Earthquake (EQ) prediction is one of the most challenging subjects for human society, but it is concluded by the Japanese government that short-term EQ prediction is impossible. However, there has been a lot of scientific progress in this field during the last three decades, and it is found that there appear many interesting precursors (mainly electromagnetic) to EQs. In order to continue this kind of research, the author established a university-based venture company which is oriented to research. This paper deals with the challenging spirit of EQ prediction in their strategic management and the business plan in relation to EQ prediction.

VUCA is reshaping the current business environment. The more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) the external environment is, strategic management becomes even more critical. The world is facing faster and larger scales of change due to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics. Hitachi, Ltd. re-invented itself to go past its critical point in the early 2010s and is still currently undertaking adjustments in its business model to successfully navigate the changes in uncertain and turbulent business environments. The company has been transforming itself from a traditional manufacturer into a solutions provider creating value jointly with customers.

In 2018, The Act on the Promotional Development of Areas for Specified Integrated Resort Facilities (IR bill) was approved and enacted, and Japan took the first step toward the promotion of integrated resorts, including casinos. However, casinos are unfamiliar to many Japanese individuals, and there has been considerable opposition to their establishment in Japan. Following these facts, we have surveyed preference of casinos that are not familiar in Japan. In the survey, we focused on how the concept of casinos becomes different depending on subjects’ experience of overseas casino. As a result, it is found that two factors; “Atmosphere” and “Restrictions on Betting” are the ones that make a huge difference in preference of casino depending on with or without overseas experience. Following this, we discussed the marketing strategy on the business of casino.

For companies rising back as a result of Corporate Transformation (CT), there is the issue of how long the regained competitive advantage could be sustained. While the existing literature mainly focused on the processes to restore competitive advantage, this study puts the spotlight on the sustainability of a company’s competitive advantage after CT. It thus attempts to identify the key factors necessary to sustain the regained competitive advantage over a period of time. Based mainly on Kimura’s study (2013) which analyzed CT cases from the perspective of Dynamic Capability, this study attempted to analyze the CT case of Hitachi, Ltd. From the case analysis, it could be confirmed that in order to overcome the next environmental change and to sustain the regained competitive advantage after CT, it is effective, at the point of CT, to embed processes that continue to function through the mid- to long-term periods.