ABSTRACT
In this book, we have looked at C-Life—jkust one of the many major, white-collar, traditional companies in Japan—as it succumbed to the continuous harsh economic climate of that country. The study differs from many others in that it has been based on fieldwork conducted over a fifteen-year period, enabling us to see some of the changes in the state of the company, and in the atmosphere, ideology and opinion of its employees. Moreover, through introducing a range of individual voices we have seen what the weak economy and continuing recession—which can be rather abstract and impersonal concepts—have meant on a very personal level to a group of ordinary employees. We have seen the careers and lives of these employees from their own perspectives.
