ABSTRACT
THE CASE STUDY-SUNTECH AMERICA CORPORATION
In the previous chapter I examined the existence of the eight crucial elements of Japanese organizational practices at Suntech America. At this point I can clearly state that the organizational practices at Suntech America did not significantly involve the common characteristics of organizational practices of Japanese firms in Japan. In addition, the issue of corporate culture, and the issue of social interaction between Japanese and American employees need further examination. As I mentioned in Chapter One, the power/control dimension in organizations becomes a crucial matter of concern. It is important to account for corporate structural level control (i.e., between parent companies and their local subsidiaries), on the one hand, and management level control (on factory floors, for example), on the other hand, that significantly influence employees’ behavior at the workplace. In using fieldwork to explore corporate culture and social interaction processes, which imbue both corporate structure and management control, I will focus upon how management control is exerted over workers at Suntech, and, in particular, how American workers respond to the various forms of control by both American and Japanese managers.
