4

1. Time management[Client's opinion]
I had things to do, and I had to put them on hold because of the appointment. Then I had to waste 20
minutes just waiting for him. I could not believe my ears when he said he was late because it was raining
and his bus was delayed. If he knew that he was running late, he should have called us. It is common sense
to give sufficient time for traveling on a rainy day, because traffic delays can easily be possible. I could
only give him a bitter smile, but he did not even seem to take any notice of it. I am not looking forward toworking with him.

Discussion

Discuss each of the following four points.
1. How would you feel if someone arrived at an appointment late because ofdelayed bus services, etc.?

2. How much lateness would you accept for a business appointment?

3. What would you do if it were raining on a day you have an appointment
outside?

4. What would you do if you were likely to be late for an appointment?

2) Conventional Japanese communication
Employee of Company A: I am being delayed by the traffic congestion due to the rain.
I am sorry but could we change our appointment to 4 p.m.?
Employee of Company B: OK. I will be waiting for you.

5

Understanding Japanese corporate culture
It is commonly pointed out that the Japanese are punctual and that trains always arrive on time.
In Japan, new recruits learn from the very beginning of their career that it is the norm to always
be ready for any assemblies five to ten minutes before they start.
Naturally, not all Japanese people are always punctual. You will come across some Japanesepeople turning up late for private appointments. However, business appointments, delivery dates
and so on, must be treated as arrangements that cannot be missed.
<Be prudent not to be late for appointments.>(1) Set a realistic time for an appointment.
Avoid making a tightly scheduled appointment. Consider the necessary travel time to theplace of appointment.
(2) Arrive 5-10 minutes before the arranged time.
• Do thorough research on how to get to the place, and leave your office in ample time just incase you might get lost on the way.
• If you must make a long journey, check the train timetable and take a train before one that
arrives just in time. However, turn up at the appointment on time as previously agreed. It is agood practice to be considerate, as the other party may not be ready before the agreed time.
(3) Give more time for travel if an eventuality due to the weather (rain, snow, typhoon, etc.)
or events (festivals, concerts, election campaigns, etc.) may possibly cause delays intransportation.
* Leaving the office at the last minute is likely to result in forgetting to take somethingwith you, or taking a wrong route by mistake.
<What to do when you are likely to be late>(1) Try alternative means of transportation (taking different routes, using a taxi, etc.) to bein time.
(2)Make a call to notify your delayed arrival at the earliest opportunity if you know you are,or are likely to be, late for the appointment.
(3) Tell your possible arrival time and the reason for being late, and ask if it is acceptable.
Be careful not to indicate the time sooner than the likely arrival time. If you indicate that you
are running late by 5 minutes and actually arrive 10 minutes late, it will aggravate yourcounterpart. If you indicate that you would arrive within 15 minutes, arriving in 10 minutes
would be perfectly fine.
(4) Even if you notified your late arrival, make your best efforts to arrive as soon as
possible.
Failing to make to the appointment on time results not only in making a bad impression of
yourself, but also in compromising your company's credibility. Make it your habit to keep6

1. Time management

promises not only for meeting appointments, but also for deadlines for document submissions, deliveries,
phone calls and emails, in order to help everyone involved to do their work smoothly.

Good time management helps
to earn your company a good reputation.

7