Hitachi Automotive Products, Los Angeles (HAP-LA), based in Torrance, is a major remanufacturer of alternators, starters, electronic control units, mass airflow sensors, distributors, and other automotive electronic parts. HAP-LA reports to a corporate office based in Harrodsburg, KY, which in turn reports to the main Hitachi Automotive plant in Katsuta, Japan. As a Japanese based company, HAP-LA's organizational structure and culture is very strongly influenced by the Japanese corporate office, as well as the general managers, both past and present, that are transferred to the Torrance facility from Japan.
In order to fully appreciate the strong influence from the Japanese way of business on HAP-LA's culture, an analysis must be broken down into five components: Business environment, Organizational values, Cultural role models, Organizational rites, rituals and customs, and, finally, Cultural transmitters. Each of these elements is a core part of the fundamental culture that both drives and guides the organization at HAP-LA.
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