2. Aim at world business
Hiroshi Mikitani (Rakuten President) told
a briefing on international strategy. It is
to stop the Japanese company. And
change the their company like a world
company.
He is aimed at world company and world
business. And his hope is Rakuten’s
hope.
3. English communication
abilities
Mikitani think that when Rakuten is
aimed at world company, the group’s
6,000 employee have to use English
after 2 years.
Rakuten’s employee do not use the
Japanese in entire business after 2
years. So their business is changing
now.
4. To use English
Tokyo-based Rakuten encouraged the
use of English among Rakuten’s
employees.
For example, Rakuten executives now
deliver their presentations in English,
while documents distributed at executive
and other meetings must also be written
in English.
5. Support
The company has supported employee
efforts to learn English by tying up with
an English conversation school.
6. Strategy and Planning
Mikitani on Wednesday revealed
Rakuten's plan to further expand its
overseas business operations from six
countries or regions to 27.
"Our goal is to become the No. 1
Internet service company in the world,"
said by Mikitani
7. Goal of Numbers
Currently, overseas sales account for
only 1 percent of Rakuten's overall sales.
The company plans to raise the ratio to
70 percent. It also aims to increase
annual sales of its group companies
from the current 1.8 trillion yen to 20
trillion yen.
8. Mikitani
Rakuten has a Mikitani, who has an
MBA from Harvard is fluent in English
and is very charismatic, analysts say,
though making such a decision and
getting positive results are two separate
things.
"Rakuten has a culture of uniting under
Mikitani's top-down decisions,"Sumito
Takeda (UBS Securities Japan Ltd) said.
9. Like a soroban
Mikitani insists English is a must for all
the employees, saying in a recent
magazine interview, "English is like
'soroban' (abacus, meaning math) in
'yomi kaki soroban' (reading, writing and
arithmetic). Employees who can't speak
English are out of the question."
