Web Activities 2

13.2 Occupational Risks and Your Environment

There is considerable international interest in Japanese production management (JPM), known in the West as "lean production." Advocates of this new form of management argue that it improves both economic productivity and health. In Japan, however, the relationship between JPM and sudden death due to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease has been an important topic of debate since the 1970s. Japanese have named these types of deaths karoshi. As you review the discussions about this cause of death, answer the following questions:


1			What is the literal translation of karoshi in English?




2			When was the first case reported in Japan?




3			What are some of the medical causes of death that are linked to karoshi?




4			What motivated physicians to look into the causes of this kind of work-related death?




5			In what year did the Japanese Labor Department begin to publish statistics on karoshi?




6			Is the link between high job strain (high production demands and low levels of control and social support) and cardiovascular disease limited to Japan? Explain.




7			What conclusions do the authors draw about organization and management methods cross-culturally?

Your Results:

E-mail Your Results