text: the Nissan Management Way and support the commitments 
  
  of the NISSAN Value-Up business plan. 
  
  What distinguishes the Nissan Management Way is that 
  
  we are both profit-driven and customer-focused, and that we 
  
  share our strategy globally and execute in a cross-functional 
  
  way. These cross-functional activities are particularly important 
  
  to our success; along with cross-functional thinking, they have 
  
  helped create an organization of singular structure, focus and 
  
  culture. In this organization, employees representing each of 
  
  Nissan’s three axis—regional businesses such as Japan and 
  
  U.S., functions such as engineering and manufacturing, and 
  
  products—are actively encouraged to work together to 
  
  maximize profits and to avoid a ‘silo’ mentality that is only 
  
  focused on their immediate operational group. 
  
  **4** Nissan Annual Report 2004 