Cultural approach to understanding the long-term survival of firms – Japanese Shinise firms in the sake brewing industry

Abstract

The study aims to gain understanding on how firms can achieve longevity by studying the historical acculturation between organisational and local cultures of Japanese Shinise firms. We conducted multiple-case studies on five firms with more than 100 years of history in the sake brewing industry in Kyoto. Our findings suggest that the essence of both Shinise firms' corporate culture and local culture have remained unchanged over the existence of these firms. However, the strength and role of the respective cultures in relation to each other have changed substantially in different historical periods. Since the establishment of Shinise firms, acculturation has taken the path of assimilation, reverse of dominion, enhancing the value of the local culture, and reciprocal integration. The longevity of Shinise businesses has been enabled by the combination of continuity in their essential rationale and changing cultural interaction with the enhanced local environment.