Based on a detailed case study of a Japanese venture firm, this study suggests that the unconscious routines practiced by entrepreneurs in innovation processes are critical. Research on organizational routines has asserted the following two points. First, when existing routines become proficient distant searches of new fields become difficult (Levitt & March, 1988; March, 1991) (the exploration problem). Second, existing routines tend to be lost during distant searches as they are impossible to combine with the outcomes of the distant searches to make new routines (Gavetti & Levinthal, 2000; Levinthal & Rerup, 2006) (the fusion problem). Nevertheless, Takao Kimura and Kimura Information Technology Co., Ltd. (KIT), discussed in this study, have succeeded in overcoming such problems to create a business with a competitive advantage. Our analysis of this process shows that if the existing routines are so proficient that they are practiced unconsciously, (1) it can help distant searches, and (2) the outcomes of the distant searches can be combined with existing routines.

To date, there has been a tendency to think that difficulty for service operations to run smoothly in healthcare organizations is attributed to resistance by professionals to changes in practices. By contrast, in the Kurashiki Chuo Hospital case reported in this paper, the true cause that obstructed safe and smooth service operations was in fact a lack of communication between units.

In the world of open source constructed on the basis of the Unix philosophy, there are cases of unsung heroic programs in obscure locations being maintained in a detailed way by a single unknown person or a small number of unknown people, mainly for personal reasons. However, if once these small programs close to the bottom rung of the ladder break, it may cause a loss of balance and collapse of our entire modern infrastructure. This is referred to as the Nebraska Problem in this paper. We can see from the actual and serious case of the Heartbleed bug that “the number of eyeballs” taken for granted in Linus's Law up to this point needs to be proactively secured, and we need to consider complementary measures, such as SBOM, against risk in advance.

This study examines the formation of feelings of serendipity in buying behavior. In particular, based on the perspectives of previous research in information science and interpretative consumer research, this study proposes that feelings of serendipity are formed under the influence of an unexpected meaning creation process that comprises three elements, namely, (1) encounter with a product; (2) connection between the product’s cultural meanings and self; and (3) formation of a positive outlook in life based on the consumer’s life project. This model is demonstrated through two illustrative cases of purchasing. This model suggests that understanding consumers’ life projects enables marketers to strategically design encounters with products to facilitate feelings of serendipity.

In community-based marketing, the new marketing framework presented in this study is as follows: (i) in term of the creation of value, it views a product from the perspective of solving the life issues of the customer base by including augmented products; and (ii) in terms of communication and delivery of value, a company forms a community with customers who are interested in and empathize with the value that the company creates and who can be constantly connected through social media services, apps, and other digital means. There, interactions among customers are born and new value is created. It is managed by proactively collaborating with other companies toward creating innovative values. We believe that this framework accurately describes the ongoing marketing activities of companies.