Learning activity 1:

Before 2015, most Japanese corporations organized their corporate structure and managed their business relationship based on the traditionally characteristic way with respect to sociocultural, political and legal factors. But a new era was opened in Japanese corporate arena once the Japanese Corporate Governance Code took effect in June 2015.

The companies that you researched to discuss in this learning activity must not be any of the example companies on the same topic from the course ebook and/or course materials. You cannot use the same company in the discussion participation as the instructor-assigned company in the course projects.

Based on your own research:

• Illustrate with a specific Japanese corporation from your own research (not from the course ebook, course materials, or the instructor-assigned course projects) how the top management in that corporation in the pre-2015 era traditionally organized its corporate structure and manage the business relationship. Justify the rationale based on the traditional Japanese sociocultural, political, and legal factors.
• After the implementation of the new code in 2015, what changes would need to be completed at that corporation to meet the new legislated requirements in the code?
• Why would you believe the top executives in Japan become more ethical based on the recent legislation with respect to the composition of board of directors?

Learning activity 2:

Discuss the various attitudes and perspectives on social responsibility:

• How could a strategist's attitude toward social responsibility affect a firm's strategy? What is your attitude towards social responsibility? Justify your rationale.
• How about benefits vs harms in complying with corporate social responsibility from the perspective of the internal stakeholders of that company?