The Japanese are taught to be strong, faithful employees who work as a team.

When the company fails,

they should feel like they've failed. They don't work for the money. They work for the company.
he American workers have more freedom, yet still, most of the time, they work efficiently. The Japanese
workers are more faithful to the company, but at the same time are scared to request freedom, luxuries,
and independence. Once they agree to a job, they are that job. No excuses.
The culture clash between American and Japanese workers is at the heart of the story here, and how
mid-level managers Hunt Stevenson (Keaton) and Oishi Kazihiro (Gedde Watanabe) direct their approach
to work. Americans are industrious and competent, but by the Eighties, the demands of family life often
took priority. Whereas for the Japanese, work is the defining characteristic of one's life and other
considerations are not allowed to intrude. The picture seems to take a fairly well balanced approach in
bringing each side over to the other's point of view.

In the movie Gung Ho, different cultures clash in terms of production operations and work ethic.
This cultural clash helps develop a distinct line between the Japanese management and the
American workers. Hunt tries to blur the line created but both parties have conflicting ideologies
when it comes to production. The Japanese enforce strict rules and lower wages. Due to the lack of
production, the Japanese have chosen to close the plant. But due to the importance of the plant in
such a small town, Hunt convinces Japanese management to keep the plant open if they produced
15,000 cars. Also if the production number is met, wages would be raised back to their normal levels
prior to the Japanese arrivals. Hunt tries to make both parties work together in order to stabilize
production. Although Hunt faced the struggle of mending two conflicting work ethics, the plant
eventually hit their production numbers. Though two different cultures may have different ways of
producing, their overall and consistent goal is to produce efficiently and fairly. Therefore this movie
shows that two groups of people with completely different standards of production can come
together and produce goods efficiently. I enjoyed this movie that explored different cultures in terms
of factory management and execution. It was interesting and enjoyable to watch the struggles that
one may have to overcome when two cultures clash.

Hunt Stevenson, played by Keaton, maintains a very casual and informal

relationship with plant employees, involving them in the decision making process
when possible and is quick to question the decisions of his superiors. The American
employees are concerned with taking time off for personal reasons, and do not
place the companys well-being as a priority. Oishi Kazihiro, played by Watanabe,
has a much more formal relationship with his employees and supervisors. He is
reluctant to question decisions or his superiors and treat his employees any
differently
The Japanese workers performed without complaint at a lower wage and higher
production rate consistently. The American workers, however, showed less loyalty to
the company than Japanese workers and it was evident when Keaton tried to
convince his workers to meet the 15,000 production quota. Instead of making
concessions to meet the company goal as their Japanese counterparts had, the
American plant workers immediately began talking themselves out of meeting the
goal and finding ways to lower it. Keaton thought he could get them to push to the

15,000 quota anyway, but found without the same level of company loyalty, the US
workers were not as driven and motivated to meet the goa

The Japanese introduce job rotation so that every man is capable of performing every job. As
oppose to the previous American methodology of allowing each employee to specialize in a specific
job on the production line, the Japanese demand that each man can perform any job with quality and
effectiveness. In Japanese factories, all employees are able to do so, and this is expected of the
American employeesl
I think this movie sends out a good message about globalization and what should be done for
companies to have a successful integration.
This movie focused on globalization and the challenges it can create within an organization.
Although the movie was made in the late 1980s many of the dilemmas it confronts are still relevant.
as the globalism expands, companies should try to set aside cultural differences and their pride to
learn skills that are producing success. It definitely sounds easier said than done though, but in order
to be competitive in a global market, drastic steps should be taken.
, the Japanese employers expect their workers to work overtime, nights and weekends when
required. And Japanese workers consider the whole company as a big team, while Americans
consider team as a group of people whom you work together.
Gung Ho does a good job of showing the difficulties of doing business globally.
This movie displays a good example of what we may face in the workplace, and what many of us may
experience now in school. Binghamton University is mix of students from many different parts of the
world. In our groups we must manage to work together as a team to perform our best. Even though
we may have different beliefs and thoughts, we need to compromise and try to decide what is best for
our team. Sometimes the blend of all these different ideas helps to generate new better ideas.
yond our own class, we all will likely have to deal with foreign companies later in our careers.
Globalization is an undeniable force that will touch all of us. We must learn to accept and work with
people from every culture in order to be successful in our futures
Japanese workers dedicate everything to the company, put in long hours, and work overtime without
hesitation. American workers are not nearly as committed to the company and it caused tension with
management.

Jaca, Glenford
Engneering Management
TTh 2-3:30

1. What are the differences between the American and Japanese culture?
-

In the movie Gung Ho, different cultures clash in terms of production operations and work
ethic. This cultural clash helps develop a distinct line between the Japanese management and
the American workers.
The film demonstrates the individualism of the culture of America. The Japanese work
ethics are vastly different from Americans in the sense that they work together at everything.
Some scenes from the movie reveal the culture difference between the American and
Japanese work ethics. One great example is when Hunt Stevenson, maintains a very casual
and informal relationship with plant employees, involving them in the decision making process
when possible and is quick to question the decisions of his superiors. The American employees
are concerned with taking time off for personal reasons, and do not place the companys wellbeing as a priority, while Oishi Kazihiro, has a much more formal relationship with his
employees and supervisors.
The Japanese bring with them business practices that are unheard of in the United States,
like the morning calisthenics and the chopsticks they ate their lunch with but the americans
found humours about it.

2. What are the desirable traits that you can learn from the American and Japanese?
-

There are many traits and characteristics that I admired most from the Japanese. They are
taught to be strong, faithful employees who work as a team. When the company fails, they
should feel like they've failed. They don't work for the money. They work for the company. the
Japanese employers expect their workers to work overtime, nights and weekends when
required and they consider the whole company as a big team.
Being a family oriented is not a bad thing, especially in our Filipino culture. We possess a
genuine and deep love for the family. Filipinos are closest to their family. I admired how the
Americans give time for their loved ones. The movie also shows how industrious and
competent Americans are.

3. What is the key to the success of a company based on the movie?

I think this movie sends out a good message about globalization and the challenges it can
create within an organization, showing the difficulties of doing business globally. As the
globalism expands, companies should try to set aside cultural differences and their pride to
learn skills that are producing success.
The movie also displays a good example of what I may face in the workplace of my future
career. Workplace is mix of successful people. If I will be put in a certain unit or division for a
position in a company, my co-workers and I must manage to work together as a team to
perform our best. Even though we may have different beliefs and thoughts, we need to
compromise and try to decide what is best for our team. Sometimes the blend of all these
different ideas helps to generate new better ideas. department

The movie Gung Ho examines the cultural differences that can occur when two completely
different countries are working together towards a common goal. They do not appreciate the
advantages of working with each other, and instead their customs clash and it is counterproductive.
In the movie, when the Japanese purchase an American car plant, these cultural differences are
witnessed immediately. Firstly, the exercise routine that the Japanese executives are used to
performing in the morning are found to be foreign and undesirable to the American workers. Such a
custom is obviously unheard of in America. Also, the Japanese assume that the American workers,
like the Japanese, are completely dedicated to the company and will work their hardest to meet any
goal. This is seen by the high quota set by management thinking that it will increase the efficiency of
the plant. However, if you set a goal that is virtually impossible, efficiency will definitely not be
increased.