Although FDI by SMEs to emerging markets is increasing, they face various challenges in the new markets. This paper examines how SMEs can overcome “institutional voids” in emerging markets and gain competitiveness. Firstly, a framework for considering “business strategy & business model—institutional voids—how to respond to the voids” is presented. Then, based on existing surveys, challenges and management efforts of SMEs in emerging markets are analyzed. Lastly, hypothesis about success factors for SMEs in emerging markets would be shown, then, we examine data collected by case studies.

View full abstract

Following the article by Vargo and Lusch^[7], the use of a service-dominant logic has become an international topic for discussion. In that research framework, the marketing of the consumer goods industries is regard as the marketing activity to enhance the context value of the customer. In this article, the author tried to contribute in the marketing theory by the case study of consumer goods industry. This study suggests the new consumer goods marketing in consumer goods industries and implications for the management diagnosis method.

View full abstract

Car dismantlers play the important role in the waste industry in terms of the protection of an environment. This research focuses on how to improve their purchasing process for the growth of the business, because unstable purchasing causes decreased sales and increased fixed costs. Therefore, this research question is what know-how to improve their purchasing process is. This research describes that the know-how is to conduct steps, i.e. visualizing first, evaluating second and then finding a concrete measure. The significance of this research is to formulate a new hypothesis about the purchasing process in car dismantlers. There are future issues to study the know-how through multiple cases in other companies and to compare a vehicle dismantling industry with others.

View full abstract

In this paper, we analyze how community cafe develop social business. In addition, we also discuss community cafe should develop social business in future. The result indicates that community cafe can develop social business through the following three points; 1)they cooperate with external organizations, 2)they develop several profitable business, 3)they put regional resources to use. Moreover, community cafe should work as a seedbed of social business to develop them continuously in future.

View full abstract

In this study, we considered effective discharge support by targeting the hospital discharged patients of Toyota City. We tried the extraction of the social factor of the patients requiring nursing care. We analyzed the length of stay from the viewpoint of consciousness for the home healthcare, and life background of the patient. We suggested that it is important to choose home care workers becoming the key person besides the family. It was suggested that the relevant assessment of situation for discharge planning.

View full abstract

The employers are most concerned about employees of communication skills. What level of communication skills is demanded by the managers? According to our survey last year, the gap exists between companies and business school students in Aichi Institute of Technology regarding communication skills. This result can't be generalized. We make a comparison between the engineering students and the business school students. After conducting statistical analysis, the gap exists between companies and the engineering students in Aichi Institute of Technology regarding communication skills.

View full abstract

In this study, to elucidate the actual conditions of the management about the local healthcare services and welfare services, the activities by analytical approach of municipal public health nurses, who are the key person of promoting healthcare, are analyzed. As a result, 60% of the municipal public health nurses applied an analytical approach to their jobs. It is suggested that the public health nurses who utilize analytical approaches for their personal work tend to be interested in research and analysis in their organizations. Additionally, compared with the nurses in charge of analysis, the nurses not in charge of analysis are less willing to analyze in their organization due to personal factors.

View full abstract

In digital content providing services such as E-book services, users do not possess ownership rights, unlike traditional tangible goods ownership. In this research, we explore consumers' consciousness and reaction to the unstable ownership situation created by these services, and found that some consumers have sense of ownership for the objects without ownership, which is provided as part of the service. This result complements the prior on digital contents and access-based consumption, opens the possibility to give new insight into management diagnosis on the value of services and satisfaction of users.

View full abstract

Since the collapse of the economic bubble, the number of people who are interested in Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant as a national qualification has been increasing due to the worsening of employment situation and rising the awareness of autonomous career development. The height of its interest exceeds well-known qualifications like Certified Public Accountant. Therefore, we tried to clarify why many people are interested in Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultant in this research. We confirm the existences of attractiveness which were not explained sufficiently in previous research and also discover new attractiveness related with improving your self-esteem and increasing the social credibility.

View full abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) has been discussed as a big topics very recently. A news item says that a Japanese IT company bought a British IT company with three trillions in Japanese yen in order to enhance its IoT technology. The IoT is a concept to connect everything using internet. The IoT will be expected to change products, business, human life style and even capitalist economy. This means that the IoT might change R&D, marketing, manufacturing, after-sales service, etc. in enterprise activities and hence might change the paradigm in management diagnosis. In this research, we will review the IoT and its effectiveness in business of manufacturing enterprises and then discuss a change of paradigm in the management diagnosis.

View full abstract

For Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, it is very important to have a good relationship to Banks. This paper is to verify a model which is constructed of Involvement, Friendship, and Long-term transactions between Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Banks, in accordance with the concepts of Relationship Marketing. Consequently, We verify that Involvement effect on Friendship on Long-term transactions.

View full abstract

This study is aiming at revealing any common factors that was leading companies to bankruptcies in the past. For this purpose authors selected 76 ever bankrupted companies from public date-base. As a next step, the root cause analyses were applied to resolve the causalities of each case, to pursue the management problem that is the primary problem of the cause of bankruptcy (Hazards in bankruptcy factors). At last, the mathematical quantification theory class III was applied to the obtained hazards data for each case in order to categorize them into some particular patterns. As a result, we concluded that the problem of management concerning ‘arrogant/lowering morale/self-interest'. mentioned as characteristics of “corruption” type organization climate is a common root cause related to organizational climate of bankrupt companies.

View full abstract

This study shows the effects of metacognition on the performance of international business. Although metacognition is similar to learning and knowledge creation, it involves universal competency and is focused on human resource development. Therefore, metacognition is important for international business studies from the perspective of cognition. Metacognition is classified by metacognitive competence and ease. The results show that the metacognition is related to international business of psychic distance and the support for foreign market entry. The performance of international business is improved when the firm gains enough information relevant to the country with high metacognitive ease and when the support for foreign market entry increases metacognitive ease.

View full abstract

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the effectiveness of Toyota Production System as a “Shikumi”. However, discussion on “Shikumi” in management field is extremely small. In this paper, we review the concepts and definitions of “Shikumi” and point out its effectiveness. Then, in order to verify the effectiveness of “Shikumi”, we will take a case example of TPS introduction project on POSCO, the largest steel company in Korea. As a result, “Shikumi” has a positive influence on(1)reduction in leader time,(2)productivity improvement,(3)improvement in consciousness of improvement is shown. Moreover, from the viewpoint of “Shikumi”, it is suggested that there is a possibility of success in the transfer of TPS to different industries in the future.

View full abstract

In Japan, the differential of tax revenue between the metropolitan area and other areas has spread. In provinces in the poor tax revenues, while spending on nursing care, etc. increases due to senior citizen's increase, excellent human resources, which are brought up healthily in privileged natural environment by spending a large amount of medical and educational expense, are taken by metropolitan area. Because of population decline and the lack of tax revenue, provinces have fallen even in danger of disappearing community. Current tax revenue structure of local government is that tax falls to the local government where a resident is living or a company is located, and then tax is not directly distributed to the local governments where a resident lived in the past and provided a high-quality labor force. In this study, we take account of population movement and propose an allocation model of tax revenue in which a certain amount of tax is distributed to the local governments lived in the past, and consider with respect to sustainable development of the whole of Japan while balancing between regions.

View full abstract

In this study, we discussed about management method for promoting information sharing between municipal health centers and prefectures in regional public health services from the viewpoint of system thinking. The subjects of this investigation is 34 municipalities and 12 prefectures in Aichi which meet the conditions. In order to continuously share information, municipalities don't only have to share information when they evaluate health promotion plan, but to monitor the trend of health condition over time. In addition it, they have to discuss about regional health issues with prefectures. So, health centers don't move as a mere adviser only when required by the municipality, but work positively by themselves and to be required “proposal-based health center” while involving the municipality.

View full abstract

The real estate industry is recognized as one of important industries in China as it has been developing rapidly since the late 1990's. In the good economic situation in China, many real estate enterprises in China have been established and have grown stronger. In this research, we discuss the business and financial situation regarding medium-scale enterprises as compared to four top enterprises in Chinese real estate industry. As results, it is shown that there exist some differences in the business and financial performance between the thirteen medium-scale enterprises and the four top enterprises in Chinese real estate industry.

View full abstract

Omotenashi is considered a personal high-service depend on the individual service provider, reflects Japan's unique culture, ability, and experience. Some ryokans, Japanese traditional inns, provide excellent omotenashi as every service staff does so in great organizations. In previous studies, there are some articles to discuss how to transfer omotenashi from person to person, and the methods for welcoming the customer, although insufficient on the organizational management. Thus, this study investigates the factors to create and manage omotenashi by the two case studies of “Kagaya” and “Kurokawa Onsen”, which are the famous ryokan and hot spring area with their excellent omotenashi, and compare these cases to find out common competitive advantage. As a result, omotenashi is embodied from the customer-oriented spirits of managers by okami,(mistress)and is taught to the individual service staffs. Then they practice it to customers, and get their feedback. They share the customer feedback with the other service staffs and discuss better omotenashi. Okamis to re-create from the discussion. This knowledge management process is presented with the conceptual model.

View full abstract

In this study, we performed an attitude survey to 350 hospital users we have experience using the hospital that has plural clinical departments and we extracted the problem of the current hospital room. As a result, the person who has not felt incommodiousness and inconvenience for the structure of the hospital as the building and the person who did not mind it were 67% in total. However, the hospital user feels that securing of privacy in the hospital room is difficult. From this, the hospital user did not have the awareness called the building, but we understood that the hospital user had dissatisfaction to recuperation environment. On the operation of the hospital the recuperation environment is not reflected for a medical treatment reward, therefore the improvement should be made at the time of building planning.

View full abstract

As Stage Gate and others exist as methods to support added value creation in the manufacturing industry, narrowing down promising products from numerous research and development themes and creating added value. However, in the life cycle of the manufacturing industry, there is no way to quantitatively evaluate whether the work level activities can be linked with the management strategy, from the management strategy stage to the work level. The purpose of this research is to solve the problem as evaluating the work level activities. In this research, “Management of Technology Diagnosis Sheet” was created. Also, I actually made an evaluation based on the company to which the author belongs.

View full abstract

Rugby had been the sport for established classes along with Cricket up until 1990s. Exposed to tough competition for its survival against much popular and more-widely played sports, typically football, and rugby football league internally, rugby union decided to become global and professional after long-lived amateurism. To catch up with its rivals, the union changed its worldwide governing organization to become “World Rugby”. Making good use of World Cup Rugby in 2015 as well as Rio Olympic Games in 2016, rugby union should find the way to the future growth by maintaining a highly competitive system in promotion and relegation in the domestic leagues and supporters' trust employed in English football to support lower clubs. Besides, it has started to channel funds as well as manpower to support amateurs and people in the respective regions in the name of “Get Into Rugby” project. So far they have been successful in introducing huge amount of broadcast money. However, rugby union will be forced to make it clear to distinguish themselves from other professional sports,notably football. Toward the future restructuring their domain will become crucial. One of the constructive programs has started in England under RFU where Professional Game Agreement and England Rugby Elite Player Squad's(“EPS”)have been introduced to solve the gaps in finance between National Team and respective clubs and those in squads between Premier League clubs and the lower clubs.

View full abstract