This paper builds an agent-based simulation model of consumers behavior, the model which describes heterogeneity of consumers and dynamical process of preferences. The model proposed in this paper is developed based on the framework of EMoCA (Evolutionary Model for Customers as Agents) but has an essentially newly feature that can analyze customers’ features in a target market. This provides a new way of approach to target markets in which we have no purchasing records such as newly developing goods still in a design process. This paper conducts a simulation experiment on a virtually specific automobile market to verify the effectiveness and validity of the model.

The software industry in Japan is lagging behind other IT advanced countries in aspects of R&D power. In order to reinforce the research development power in the software-related sectors, it is necessary to clarify the methodology of formulating the R&D strategies. This study focuses on the methodology of setting the themes for R&D. In order to promote R&D more effectively, we propose the NeXT model (Needs based on Conflicts between Trends) which consists of two processes: estimating the priority areas based on the conflicts between near-future trends and verifying the priority areas. We have evaluated this methodology by comparing 25 possible priority areas which was introduced by the NeXT model with the results of the 7-th Technology Foresight which was conducted using the Delphi method. This methodology comes in compliance with the characteristics of the current society in which the link between technology and society is stronger than ever before, and is applicable to a wide range of fields.

Information and knowledge have become key sources of sustainable competitive advantage. Creating and leading a high-IQ organization has become one of the main challenges of modern management. However, managers often fail in orchestrating the necessary organizational change for two reasons: (i) a lack of understanding of the key levers to drive change, and (ii) an unclear vision of the desired output. This paper addresses both issues and, based on the empirical study, aims to offer business leaders a new level of understanding on how to form and manage intelligent organizations. First, the Organizational IQ (OIQ) framework is selected to conceptualize and prioritize management mearsures to improve a firm’s knowledge and information processing. This framework is then used to analyze and compare Japanese and US product development organizations that represent distinctively different patterns of organizational intellegence. For each of the five overarching OIQ principles (external information awareness - EIA, internal knowledge dissemination - IKD, effective decision architecture - EDA, organizational focus - OF, and continuous innovation - CI) research propositions suggest key differences between both geographies. Empirical tests based on 45 product development organizations highlight the significant decision points to improve a firm’s organizational intelligence.

The selling price in retail business, in Japan is generally not fluid because of the background that articles be returned easily comparatively. Accepting return of articles, however, is getting severer for wholesellers is getting severer for wholesellers in Japan, and predicting number of return of articles is getting more and more difficult for them by the fact that demand of articles in the future is not predictable any more.

By this study, I suggest method of create business principle and technique for reduction of risk by applying mathematical technology; such as portfolio theory. Option transaction used in financial engineering to field of circulation.

The goal of this research is to identify management issues for a bio startup which is involved in a drug discovery, in making its own growth strategy. It is also studied if there is any difference in management strategy among bio ventures of different business models.

In this research, growth of a company is defined as taking a radar process in executing R&D on new products. By using both historical growth process of Amgen Inc. and “Cloverleaf Model”, which was created by Heslop et.al.(2001), 54 check items for effective management and R&D have been identified.

By using questioner which consists of the 54 check items, research have been done for representative bio startups in Japan, on which items are considered important in doing effective R&D on new drugs. By making comparison between research result of the questioner to 35 firms and case study of six bio startups who are doing drug discovery business, it has been found that those firms emphasize different management issues depending on who is technology transferor, segment of the product under development, if the firm is public or private, and nature of targeted market.