日本大型跨国企业迷失方向?

So Toyota is in a bit of a tailspin right now.
It's a major safety concern.
It is a public relations nightmare.
The gas pedal...

This is a sort of global press that attacks the core of Toyota's identity. The worldwide recall for sticking accelerator pedals will cost the automaker hundreds of millions to fix, and millions more in the damage to its reputation for quality. But Toyota is just the latest Japanese corporate icon to lose its way.

Remember the Sony Walkman? Well, no one in the era of the Apple Ipod and Iphone does either. Sony was once the giant in personal gadgets. But analysts widely agree it became too big, too corporate and lost its focus.

Japan Airlines also grew and grew, so much that its expenses doubled up its profits. Corporate inflexibility, which led the planes with empty seats flying all over Japan help not the once-proud airline into bankruptcy just a few weeks ago, making it one of the country’s biggest ever corporate failures.

Do you see Japanese companies being as strong today, right now as they were five, ten years ago?

I'd say across the board no.

Tokyo based financial advisor Timothy Kirkwood has seen the booms and busts of Japan's economy. In recent years, companies like Toyota focus on global expansion and branding and let go of what it's known for.

There has been some outward-looking management that has enjoyed the success of the global, uh let's say, the global consumer spending boom that we've seen during the good times. But I think they were overly exposed the downside. And I think that's what's causing the problems of Japan right now.

It's happening as neighbouring China is seeing an expanding economy, set to overtake Japan this year. China is proving it can make Japan-like gadgets and cars cheaper.

But as Nintendo has proven, Japan can be the world's capital of quality, innovation and ingenuity, hard to copy anywhere in the world.

Analysts believe Toyota can take the nuts and recover as long as Tokyo's boardroom takes a hard look at itself and gets back to basics.

Kyung Lah, cnn, Tokyo.

Glossary

in/into a tailspin: in or into a bad situation that keeps getting worse in a way that you cannot control

the downside: the negative part or disadvantage of something

nut: 难事[题]，难对付的人