For example, the unwillingness of Toys "R" Us to adopt the standard
collective bargaining agreement used by most Swedish retailers led to a three-month
strike against the firm and denunciations by labor leaders who branded the firm "an anti union
interloper bent on breaking established traditions in Sweden," which was not the
public image the firm was trying to create-31 Likewise, German retail unions used short but
frequent work stoppages to try to get wall-Mart to meet more of their demands.
In contrast, labor relations in Japan tend to be cordial. Labor unions usually are created
and run by businesses themselves- Unions and management tend to work cooperatively
toward their mutual best interests. The Japanese culture discourages confrontation
and hostility, and these norms carry over into labor relations. Disputes are normally
resolved cordially and through mutual agreement. In the rare event that a third-party mediator
is necessary, there is seldom any hard feelings or hostility after a decision has been
rendered. Thus strikes are relatively rare in Japan.