The Rice-Paper Ceiling Breaking Through Japanese Corporate Culture Rochelle Kopp Stone Bridge Press, 2000 270pp ISBN 1-880656-51-5

In The rice-Paper Ceiling, a new paperback from Stone Bridge Press (Berkeley, CA), Rochelle Kopp, international management consultant, provides the surprising statistic that over 700,000 Americans are currently employed by Japanese companies. She notes that very few are in top-level management positions. Of those that have reached the elusive higher ranks, many complain about being "out of the loop." They express frustration with the "mysterious" processes of Japanese decision-making and networking. According to Kopp, the explanation lies in the real but almost invisible barrier - the "rice-paper ceiling" - that prevents sufficient communication across the cultural divide. Due to differing attitudes toward work, goals, accountability, and a host of other factors, American employees and Japanese bosses often have completely opposite assumptions about how things should get done. Japan's current economic woes, and the litigation pending against companies such as Mitsubishi, clearly shows that Japanese managers are neither superhuman nor infallible. Success, Kopp points out, comes from honest communication and mutual understanding of goals. The Rice-Paper Ceiling provides numerous practical and forward-thinking strategies for getting beyond these conflicting assumptions. It is the ultimate insider's guide to what really goes on inside the Japanese corporate system. Press Release Stone Bridge Press P.O. Box 8208 Berkeley, CA 94707 www.stonebridge.com Order this book on-line through Amazon.com Clicking on the Amazon logo will take you to the order page for this book. You will receive your book via mail within a few days. The Forum Review Index | Asia Pacific Management Forum | Asia-Pacific Researcher's Center

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