Fundamental research creates a legacy for the coming generations. It is my strong belief that this nature of fundamental research justifies national support for it in which the expenses are paid out of the tax. This view is supported by papers appearing in the present issue: they propose to extend the technology-oriented national policy, conceived as a survival strategy for the country with poor natural resources, into a comprehensive security policy involving natural aspect, and discuss importance of enhanced technology transfer to Asian countries and contribution to the global community through fundamental research activities. We have seen the Fundamentals of Science and Technology Law enacted and a corresponding general plan established. However, too often in the past, apparently excellent science and technology policies did not result in exciting outcomes. Papers included in this issue argues for drastic increase in governmental support for fundamental research, which will help us attain a status of credibility in the global community, and discuss legacy creation and total security policies.

抄録全体を表示

The paper presents a comparative study of the competitiveness of U.S. and Japanese companies up to 1990 as viewed from the standpoint of management accounting, followed by a discussion of changes in the management according in the two countries since 1990. Traditional accounting practices in Japanese companies can be characterized as indefinite, customer-oriented, team-oriented, and subject to non-financial factors, while the American practice is rather logical, individual-oriented and shareholder-oriented. However, considerable changes in these characteristics are observed since 1990: either country tends to adopt some of the traditional features of the other.

抄録全体を表示

The concept of international competitiveness comprises various factors, providing a number of aspects. The present work evaluates the competitiveness of the Japanese manufacturing industries in terms of productivity. The growth of the physical labor productivity in the Japanese manufacturing industry has been slowed down since the 1970s and has been recording negative rates since 1990. In contrast the American manufacturing industries, after the sluggish 1970s, have improved the physical labor productivity in the 1980s by reducing the labor input and show a significant growth since 1990. The value-added labor productivity in Japan, as measured by purchasing power parity, was found to be 74% that of the U.S. in 1991. These comparisons indicate clearly that the international competitiveness of the Japanese manufacturing industries is declining.

抄録全体を表示

The international competitiveness of an industry involves many factors hardly measurable in terms of price, such as product quality and sales conditions, as well as those evaluated as prices. Indexes of the international competitiveness of an industry include productivity indexes, such as labor productivity and total factor productivity, and cost indexes such as unit labor costs and unit multi-factor costs, each with its own merits and demerits with respect to ease of calculation and accuracy. International comparisons of such indexes must be made on a common currency basis, which means that changes in the exchange rates affect directly the international competitiveness of each country. Unit labor costs for Japan, for example, show a better performance than those for the U.S. on the common currency basis, reflecting the recent exchange rates of Yen against U.S. dollar. After the abrupt hike in early 1995, which placed the Japanese manufacturing industry under highly unfavorable conditions, the Yen rate has been gradually normalized since the Summer of the same year. The present rate indicates a desirable value in terms of the international competitiveness of the industry.

抄録全体を表示

The Japanese automotive industry showed an excellent performance in product development, resulting from such corporate abilities as use of the development and production performance of component manufacturers, parallel development approach, and highly organized product managers. Such performance has basically been retained until the 1990s at the level of individual projects. However, excessive reliance on these abilities led to the "excessive design" problem, which is now being compensated for by the "lean product" approach. The Americans and Europeans have caught up the Japanese with respect to the abilities listed above, but with only partial accomplishment. The Japanese have greatly reduced the development period owing to the 3-dimensional CAD/CAE and other new technologies. This trend of simplification in design will further proceed in future, invalidating the prediction that the strong yen would impair the competitiveness of Japanese enterprises leading to "hollowization". Mutual learning between enterprises is a very important feature in the international competition platform. The competition pattern is so mobile that timely and objective data are indispensable for arguments claiming any degree of credibility. This means that positive investigations into the dynamic processes of product development should be continued further.

抄録全体を表示

Enhancement of international competitiveness of industry and expansion of employment are now receiving high priorities in the policy of every country facing the historical turning point. The advent of the age of great economic competition has triggered transformation of Japan's industrial structure, which must result, in the next century, in a nation based on creative science and technology. This requires a society open to the global community and creative, self-reliant individuals, which in turn needs a third overhaul of the country's educational system, following ones in the early Meiji era and immediately after WW II. It was against these backgrounds that the Fundamentals of Science and Technology Law was established as a non-partisan legislation. The present paper discusses the implication of the law as well as issues in its implementation.

抄録全体を表示

The radical reform of Japan's post-war government structure is now concentrated on administrative and financial reforms and deregulations. The next step is the focus of the Fundamentals of Fundamentals of Science and Technology Law which demands creation of new industries superseding the "hollowing" ones, solution of problems of global community. The purpose of the Law is doubling the governmental expenditure for R&D and renovations in the nation's R&D systems. An important issue is how a rational and efficient system, as seen in the American society, can be grafted onto the traditional systems and culture of Japan. For example, Japan's national research institutes have limited freedom in decision making, while the powerful faculty meetings in the universities tend to be egalitarian; both lack sufficient leadership in research activity. Young researchers, whose creativity is essential in social reforms, are not well-paid. The rigid budgetary system inhibits flexible research management. Regulations for government officials imposes sectionalism that inhibits, for example, academics from being entrepreneurs. Japan has been suppressing inevitable conflicts over research evaluation between creative researchers and reviewers. Switching from the traditional government-let R&D system to a more autonomous structure while increasing government expenditure is a difficult task, which is, however, essential in the nation's perspective in the next century.

抄録全体を表示

RDの成果を業績に反映させるためには、RD戦略と全社的戦略のリンクが必要になってくる。効率的なRDを行うには、どのように他部門と関わっていけばよいのだろうか?これまでRD部門とのコミュニケーションについては、異なった機能を持つ部門、特に営業/マーケティング部門との対話に関する研究が盛んであった。しかし、企業のコア能力とも言える差別化された技術を実現するには、異なった技術部門間の対話が重要な役割を果たすはずである。この対話が発生すれば、そこには見落とされがちだがコンフリクトが存在すると考えられる。そこど企業のRD部門は、2種類の組織的対話-機能間対話と技術間対話-を行うと考えて、研究を進める。対話が促進する技術統合力と機能統合力は、企業の業績に大きな影響を与えるという仮説に基づき、上記製造業へのアンケート調査を行い、対話の要素や構造の検証を試みた結果、以下の現状が明らかになった。1. 機能統合力は業績に直接生の貢献をする2. 技術統合力は単独では業績に負の貢献をする3. 技術統合力も、その対話パスを変化させ、機能統合力との組み合わせることにより、正の貢献が可能になるまた、企業は戦力パワーアップを行わなくとも、対話パス-既存戦力-の組み替えによって業績を向上させうることを指摘し、対話構造の進化など、さらなる課題を提出する。

抄録全体を表示

高分子素材企業の研究開発費については、企業としての支出額は下限販売単価に逆比例するが、個々の製品種に対する研究開発費はそれぞれの販売単価には殆ど依存しない。これは研究開発費に関して、低価格製品群のゆとりをもって高価格製品群の不足分を補っている結果であるとし、それを可能にしている条件を求めた。その条件は、下限販売単価が一定値以下であること、および製品種数の価格分布形状に対し一定の制約があることであり、それぞれを定量的に明らかにした。高分子素材企業全般についてはなお未調査であるが、石化系高分子素材企業群についてはその発展過程に起因する偶然の帰結として、これらの条件はほぼ充たされることを示した。研究開発費と入力/出力の関係にある限界利益の販売単価依存性についても考察し、各製品種の限界利益はその販売単価に依存しないことを推論し、企業の実績値によりそれを検証した。限界利益と研究開発費の比率によって定義される成人度指標の経年変化は、各製品種について未成年期では系統的で製品種ごとのデータのばらつきが比較的小幅であるのに対し、壮年期ではそのばらつきが年とともに顕著になり、市場の寡占化が著しい製品ほどこの指標値が大きくなることを示した。その上で寡占化製品の割合の増加を、企業として新製品開発活動の強化拡充に直結させ得る方法を示した。最後に既報内容の一部を改訂した。

抄録全体を表示

科学・技術と社会との接点において、各専門分野の個別知識に留まらず、複数の専門分野の個別の知識を統合して、実践的課題を解決する学際研究がのぞまれている。このような学際的研究の場面において、専門分野が異なると、相互の意志疎通が困難となり、学際研究遂行がうまくいかないことがよく見受けられる。これは、学問間の異文化摩擦であると考えられる。本稿では、このような摩擦の生じる理由として、並立共存する多くの専門分野における科学知識産出プロセスに注目し、その産出の際問題となる基準(その分野においてオリジナルな知識として承認される暗黙の前提)や妥当性要求の方向が、各分野の共同体ごとに異なっている点を挙げる。この視点のもとに、学際研究遂行時の障害の理由を分析し、知識の統合の方策についてのべる。まず学際研究をその出力の無いようにしたがって3つのタイプに分類した。次に、科学研究を妥当性要求の方向に従って分類する軸を示し、それを用いて学際研究遂行時の分野別コミュニケーション障害をのりこえ知識を統合する方策について考察する。そのさい、科学研究の妥当性の方向(分類軸)ごとにどのように知識が組み合わさるかを示し、そしてその組み合わせによる学問の発展の可能性についてのべる。

抄録全体を表示