Comments on: Why Isn’t Cool Biz Widespread? Game Theory.

By: wes

wes — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 10:23:17 +0000

yeah that’s what i was thinking. think of hawaii if you’ve ever been. it’s perfectly normal to wear ‘hawaiian shirts’ with nice pants as normal business attire, because everyone does it, but if you tried that somewhere else you’d look pretty silly.

By: Jenn

Jenn — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 16:36:34 +0000

Game theory? Points? Isn’t it easier just to say “unless EVERYONE is wearing cool biz, you look like a tool”?

By: the overthinker

the overthinker — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:52:26 +0000

They’d go a long way if they turned up in yukatas, the dress form that has evolved to actually suit the Japanese summer, rather than the collar and tie the Brits need to keep warm in August….

By: revil

revil — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:34:08 +0000

Well, the reason I am not wearing coolbiz is because mr. company president says not to.

By: Karisu

Karisu — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:45:52 +0000

Why is wearing anything proper adult attire? Your question is really quite silly. The same can be asked of anything. It’s just the defacto standard that has come about over time.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:52:35 +0000

No one’s ridiculing cool biz, we’re ridiculing the fact that few people are actually following it.

By: Nor

Nor — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:35:04 +0000

Cool Biz is a desperate attempt of the Japanese government to lower CO2 emissions so that Japan can keep up the promises made in Kyoto Protocal. Japan’s energy efficiency is already best in the world, which means that there is little room for the further reduction of CO2 emissions. Furthermore, 75% of the Japanese archipelago is already covered with forests, which means it’s very difficult to lower CO2 emission by planting trees. It’s ironic that nations whose energy efficiency is lower and destroyed forests more extensively are much easier to reduce CO2 emissions. So, don’t ridicule Cool Biz, especially Americans and Chinese who are not making any effort to lower CO2 emissions.

By: Gab

Gab — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 13:27:31 +0000

Nike,

I agree! I would love to work at nike. DRI F.I.T. I would love to wear that all day.

By: Cool Biz Attire in Japan and Game Theory at DPRK Studies

Cool Biz Attire in Japan and Game Theory at DPRK Studies — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:56:56 +0000

[...] Recent Comments • Dokdo, Takeshima, and International Law 5 Richardson, James, lirelou [...] • Remember D-Day 6 Richardson, lirelou, Angus [...] • North Korea Fires Short-Range Missiles off West Coast 2 Richardson, Hamilton • Congressional Reports on the North Korean Economy 1 Richardson • China Claims Even More Korean History 4 Jon, Kevin, Richardson [...] • Missing the Iraq-Korea Point 16 lirelou, usinkorea, lirelou [...] • Update 2 on the North Korean Boat Defectors to Japan 2 Richardson, ghola Asides » As I bask in the glory of casual Friday like a prisoner getting a conjugal visit, this post at Japan Probe on the “Cool Biz” attrite in Japan not catching caught my eye. If you go to a business meeting not wearing a suit, your effectiveness is perceived to be reduced. Obvious solution; always wear the suit. Share and Enjoy: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]

By: the overthinker

the overthinker — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:56:18 +0000

And knowing how fast your average Japanese salaryman responds to fashion trends, Cool Biz should really take off in about forty or fifty years, when much of Tokyo and Osaka are under water from the icecaps having melted, so the issue will be moot anyway.

By: Jamie

Jamie — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:28:41 +0000

I’m at the cutting edge. I wear shorts and a gym shirt to work.

Sometimes just socks.

By: ex-expat

ex-expat — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:11:34 +0000

Sorry, but I don’t buy Marx’s formulation. Under his classical game theory formulation, all players are treated as equal in terms of their ability to lead opinion, but this is clearly not the case here. There’s a good reason fashion magazines turn a profit; people regard them as fashion “experts” so are willing to be lead by them.

Now obviously in this case we’re dealing with a set of people (businessmen) who are set in their ways, so it’s no surprise that they’ve resisted change for so long — for all sorts of cultural reasons.

However, as in the case with fashion magazines, not all players in this game are equal, You’ve now got leaders in the civil sector — leaders of society — moving the Overton window, so I think it’s just a matter of time before business accepts the change. And with climate change poised to bring energy efficiency to the forefront, that change will come eventually.

By: Nike

Nike — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 12:00:39 +0000

I still dont get it that why is a rope around my neck and a jacket (suit and tie) is the proper wearing for adults?