January 14, 2008

PRESIDENT

January 14, 2008

FEATURE

 

Give a Big Boost to Your Career!

Make

2008 the year of your better career.  Business persons with successful career development give lessons on how to advance in your career and improve your market value.

 

32           The Case of Hiroshi

Mikitani, Chairman and President of Rakuten

           “Hypothesize,

act, verify and systematize--quick and fast.”

 

36           The Case of Yukio

Sakamoto, President and CEO of Elpida Memory

           “Professionals

should be intellectual athletes--act while thinking.”

 

38           The Case of

Masakatsu Saito, President and CEO of kabu.com Securities

“If they give you a chance, use leverage and

deliver double what they expect.”

 

41           Overcoming

a Midlife Career Crisis

Top managers of leading companies--Itochu,

Toyota, Seven & i Holdings...--tell how they managed to survive hard times in their midlife careers.

 

47           In Pursuit of Rewarding Jobs and Careers

Without a plan and strategy for career

development even beyond retirement, eight out of ten of you would be deadwood employees.  Even if you’re in your fifties, you are not too late to modify your career plan. 

 

66           Specialties and Skills in Demand

Lawyer, accountant, patent attorney....  Here is a guide to “ironclad professions”

that are marketable anytime, anywhere. 

 

72           Essential Study

Guide for Midcareer Professionals

Accounting, IT literacy and English are three

essential skills to advance your career.  Here are “must-read” books recommended by the experts, along with their advice.

 

78           Income Building

Career Portfolio

Here are case studies of successful business

persons who have doubled their annual income by changing careers, starting up a company and working on the side.

 

84           How to Make Your

Money Work for You

Leveraged profit plans for your family’s “household

finance and assets.”

 

              Columns

40           Bottom-up

approach to the Web for the ordinary people

61           Secrets

of a retiree whose skills are still much in demand  

83           The

case of a business person with successful double career

89           Tips

to avoid interrupting career with marriage or childbirth

91           How

to have your wife, who keeps to the house, work again

 

SPECIAL REPORT

 

124         “Eco Car Wars”--Who Will Be the Leader of a

Mega Market?

A review of latest key technologies Japan’s

four car makers are developing for the post-hybrid-car future.

 

132         Taxi Industry: The Mechanics of Making Profits

Taxis’ initial fare was raised in December

2007.  Who are on the laughing side, and who are on the crying side?

 

137         Who’s Who of Key Persons 2008

Here is a roster of 100 key persons--in politics,

in business, in international affairs, in technology and science--who are most likely to influence Japan next year.

 

148         In Search of New Opportunities Part 24

Going its way--JFE with the strategy of “focusing

on high-quality steel.”

 

122         “Power of Environmental Awareness” as a Qualification

for a Leader

              Here

are requirements of top managers to survive the time of global warming.

 

SERIES

 

14           Close-up Nippon: Yoshitake Tanaka--a professional half farmer,

half entertainer.

19           Hideki Matsui’s Major League Diary:Numbers tell how much

Matsui contributed to his team in 2007.

27           Exploring How to Succeed in Business and Life by Jack Welch:

“Have I stayed too long at this company?”  What are the criteria to judge?

28           Just-in-Time View on Management:

“Four assumptions” about market economy that should be re-examined now.

102         Learning Business from History: Onihei’s “sense of speculation” that saved a

financially distressed project.

104         Accounting Watching:

Timing to retreat.

103         New Money Style:

Foreign ETF is growing in popularity--merits are many.

105         Legal Matters in Our Life:

Police matters.

25           Reading Market Trends:

Non-slippery floor material market.

107         The MBA Way: The Tokyo University meets

the challenge!  Promoting the “essence of Monozukuri (The Art of Making Things)” across Japan.

112        Workplace Psychology, Work Stress:

Companies that have succeeded in establishing themselves in Europe, and those that have failed.

110         Harvard Business Update:

Michael Porter on the “environment” as a strategy (Part 2).

24           Key Person in the

Scan: Takeshi Okada, manager of Japan's national soccer team.

24           Trend Explorer:

Weight/body fat-trimming male underwear.

25           Analyst Watch:

Securitized products, a black box.

26           Hints for Morning Assembly Talks:

Sun Frontier Fudosan Part 2.

26           Keyword in Spotlight:

Nonsmoking taxis.

115         Health

and Diet: Dry mouth.

 

COLUMNS

 

10           One Hundred Views of Planet Earth:

Persian carpet.

21           Top Meets Top:

Jose Carreras, tenor, and Karl F. Scheufele, president of Chopard, SA.

119         Restaurants You’d Rather Keep to Yourself:Eiko

Koike, actress.

158         Meet the Author:“The Art of Leveraged Human Networks”

by Naoyuki Honda.

              Book Review:“What is a Scientist?”,

and more.

              Further Reading:Reading

on the unreported sides of companies and the mass media that don’t report.

              Managers’ Select Reading:“The 

Fir Trees Remained” by Shugoro Yamamoto.

 

FROM THE EDITOR

 

5             Quotes

164         Editor’s Note

 

ADVERTISING RELATED

 

116         PRESIDENT Information&

Express