What is the perfect business for a market researcher?

Is it typical for a Japanese business person to think anything less that 100% market share is not enough?

• In his interview with Smithsonian Institution in 1995[1], Larry Ellison quoted a Japanese business executive, who said: "In Japan, we believe our competitors are stealing the rice out of the mouths of our children. In Japan, we think anything less than 100 percent market share is not enough. In Japan, we believe it is not sufficient that I succeed; everyone else must fail". How typical this attitude is among Japanese business people? Is it a characteristic of large companies or even an owner of a small street shop thinks that way? Who is the most illustrious example of such an attitude? Are there any books, articles on Japanese business competition you can recommend? 1: http://www.cwhonors.org/search/oral_history_archive/lawrence_ellison/index.asp

• Answer:

  No, this is not typical behavior but rather one (famous) person's anecdote. There are thousands of family owned stores where quality is a priority over growth (e.g. sushi and ramen restaurants). It is possible that the quote may have been misunderstood. Japanese government or internal business decisions always try to reach 100% consensus rather than stop at simple majority.