Please read (link is here):
"'Toyota Way' was lost on road to phenomenal worldwide growth." Washington Post. Saturday, 13 February 2010.
The author, Blaine Harden, did a very good job of tracking down key academics and securities analysts (Jeff Liker, Sue Helper, me, Koji Endo) and pulling together their perspectives into a coherent story.

Mike Smitka

recent interviews etc

I've been quoted several times this past week. See for example the following May 7 Bloomberg story but note I'm unsure how long the link will work. A nearly identical version appears here on the (Bloomberg) Business Week site.

Mike Smitka

The Revolution in Japanese Retailing

I don't just do autos, I also do research on Japan and teach to earn my keep, lately intro macroeconomics ("Principles"), a course on the Chinese economy (which I've been doing for a quarter century) and come this spring an intensive four-week course on the auto industry.

Here's a link to an article I wrote for the February 2010 edition of TOE (The Oriental Economist report at http://www.orientaleconomist.com), part of a book project on the transformation of the Japanese economy since the bubble. I enjoyed working with Rick Katz, the editor, to get it to size, filling the available space, no more, no less. But I don't have anything on Japanese auto dealerships, nor does my co-blogger David Ruggles, who is also knowledgeable in that area. Soon...?

Changing retail, changing lifestyles: From mom & pop to malls

The link now works -- enough snow shoveled to get to campus and upload it. But more snow due tomorrow and again over the weekend....

Mike Smitka