Comment on Professor Ronald Dore's Article

Mort Weinberg (U.S.A.)

I should like to express my thanks to you for publishing the wonderful article by Professor Dore, whose work on Japan I have admired for years.

To associate management practices with fundamental societal attitudes is a fruitful way to understand some of the basic differences in the styles of international enterprises. I suspect that American workers are as likely as Japanese workers to get intrinsic satisfactions from work, but they may feel it somewhat difficult to express that satisfaction. As to greed, its object can be prestige and honor as well as money.

I do hope that Japanese enterprises do not follow us on the path that led to swollen executive salaries. It is rather strange that a nation that prides itself on its democratic character has allowed its enterprises to become petty dictatorships. The leaders of kleptocratic third world nations are merely following the example of some American CEOs.