I usually discard the “cultural differences” trope, especially in business. Most conflicts arise for specific reasons that would arise no matter what the culture. That all said, this guy really, really, really should not have joined the senior ranks of a Japanese company.
-
English Books on Korea... and More!
-
Visit My Brother's Film Review Site
18 Comments
This should tip you off to the man’s stupidity, not to mention that of the NYTimes:
“On another business trip to Tokyo in October 2004, Shigeta insisted that Biegel and two other employees accompany him to a Japanese bath house where they were instructed to climb naked into a bath with Shigeta, the lawsuit said.”
Well, yes, that’s usually what happens at bath houses in Japan, as well as Korea.
Taking the word of the NY Times for anything about Japan is roughly like taking the word of Michael Moore about George Bush or Rush Limbaugh about Hillary Clinton.
That was simply a wire report from the AP, not any original piece by the NYT. I have to say Ampontan, much like one of your favorite put downs in reply to anyone who remotely disagrees with you, “Had you actually read … (followed of course by a slew of unrelated ad hominem attacks).”
It seems this story just provided you with a platform with which to vent your well known hatred of all things that disagree with you, the New York Times being at the top of the list. Don’t you also hate the Washington Post, SF Chronicle, Economist, Wallstreet Journal, Time, BBC, Guardian, The Times, all Korean media, Asahi, and well, virtually anything that contradicts your god-like “only I know the truth about Japan and reality” view of the world? Just mentioning the NYT seems to result in a severe allergic reaction.
The examples listed like the onsen trip seem to be less about the actual alleged events, and more about the work environment and retaliation that resulted from complaining about them. From what I’m reading about the boss, he increasingly sounds like a complete pervert. There’s a bit more about the boss’ favorite activities at this link:
http://adage.com/article?article_id=121698
So Mr. Biegel’s position is currently vacant?
Aren’t people in senior positions usually married by this point or is that out of style these days?
Also, true as it may be, why is it that whenever someone in Japan faces some sort of criticism or oddity about Japan, esp. in the blogosphere, there is an obligatory, “it’s the same in Korea!” (and sometimes China)? Yet, if there are any positive similarities, the same is not true. I thought this behavior was more common in Korean nationalists and their newspapers, but I think I’m wrong.
I mean, honestly, do you really think that some of us here will criticize the bathhouse thing and then once told the same is true in Korea, something along the lines of, “Oh! I’m shocked! In all the time I’ve spent there, I never knew Koreans would do this!” might be said?
On that subject though, I do think Koreans tend to be less inviting these days about these sort of cultural participations, whether it is from their belief that, “Foreigners wouldn’t understand/appreciate, might think it’s weird” or simply just the standard ignore-the-foreigner deal.
I was giving our friend Biegel the benefit of the doubt until I read:
“On another business trip to Tokyo in October 2004, Shigeta insisted that Biegel and two other employees accompany him to a Japanese bath house where they were instructed to climb naked into a bath with Shigeta, the lawsuit said.”
That’s a total BS reason if I’ve ever heard one. I could maybe buy that story for someone fresh off the plane the night before, but not for a high-level business executive who lives and breathes Japanese business culture. Heck, Japanese culture aside, naked bathhouse business deals are likely a part of every culture that has bathhouses.
I also think this is BS as well:
“One exhibit attached to the lawsuit is an image of tennis star Maria Sharapova allegedly taken by Mr. Shigeta during a 2004 commercial shoot for Dentsu client Canon. Ms. Sharapova is pictured with her legs propped up on the back of a director’s chair exposing her panties”
OK…this is Sharapova we’re talking about here. Not exactly the most modest sports star on the planet. Anyone who didn’t arrive from Mars yesterday will know that Sharapova is more famous for selling images of her body rather than playing a world-class tennis match.
Sharapova’s reputation aside, you can’t really take a “crotch shot” of a tennis star more than you can a swimmer in a bathing suit. Their skirts are designed with built-in crotch “covers” (for the lack of a better word) specifically so you can’t see their panties.
Again, a BS reason.
So, I gotta call shenanigans on his other stories as well.
I’m guessing Biegel enjoyed the prostitutes himself and is merely pulling shit out of his ass to throw at Shigeta and Co.
I am rather shocked that anyone still reads the NY Times… Regardless of what the fatuous traitors print…
But then, if we didn’t have differences of opinion, this world would be a boring place indeed…
Despite having a high position in a Japanese company, this guy seems to be pretty naive about Japanese culture.
What is the name of Jennifer Aniston’s doggie? Does the doggie
think kimbap is originally from Korea? Would he eat it if he knew
it was from Chicago?
I can just imagine…
“Biegel-san, do you like sushi?”
“Yes Mr. Ta-(insert syllables here)-ra, I love sushi… but…”
“Biegel-san, we have to treat our clients. gazillions of yen depend on this.”
“But Mr. Ta–ra… the plate… the plate is a naked WOMAN!”
“Biegel-san, we asked you hear, because the company also cares about your… happiness as well.”
“If that’s true, can I send back the dish and ask one with a more masculine persuasion?”
“… you are fired.”
@MigukNamja
You’re confusing Sharapova with Anna Kournikova. While both are hotties, it is Kournikova who has never won anything of significance. Sharapova has won two grand slam titles and in 2005 was ranked number one in the world for awhile.
@Iceberg
My mistake. Good catch.
It would be really interesting to get Dentsu’s side of this story. The last lunch I had this past week in Tokyo was with a very senior executive of Dentsu at the top of their Shimbashi headquarters. I’ve known this man and his family since university days and I would be hard pressed to imagine him, for example, pressuring an American executive into the below-described activities.
What this clearly reminds me of is what happened to Hitachi in California some 25 years ago. They had an HR manager who thought he had a scheme to retire early from his Compton, California job. He went out of his way to hire Asian immigrants at the expense of Afro- and Latin American workers who predominated in the surrounding Watts and Compton communities while becoming active in the Urban League and visiting Afro-American churches.
When he had a major unbalance of too many Asian immigrant assembly workers and had documented the Japanese management’s preference to hire Asian applicants, he told a couple of Black job applicants that he was sorry but Hitachi prefers to hire Asians.
The applicants then reported the incident to government authorities, of course, and Hitachi had a major set of wrongful employment suits on its hands. In the meantime, this scumbag portrayed himself as being the poor whistle blower who also was a victim when he got fired as HR manager. He then sued Hitachi. While he probably didn’t get as much as he had hoped, I’m afraid that Hitachi probably settled on some amount. I don’t know since the final matter was kept confidential.
My point, of course, is the American executive is probably no idiot but rather a very cynical dude who is probably trying to set Dentsu up for what looks like to be spin at tort law’s Wheel of Fortune - a real hallmark of American life.
I suspect there is much more to this story than that is alleged in the newspaper’s account. While the Japanese are hardly angels, they do attract some of America’s worst sleaze on to payrolls — often at the executive levels.
Where do I go to fill out an application to work for this company?
can i sue my company for NOT taking me to see any hookers?
Ampontan you are as predictable as a 3-legged dog. Between whining about how X,Y,Z do not understand Japan, the undieing passive-aggressive bitching regarding China and Korea, and waxing lyrical about podunk folk festivals no one gives a flying f*ck about I think i’ve got you figured down to a T.
The plaintiff obviouslly was not culturally aware enough to realize the issues regarding bath houses in Japan, but guess what, not everyone is entirely comfortable with sitting naked in a tub with their boss. And the Czech prostitutes? Clearly the man doesn’t understand Japanese culture, but lets just look past that shall we.
You guys point out Biegel’s naivety, but isn’t Shigeta just as guilty of cultural ignorance? When you launch a foreign subsidiary your company becomes
subject to the laws and customs of that other country. Does Samsung in Saudi Arabia force its moslem Saudi managers to do “one shots” in company drinking parties?
They generally need to be restrained not forced.
@16 Said chaebol doesn’t really force it’s Korean people in Korea to do “one shots” in company drinking parties anymore. What has Korean culture come too