The aim of this article is to present an improved framework to analyze and enhance the competitiveness of production system in Japanese automotive manufacturers. In this paper, we distinguished the competitiveness in an emergency from the one we usually mentioned. Both of them consist of some variables, "Viability" is for former one, and "Quality, Cost and Delivery" are for latter one. Conducting the case study of Keihin, one of the disaster victims, we found the interactive relation between these variables. However, note that the characteristic of that relationship is asymmetric, an influence from variables QCD to variable V is weaker than inverse direction. Therefore the companies should accumulate various managerial resources systematically because it is difficult for them to promote their competitiveness in an emergency through the regular operation, like Kaizen. On the other hand, designing BCP to enhance the competitiveness in an emergency brings some advantages. For instance, as we mentioned above, the competitiveness in an emergency prompts the traditional competitiveness in the long run. Moreover, the robustness against emergency attracts the customers because it decreases the apprehensiveness for maintaining supply chain system under any crisis. In short, designing BCP and preserving its operation system are not just a burden of cost matter.

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This paper argues that a layer strategy on the computer software that intends to transfer the dominant situation of existing platform products to a new interventional complementary platform product in the computer software layer stack. Firstly, the deductive hypotheses led by the previous works demonstrate the relation between 3 dominant factors and 4 controllable items in the paper. Secondly, the inductive hypotheses are proposed by illustrating Java and VMware cases. Consequently, strategic findings, i.e. product commoditization and life prolonging for the neighboring layer, breaking the bundle situation composed of upper and lower platform products and the trade-off between product diffusion and gain in profitability, have been relieved. The paper verifies that layer intervention strategy affects on the relation between the layers (platform products) by intervening and adding a completely new layer into the layer stack. On this point, layerintervention strategy is unique, compared with that of the late comer complementary platform products. The bridging function acting between the layers in the layer stack has an effect upon the neighboring layer with the high liquidity of accessible users based on each layer and the low inevitability of platform products choice.

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This study analyzes an essential condition of technology integration through the combination of technologies. Using the case of the DENSO Corporation and Japan Electronic Control Systems (JECS), both of which are engaged in the electronic fuel injection industry, this study identifies the differences in the technology integration processes of the two companies. It has been proposed that industry leaders become successful because they obtain an advantage by acquiring complementary assets in the event of technological change. However, it is difficult to limit ways for overcoming technological change. This study emphasizes that industry leaders become successful in technological change not because they hold complementary assets but because of technology integration. DENSO Corporation, a leader in the automotive component industry, successfully weathered technological changes; however, JECS failed to overcome technological changes and merged. By comparing DENSO's technological integration process with that of JECS, this study shows how the control of technological knowledge and know-how in each division is the most important aspect for technology integration.

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The purpose of this study is to clarify what type of organizational factors and management policies have an impact on final design outputs through analyzing surveys of corporate recipients of good design awards within Japan's manufacturing industry. The existing research is not backed up by sufficient number of studies and limited to conceptual discussion. These research has a problem of insufficient evidence specifically explaining what type of organizational factors exert an impact on design outputs and how. Furthermore, these researches has also largely focused on European and American companies and does not take managerial problems unique to design into consideration. This study proposes an analytical framework focusing on organizational factors that define design outputs based on the existing research results. In this study, two findings were also discovered from the analytical results. The first finding is that a company's overall design strategy increases compromising and obliging of the design department and it does not have a positive impact on the integration of interdepartmental cooperation. The second finding is that functional factors such as the authority given to design departments have a more important impact on interdepartmental cooperation and communication than structural factors such as location and formal organizational charts. This study pointed out that these results can be interpreted from two possible perspectives; the design department's low status in Japanese companies and the characteristics inherent in design such as tacitness, evaluation subjectivity, ambiguity of interpretation and flexibility. The contribution of this study is identification of organizational factors that impact design output through quantitative analysis as well as analysis of how those organizational factors determine design outputs. This study further identified problems unique to Japanese companies that have design departments with relatively low status in corporate hierarchies as well as managerial problems caused by the characteristics unique to design.

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This paper explores organizational identity transformation at a growing start-up through ethnographic research from September 2003 to September 2009. It then discovers plastic transformation in which stability and fluidity coexist. It also reveals the adaptive plasticity in that plastic transformation is advantageous for organizational adaptation in the external environment. Thus, this study can extend the prior works that have claimed instability or drift of organizational identity at nascent organizations by presenting the synchronisms between fluidity and stability beyond the existing dichotomy between them.

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This study examines the requirements for the retention of collective strategy among multiple companies without profit reciprocity. In general, the joint order system, which is a collective strategy method, has collapsed because it results in conflicts of power and interests among members. In such cases, members use the system only to generate profits; thus, the joint order system becomes a zero-sum game. However, there are some cases, like Kyoto Shisaku Net, where the joint order system has proven successful. The success of such a system can be attributed to relationship building with the intent to improve the ability to yield valuable results and maintain a non-zero-sum standpoint. Through the case study of Kyoto Shisaku Net, we confirmed three major requirements that need to be fulfilled if the joint order system is to be retained as a collective strategy. First, members must share the purpose of the joint order system as a collective strategy. However, an important addition to this fact is that the members should consider the joint order system as an opportunity to explore and exploit, rather than use it just to earn profits. Second, members should acquire different unique technologies, which will enable them share their roles and expertise. This, in turn, can help evade the possibilities of cannibalization, power opposition, and system collapse. Third, as an extension to the first point, mechanism to control and avoid opportunism should be embedded in the system. On one hand, members contribute to the joint order system by paying annual fees and performing their duties. On the other hand, they receive returns in the form of an enhancement in the dispatch and collection of information as well as scope of proposal development, an improvement in personal skills, strengths, and competitiveness, better possibilities of skill conversion on possession of technologies, and increased creativity, all of which will be helpful for running their companies' businesses in future. Thus, the results obtained by participating members are based not just on independent efforts, but on a collective strategy.

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This research examines the relationship between research mobilization and performance of basic research. We focus on the impact of resource mobilization through "a colleague of a colleague" on a focal researcher's performance. Reflecting experiences in daily life, people can understand that a person who can cooperate with "a friend of a friend" gain more benefits than a person who have a friend's cooperation. Innovation cannot be realized only by technology or ideas alone. Rather, innovation needs two different factors : "knowledge creation" and "resource mobilization" (Takeishi et al., 2008; 2012). Previous research has extensively discussed "knowledge creation" but few scholars treat "resource mobilization". Thus, this paper analyses the scope of resource mobilization. As Burt (2010) contributes to this research field and makes a network variable to measure "second-hand" network resources, we develop his research framework. Our working hypothesis is that researchers who can gain access to second-hand network resources, or "a colleague of a colleague", achieve more than researchers who cannot. We use patent data from Japan to examine our hypothesis. Our data contains 310 researchers from two second-tier pharmaceutical companies : Shionogi and Chugai. Results show that the effect of "a colleague of a colleague" has complex impacts on researchers' performance. From a structural viewpoint, the impact of a colleague is negative but that of "a colleague of a colleague" is positive, on the other hand, from a relational viewpoint, it leads to the opposite results. Project leaders in pharmaceutical companies face difficulties to integrate differentiated research teams in order to produce new drugs. In fact, several companies have restructured the internal research process. Our results suggest that they have to achieve a balance between first-hand and second-hand network effects and not to depend on one side only.

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This article empirically investigates the relationship between entrepreneurial orientation (EO) and corporate entrepreneurship in family firms. Corporate entrepreneurship has been widely recognized as an effective means for revitalizing companies and improving their financial performance. Entrepreneurial orientation refers to the strategy-making processes and styles of firms that engage in entrepreneurial activities. The previous studies in Europe and the United States have identified five factors of EO: innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking, autonomy, and competitive aggressiveness. In this study, using a sample of 112 Japanese family firms, I conduct an exploratory factor analysis, and find four factors of entrepreneurial orientation : innovativeness, proactiveness, risk-taking and competitive aggressiveness. However, I do not find autonomy in Japan. Also, some items in competitive aggressiveness factor are mixed up with autonomy factor. Moreover, innovation, proactiveness, and risk-taking are positively related to entrepreneurial performance. These results suggest that the positive impact of entrepreneurial organization on corporate entrepreneurship exist even if the countries are different. I also conduct an analysis of covariance, and find that entrepreneurial orientation mediates the relationship between sales, firm size, and firm age and entrepreneurial performance. As sales and firm size grow, the increased managerial resources make it impossible to maintain the existing business strategy. Therefore, family firms tend to be engaged in corporate entrepreneurship activities and to shift into entrepreneurial organization. Since the older family firms are more likely to gain first-mover advantages, and to keep leadership positions in the industry and the region, going ahead of competitors is very important.

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Japanese white-collar workers have historically developed their job-capabilities through work experience, On-the-job-training (OJT), training and education. As the nature of employment has diversified, the opportunity to participate in 'in-house' training activities have decreased. As a result, job training and qualifications by public organizations have become increasingly important. There are almost no professional qualifications for white-collar workers in Japan. This contrasts sharply with Europe and the USA where professional bodies regularly provide training and issue sector-wide qualifications and accreditations. Despite these differences, it will be argued that international comparative research that focuses upon employment and Human Resource Development (HRD) remains important for Japanese firms. In this survey, a total of 1,200 white-collar workers in Japan, the USA and the UK were asked about their HRDs, qualifications and business degrees. A number of related hypothesis are advanced and subsequently evaluated. Based on the survey results, we are able to ascertain the value placed upon OJTs, training and qualifications across the three countries respectively. This leads us to believe that each country can be differentiated on the basis of how it evaluates such qualifications. It became apparent in all three cases that post-graduate business related degrees are important primarily for recruiting and are not so significant when it comes to staff evaluation criteria and promotion. At the same time though it is important to bear in mind some of the difficulties associated with comparing qualifications and their uses among the three nations due to existing social, labor and environmental differences. Future international comparative surveys regarding qualifications and professional organizations in Europe, the USA and Asia can utilize the issue of white-collar qualifications as a common research pillar. The relationship between these developments and the continuing evolution of Japan's white collar workers will be expected to play a significant contribution in this continuing research stream.

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