Organizational ambidexterity is a burgeoning field of research. Particularly, scholars have actively studied performance benefits of organizational ambidexterity to show that organizational ambidexterity positively influences firm performance. However, most research examines short term performance benefits over one to three years, rather than long term ones, while it is originally argued that organizations gain long term benefits by simultaneously pursuing exploitation and exploration, ensuring the system survival and prosperity. Furthermore, although scholars argue that the degree of environmental dynamism influences the importance of organizational ambidexterity, the way in which globalization of competitive environments influences the relationship between organizational ambidexterity and firm performance is still underexplored. Our empirical analyses of 50 global as well as Japanese pharmaceutical firms' new product developments in the Japanese market show that organizational ambidexterity negatively influences long term firm performance. The negative association between organizational ambidexterity and firm performance is also observed under the moderating influence of globalization. By uncovering some conditions under which organizational ambidexterity does not enable favorable firm performance, we argue for a contingency perspective on organizational ambidexterity.

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The resource-based view aims to attribute firm's competitive advantage to its resources and capabilities. In spite of our enhanced understanding of organizational capability through previous studies and findings, there are undeniable issues to be solved, with measurement of capabilities being the most prominent one. Since capabilities cannot be subject to direct measurement, it is difficult to conceptualize and measure, not to mention we have such inadequate grasp of evolution of firm's capability. So far there have been very few studies focusing on quantitative analysis of capability accumulation process. To fill the gap mentioned above, this paper proposes state-space model based on Bayesian learning, enabling us to visualize the learning process of firm's R&D capability and analyze relevant factors that control the learning process. The paper studies the capability accumulation process and identifies several parameters through a data set of 12 Japanese pharmaceutical firms during 1982 and 2002. Among our findings, the paper concludes that firm's investment decision based on historical capability will be risky, since without continuing investment in R&D, firm's capability will be obsolete in very short time. Also, the paper finds giving preference to develop human capital can help accumulate R&D capability. In addition, the paper finds that firm's size is negatively related to capability formation, which implies the so-called dysfunction of bureaucracy in R&D field.

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Knowledge is regarded as the most important source of competitive advantage in modern business. Therefore, researchers have examined knowledge transfer between organizations, especially private companies. In particular, previous studies have analyzed the factors that facilitate or prevent knowledge transfer and their effects on successful knowledge transfer. However, there is a paucity of empirical studies on knowledge transfer, and most of the existing empirical studies on the subject have focused exclusively on the relationship between the individual factors that facilitate or prevent knowledge transfer, without attempting to investigate the comprehensive model of knowledge transfer in its entirety. Thus, in an attempt to identify the unaddressed issues in the existing quantitative studies on knowledge transfer, this study conducts a meta-analysis of these studies. Subsequently, it reviews the existing knowledge transfer process model, which comprises four phases - initiation, implementation, ramp-up, and integration - and proposes a modified process model as a hypothesis. In the proposed modified model, the ramp-up phase, where the transferred knowledge is utilized, and the integration phase, where the knowledge is integrated into organizational routine, have a reciprocal relationship. In other words, in the knowledge transfer process, (1) initial routine is established by the recipient of the knowledge, (2) transferred knowledge is utilized according to the established routine, and (3) the routine is continuously updated based on the feedback obtained after the knowledge has been utilized. This modified knowledge transfer process seems to offer a better explanation of the actual knowledge transfer process, although this should be validated through empirical research.

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This paper aims to clarify how diffusion of social innovation impacts consciousness and behavior of socially responsible investors. The relationship between motivations for socially responsible investments and behavioral changes to solve social issues was investigated by conducting a questionnaire survey of investors in Hokkaido Green Fund, a nonprofit citizen-funded wind power plant. The analytical framework was constructed through a review of research on social innovation processes. The questionnaire survey of socially responsible investors was analyzed based on this framework, and a causal relationship between motivations for socially responsible investments and behavioral changes to solve social issues was shown. Due to the difficulty of obtaining access to socially responsible investors, a three step investigation process was adopted. In the first step, a pilot questionnaire survey was conducted. Questionnaires were sent to 119 investors living in Hokkaido, from which 67 responses were obtained. In the second step, 13 interviewees who agreed to cooperate with the study were selected from those who responded to the survey. In the third step, questionnaires were sent to 596 Hokkaido Green Fund investors living throughout Japan. Responses were obtained from 330 investors, with 301 valid responses. Data was analyzed using factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The first analysis showed that motivations for socially responsible investments consisted of three factors (philanthropic motivations, motivations to understand the business, and motivations to trust the organization), and behavioral changes consisted of two factors (behavioral changes in daily life and participation in social activity). The second analysis showed that philanthropic motivations and motivations to trust the organization affect behavioral changes in daily life and participation in social activity. Motivations to understand the business did not affect behavioral changes.

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The purpose of this paper is to resolve the paradox that arises when to explaining institutional change. This problem called, "the paradox of embedded agency," was caused by reification of the concept of "institution" by new-institutionalism. The concept of institution has been reificated, and hence, institutional change has not been able to be explained. In DiMaggio (1988) , institutional entrepreneurs attempted to cope with this prpblem. But the concept of institutional entrepreneurs has given rise to the following contradictions. Peripheral actors have a motive to change institution,but they do not have resources to do so. Central actors have resources to change institution, but they do not have a motive to do so. The paradox will remain unsolved unless these contradictions are resolved. We believe that finding the motive of actors is a key to resolve these contradictions. Not only utilitarian motive that intends to exchange profitable resources and actson behavior of actors, but also informational motive and categorization that act on. It can be understood how actors can be driven to change institution by determining the relationship among these three factors. For this reason, this paper attempts to resolve the paradox by adopting the social identity theory, which integrates three factors.

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This study aims at answering two questions by focusing on three cases of Japanese electronics companies which succeeded in connecting the new technologies with business by utilizing industrial designers. The first question is how the industrial designers contribute to change new technologies into products and the second is why they can do it. As for the former we found the industrial designers acted as concept creator in the advanced development. In all of the three companies before the decision was made about how to apply the new technology, the industrial designers contacted and suggested to the researchers and engineers about the possible ways of using it. As for the latter question, three factors were found to be supportive to the designer's functions. Firstly, inherent skills of industrial designers like sketching, and making clay models allow them to behave as concept creator. Secondly, their job character and position in the organization also help them to serve as concept creator. For example, different from marketers and sales persons, industrial designers don't need to care the quota of sales. Also, not like the engineers, their thinking are not confined to technology itself but more freely extended to its potential ways of application. Finally, appropriate organizational systems are needed to allow the industrial designers to function as concept creator. This may be the most important element in that no matter how the designer is skillful and taking a special position, he can't perform efficiently without adequate system building. Three varieties of necessary systems are pointed out in this paper, i. e. system for information collection, system for motivating industrial designers and systems for making prototypes rapidly.

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