The optimum size of an agricultural cooperative has not been found theoretically and substantially. However, the amalgamation of agricultural cooperatives is being promoted throughout Japan. The purpose of this study is to analyze the effect of the amalgamation of agricultural cooperatives, after reviewing the flower business of the amalgamated agricultural cooperatives and the regional differences in flower growers' actions at each of the former agricultural cooperatives. The amalgamation of agricultural cooperatives had a great impact on their businesses. The variety of cultivated flowers and production facilities were different among the former agricultural cooperatives. Therefore, the amalgamated agricultural cooperatives limited the leading varieties of flowers and provided an equal production opportunity for flower growers. The businesses associated with the cooperative shipping of flowers were also different among the former agricultural cooperatives, and the amalgamated agricultural cooperatives placed top priority on cooperative shipping trying to narrow the gap between the former agricultural cooperatives. These flower businesses had different effects on flower growers' actions: changes in cultivated flowers, methods of shipping, market prices, and the intention of continuing flower cultivation. The factors causing regional differences in flower growers' actions are the following: 1) continuous cultivating injury and the intention of expanding flower cultivation which need another variety of flower, 2) the utilization of large greenhouses which need high-yielding varieties of flowers, and 3) differences in the recognition for cooperative shipping. The amalgamation of agricultural cooperatives has the advantage of giving flower growers opportunities to cultivate other varieties of flowers and to use shipping facilities reciprocally. But the disadvantages are problems of quality, clearly existing regional differences in production facilities and declining market prices.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate how providers of information on job opportunities acquire and distribute job information in metropolitan areas. In particular, I intend to focus on the publishers of magazines offering job information for part-time workers. The study area is the Nagoya metropolitan area. The results are based on data from Internet websites, interviews with surveyed publishers, and a content analysis of job information magazines. First, I examined the locational pattern of publishers of job information magazines in Japan. In non-metropolitan areas, these publishers tend to locate in a single office, which acts as both the headquarters as well as the production department for customer acquisition. This is because they are located in low demand areas. On the other hand, those in metropolitan areas tend to locate the front office, which manages the marketing operations of the metropolitan areas, in downtown areas. The production departments for customer acquisition are located in the suburbs because the demand in metropolitan areas is far greater than that in non-metropolitan areas. Second, I examined the details of the locations of front offices, production departments and advertising agencies, presence or absence of territory restrictions and, the processes of acquiring job information in the Nagoya metropolitan area. Those publishers who get customers for themselves, locate a moderate number of production departments in the suburbs and adopt territory restrictions for them, in order to increase business efficiency. On the other hand, those publishers who have few or no production departments, are in contact with numerous advertising agencies in downtown areas, but only with specific agencies in the suburbs. These facts suggest that the publishers of job information magazines strategically consider locational characteristics such as the differences between the downtown areas and the suburbs. The staff members working in the production departments and advertising agencies tend to target customers in the vicinity of their places of work, due to time and spatial constraints. Therefore, the locations of the production departments and advertising agencies are similar to those of the customers. Third, I examined the distribution patterns of job information magazines. The publishers are able to set up special racks for free copies of their magazines, based on their own distribution needs. Therefore, the publication and distribution of free magazines, in comparison to paid ones, tend to reflect the strategies of the publishers. Major publishers tend to divide metropolitan areas into several distribution sectors, and distribute free copies of their magazines in each area as a local edition. On the other hand, since it is difficult for smaller publishers to increase the number of advertisements on job openings for different parts of the suburbs, they tend to only distribute a single-edition free magazine within the Nagoya metropolitan area. Their distribution points in downtown areas are mainly at train stations, where a large number of people pour in every day from within the whole metropolitan area. In contrast, those in the suburbs are mainly at convenience stores that are used by residents who live in the vicinity of these stores. There is some overlap of districts for the distribution points for each suburban edition in downtown areas. These overlapping districts are the meeting places of suburban residents. The results of this study clearly show that the spatial characteristics of metropolitan areas are important, with respect to the strategies used by publishers to acquire and distribute job information.

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The purpose of this paper is to find factors behind the success of drawing up of a district plan, through the detail of Senbonzakura district in Yamato city as a successful case. In Senbonzakura district, a wastewater disposal plant was in operation since its inception in 1970. And there had been a rule not to increase population, because capacity of the plant had been limited. However, the public sewer was completed, and the plant was taken off. At the same time, the rule was abolished. Since then many troubles about building environment occurred. To solve these troubles, a new rule was drawn up by inhabitants. The process of drawing up a district plan in Senbonzakura district was smooth. There were three reasons of success. Firstly, a leader of community association had powerful initiative. In addition, many inhabitants living in this district since inception recently retired. Some of them have come to actively participate in various community activities. Support by making use of their working experience contributed to the success. Secondly, attribute of inhabitants was similar because most inhabitants moved in all together. Therefore inhabitants could share objectives comparatively easily. Thirdly, inhabitants have been used to having a rule, because there had been a rule similar to the district plan in this district. The prime reason of success was strong leader. This case suggests that the development of human resources is an important issue in the future.

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