Youth labor markets in most OECD countries were in disarray by the end of the 1990s. Japan was no exception. Some observers have claimed that Japan's highly institutionalized school-work system, involving close linkages between high schools and employers, has efficiently matched young people to jobs and has helped keep youth unemployment rates low. How is this changing, in the face of Japan's recession as well as structural changes in the labor market? My research examines the role of the school-work system and the pressures the system currently faces. Mary C. Brinton is Professor of Sociology at Cornell University, where she moved in 1998 after teaching at the University of Chicago for 13 years. Her principal interests are in social and economic change in contemporary Japan, the comparative study of labor markets, gender inequality, and the analysis of educational systems. Recent publications include Women and the Economic Miracle: Gender and Work in Postwar Japan (University of California Press, 1993), "Married Women's Labor in Rapidly Industrializing Economies: Examples from East Asia" (with Yean-Ju Lee and William Parish), American Journal of Sociology 93, 1 (1995), and The New Institutionalism in Sociology (edited with Victor Nee; Russell Sage Foundation, 1998). Her current work focuses on how institutions intervene in the Japanese youth labor market.

Silicon Valley has become a melting pot of talent, opportunity, and capital from not only the United States but around the world. This seminar will focus on how Korean entrepreneurs can incorporate and manage high-tech ventures successfully in Silicon Valley by overcoming critical barriers--managerial, technical, and cultural. Based on in-depth case studies of Korean start-ups in Silicon Valley, this presentation identifies problems faced by entrepreneurs along the stages of venture development. It also suggests to Korean entrepreneurs a process to overcome barriers through support from partners and advisory experts in Silicon Valley and Korea. More specifically, this seminar will discuss the experiences of Korean start-ups in Silicon Valley in writing business plans, raising funds, hiring and motivating employees, and addressing cultural issues. In addition, some lessons and guidelines for foreign entrepreneurs in surmounting the obstacles for the successful incorporation and growth will be discussed, such as the importance of forming the founding team with complementary assets and the legal form of the entity.

Dr. Zong-Tae Bae is an Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Management, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Seoul, Korea. He is currently on sabbatical from KAIST and working as a Visiting Scholar of the Graduate School of Business (GSB) and the Asia/Pacific Research Center (Shorenstein APARC) at Stanford University. His research interests include various aspects of technology management and entrepreneurship. Currently he is conducting a research project on a global model of new venture development. He has published 10 articles in international journals such as R&D Management and Journal of Production Innovation Management. He received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Seoul National University in 1982, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Management Science from KAIST in 1984 and 1987, respectively.

The Israeli economy is in an age of change. It is changing at a fundamental level from labor-intensive, low technology industries to cutting edge high technology products aimed for export markets. Now that Israel is a major source of innovation, technology has become a source of significant connections with Silicon Valley. Major activities between the US and Israel are growing, and the trend, particularly with Silicon Valley, is now stronger than ever. What are the major kinds of ties between Israel and Silicon Valley? And what factors are driving the economic activities in Israel? Yishai Laks holds the position of the Government of Israel's Consul for Economic Affairs for the United States Northwest region (including Northern California, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana). From his headquarters in Santa Clara, California, Mr. Laks directs all aspects of economics relationships between the region and Israel, assisting US companies in establishing investments, joint ventures, and trade relationships with Israel and Israeli companies. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Laks served as Economic Advisor to the Director General in Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade from 1994 to 1997. During his tenure, he advised the Director General on all aspects of the Ministry tasks and work. From 1992 to 1994 Mr. Laks was in charge of the trade between Israel and the East European and EFTA countries at the Foreign Trade Administration. Mr. Laks received his B.A. and M.B.A. from Tel-Aviv University, Israel emphasizing in Marketing and International Management.

Zi Zhongyun is one of China's leading scholars on international relations. She is the author of The Origin and Evolution of U.S. Policy Towards China, 1945-1950; On the Shore of the Sea of Learning; Forty Years of U.S.-Taiwan Relations, 1949-1989; and the forthcoming Looking at the World with Cold Eyes: Revelations of the Ups and Downs in the 20th Century. Her edited volumes include, A History of Postwar U.S. Foreign Relations, from Truman to Reagan; Building up a Bridge of Understanding: American Studies in China, 1979-1992; and Initial Contributions to Theories on International Politics in China. She has served as Director of the Institute of American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Editor-in-chief of the Journal of American Studies in China, and was the Founder & first President of the Society for Chinese Scholars of Sino-American Relations. Madame Zi was also Visiting Fellow, Institute of International Studies, Princeton University, and Fellow, Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D.C.

Trinitron color TV, the Walkman, the CD. Sony, the company responsible for these and countless other products, has set the standard for consumer electronics. The Japanese company has also become the brand name best known and most highly esteemed by Americans. But how much do we really know about Sony, the company? For the first time in any language, John Nathan takes us behind the scenes at Sony in his groundbreaking book, SONY: The Private Life (Houghton Mifflin; Sept. 28, 1999). Nathan gives us a rare inside look at the makings and workings of this modern business wonder. He portrays the remarkable individuals who built the company as well as the interpersonal relationships that have shaped it. John Nathan has been engaged with Japan for forty years and has been accused more than once of thinking like a Japanese. In 1963, he entered the Department of Japanese Literature and linguistics as the first American to be admitted as a regular student at Tokyo University. In 1964, he published the first of many translations for Yukio Mishima's The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea. In 1967, he introduced Kenzaburo Oe to Western readers with his translation of A Personal Matter. Nathan returned to Japan in 1972 to write and co-direct, with Hiroshi Teshigahara, a feature film about American deserters from Vietnam in the Japanese peace underground. In 1974, Nathan received his Ph.D. from Harvard and published, Mishima: A Biography. Thereafter, Nathan devoted himself to making films. He has since written and produced forty documentaries. In 1994, Nathan became the first Takashima Professor Japanese Cultural Studies at U.C. Santa Barbara. Currently, he teaches courses on Japanese film and literature, consults for Japanese and Asian corporations, and continues to translate Japan's Nobel Laureate in Literature for 1994, Kenzaburo Oe.