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Is the Facade Starting to Crumble?

Tue, 04/10/2007 - 21:52 — Shawn

Two weeks following the death of Lindsay Ann Hawker, the suspect is still on the loose. Reporting by the Japanese media has followed a typical pattern--pretty much all we know is what the police have told the media and what the media has relayed to its readers and viewers.

All we have are snippets of the investigation. Ichihashi wasn't wearing shoes when he fled. He only had 50,000 yen in cash on him. His bike was missing. He may have harassed other women. A taxi driver saw him. We found some grainy footage of them in a restaurant. His bike was found. And the best one of all, a new photo of the suspect in a toque and parka. Sadly, it doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone that it's spring! The odds of Ichihashi being seen in a toque and parka are zero unless he somehow made it to the Arctic. But it's a different photo! It furthers the story!

The media did its part in plastering Ichihashi's face all over the TV but it's role is acting as the mouthpiece for the police, and the police have been very tight-lipped. After two weeks in the media, the story is about out of gas. There's nothing fresh to report.

Since we only have pieces of the puzzle, it leads us to speculate. Enter the foreign press to start asking questions about safety in Japan. Shortly after Ms. Hawker's death, the BBC ran a story called Are foreign women safe in Japan? This was followed by a Japan Times article critical of the investigation, a another on stalking, and a truly terrifying account by an ex-teacher in the Daily Mail.

Sadly, the articles show that there's not much the police can do unless the stalking becomes extreme. While the Japanese media sticks to reporting what the police spoon feed them, the longer Ichihashi remains at large, the more Japan and its police will come under scrutiny by the foreign press. As more and more anecdotal evidence accumulates, I wonder if it will explode the myth of Japan as a safe country and replace it with a new meme that Japanese men are freaks and perverts and that just being a foreigner in Japan is enough to invite trouble?

Note: For a timeline of events and updates on the Hawker case, see this page on Japan Probe.

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Comments

Fri, 04/13/2007 - 13:21 — Anonymous

You mean this facade?

Intercultural Exchange? Language teaching? Communication? Hmmm. Think
again.

Nova's job was and is, by extensive advertising, all about:

PHASE ONE - getting people to part with money cash up front, and, if
the customers did or do not have money, to then loan shark that money
(and charge enormous fees in that process).

PHASE TWO – illegally pilfering the money when they quit early,
either entirely, or via refund manipulation.

PHASE THREE, filling the vacant time slot with another advertising
hooked consumer.

Yes, a very simple revolving door game – a perpetual motion engine.

Nothing to do with "language education" or "intercultural exchange"
at all really – that was just the "product" chosen to flog, and
pretty easy to sell, given Japan's dependency on international trade.

BULK LESSONS - IMPOSSIBLE TO USE

"Lessons" sold in bulk, cheap if you use them all, but impossible to
use them all.

EXTORTIONIST PENALTY RATES

Extortionist penalty rates applying for those wanting refunds (most
Japanese simply being too embarrassed to even ask, and just
disappearing into the woodwork, with half their lessons unutilized).

Many Japanese also unaware of their rights (hmmm, just like the
instructors)

THE BIG BISCUIT - HIGH STUDENT TURN-OVER AND STEALING MONEY - GOOD
BUSINESS

The student pays up, after a time does not show up, and their monies
are either entirely pocketed, or given a savage crew cut when refunds
are demanded. The vacant time slot left – soon filled by another
student hooked by Nova advertising and salesmanship. That's right –
profits maximized by students quitting. That was the Nova game.

PRETENDING TO HAVE HIGH STANDARDS - THE "SHOW"

And that's why standards at Nova are largely non-existent. Most of
Nova's efforts are on the fishing exercise, not the product. That's
why people can't believe how "easy" the job at first appears (until
the monotony of the overly stacked timetable drives you bonkers) – it
is like being paid to "play act". Well of course it is – Nova does not
even really care of focus on the final stage of the equation – the
main act is grabbing the money in advance, and trying to keep it when
the student does not like John Smith's lessons, and quickly
stuffing another new student in the hole left behind. The final stage
act - the lesson - well, sadly largely irrelevant.

NO SERIOUS FOCUS ON PRODUCT - "THE HUNT, THE CAPTURE, AND THE SQUEEZE
IS THE GAME, NOT THE PRODUCT"

The product - it has always been simply about "appearances" – that is
why they have never spent any real money on proper training, proper
texts, or employing highly qualified language experts. The money game
is in the hunt, the capture, and the squeeze, not the product.

A long as things appear structured – a text, a timely well dressed
instructor – tough shit if the student quits is the real attitude
behind the fake concern shown on the surface – the students never get
their money back in entirety, and there was always another student
waiting to come and fall into the bear trap. A good business (if you
ignore the shocking lack of ethics) – monies to Nova maximized –
profits augmented by students not finishing their contracts. Nice.
Very nice.

NO LANGUAGE QUALIFICATIONS OR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY - WELL OF COURSE
NOT! JOB ALREADY DONE BEFORE THE STUDENT STEPS FOOT IN THE CLASSROOM!

As far as employees go - turn up with a hangover, clock on, follow
the minimum input steps a retard could follow, get through the volume
of lessons, clock off, end of story. Why? Because 99% of Nova's work
was completed before you even laid eyes on you student/s for their
first lesson. The instructor and the "lesson" – from an economic view
point, as long as they "appeared" to be ok, and the lesson covered a
bare minimum of steps, well, the very least of Nova's concerns.

Don't like the job – then quit – plenty of others to take your place
(sucked in by the same style Nova advertising, but targeted at
recruits, rather than consumers), and cheaper for Nova to employ
(probationary salaries), and easier to extort funds from, since
newbies need "accommodation assistance" (enormous rental overcharges).

Thus – very basic casual and insecure work conditions. Put up, or
shut up. Work conditions that, in fact, match the quality of product.

NO SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT IN INSTRUCTORS OR PRODUCT !

No real investment in instructors or product. Why?

Nova's core business is about selling spin to get money upfront, and
then trimming the refunds owed when the student quits early, and
filling their spot with yet another brainwashed twat drawn to the
consultation booth by the Nova advertising blitzes, just like a big
stupid fish swallowing a shiny lure. Simple stuff. Ah, the power of
advertising - amazing stuff.

RECENT NOVA HEADACHES

Consumers are finally waking up to the fun and games of the chain
language school industry – they are not as receptive to fancy
advertising as previously (hence the recent targeting of mothers with
kids in tow, and old people - ie: the vulnerable).

The market has reached saturation point – for the number of schools
opened, there is no longer an endless line up of would be students
(hence the recent branch closures). The model does not work too well
when the sales are such hard work.

THE BIG ONE - NOVA'S SCAMS PUBLICALLY RECOGNIZED AS BEING ILLEGAL!

Nova's Refund Scam has been identified as ILLEGAL – not just by a
judge in a country town, but by the Supreme Court of Japan.

Impact on Nova's bottom line – enormous. Impact on them being able to
peddle bullshit, crap quality "intercultural experiences" – enormous.

The impact of the current situation on instructors – you will be
working your butts off, because quiet schools will be shut down – the
schedules will be chocker block. You will not get away with the fun
and games of the past – because there is no money in it for Nova now
when the student quits, and replacements students are not as easy to
find anymore. Nova will no longer be the place where you just turn
up, smile, get through the day the best way you can (drunk or sober) –
they either offer a proper service, or they sink.

THE SPROOKING GAME IS COMING TO AN END

Nova is now finally being held accountable, and that means, so too
will you.

Tue, 12/04/2007 - 04:58 — Cookie Monster (not verified)

The cookie did crumble.

We all knew, but most of us... still played the three wise monkeys.

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