International Journal of Business Anthropology, Volume 7 (2)

This issue of the International Journal of Business Anthropology contains seven articles including a special section of four papers from Japan with an editorial commentary. The editorial commentary briefly introduces business anthropology in Japan and the goals of editing a collection of articles from Japan. The first essay, “From ‘Galapagos Syndrome’ to Globalization: Japanese Businesses between Tradition and Virtual Reality” by Mary Reisel, presents the cultural factors that block traditional Japanese corporations from adapting faster to globalization, and explores the growing gap between them and the new virtual industries that are rapidly advancing. The second, “Variability of Boundary and Meaning of Diversity Attributes: Studies from Diversity Management at a Japanese SME” by Noriko Yagi, argues that an anthropological approach can contribute more to furthering understanding about the effect of diverse people working together in naturally occurring work groups. The third paper, “Creation of Corporate Identity: The Role of Rites and Symbol in Management” by Yi Zhu, examines by anthropological methods the ways in which a corporate entity’s rites and symbols in management help construct a unique corporate identity, and the ways in which community members can cultivate a strong sense of belonging. The fourth article, “The New Business of Buddhism” by Yuko Nakamura, discusses the recent phenomenon of Japanese Buddhist organizations engaging in economic ventures such as restaurant businesses. The fifth essay, “Shared Business Culture Value: An Anthropological Study of the Endogenous Mechanism of Islamic Food Safety in China” by Shao-Hong Yong et al., proposes a conceptual model of a “Shared Business Culture Value” as the endogenous mechanism of Islamic food safety in China. The sixth paper, “Enterprise Anthropology: The Fourth Evolution of Anthropology” by Zhang Jijiao, regards the development of enterprise anthropology as the fourth evolution of anthropology. The final essay, “Resolving Conflict and Business Anthropology” by Alf H. Walle, argues that business anthropologists have unique skills for facilitating conflict resolution in many situations.