The Spirit of SHINISE [∫inisé] was established from concerns about society and business that are based on the supremacy of shareholder value, management focused on total market value and a sense of value which claims that efficiency is always right and corporate value equals dissolution value.
Companies need to make profits in the short term. But at the same time, they have to remember that they need to be operating for a longer period of time than just the time necessary for making profits and not to beat the competition alone. The Spirit of SHINISE [∫inisé] puts importance on the restructuring of local and business communities based on long-term profit, long-standing management and satisfaction of both customers and employees.
The sense of value mentioned above is the sense of value of shinise (established and long-standing company) represented by long-standing companies and noren (goodwill). The sense of value of shinise pursues innovation to protect tradition. As we take note of companies in Japan, we come to realise that Japan has the largest number of companies in the world that have been prospering for more than a hundred years or a thousand years.
We believe that the responsibility of Japan that has the most number of shinises in the world is to elevate the existence of companies to gain respect that is more valuable than the dissolution value from society by collaborating with shinises of Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia and the Americas and seek coordination of a sense of value of shinise of Japan and other countries. The Spirit of SHINISE [∫inisé] would like to modestly play the role of promoting this collaboration.
The name Spirit of SHINISE usually has phonetic symbols [∫inisé] since we hope that people all around the world will be able to accurately pronounce the word SHINISE. Words include history and thoughts of the person, country and company who are using the words whether they are in written form or spoken. They form the core of the culture. That is why we start from the approach to globalise two words; SHINISE and NOREN.
The Spirit of SHINISE [∫inisé] hopes to have perpetual support from those who are aware of the sense of value of shinise and who are in the position to create the shinise spirit by placing this sense of value as the core of management and willing to promote it internationally from all companies whether or not they are owned by the founding family, are a long-standing company or a budding company, and are listed on the stock market or are unlisted.
October 2009
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer,
Spirit of SHINISE [∫inisé]
FUKUZAWA Takeshi
