This study aims to conduct an exploratory analysis of the effects of introducing HR practices in small and midsize companies, based on a company survey. Statistical analysis based on the timing of their introduction suggests that most HR practices are not effective immediately, but rather only after a certain period of time (delayed impact). Neither labor nor management are able to make use of new practices straight away, thus it can be inferred that they take gradual effect as a result of organizational learning. In addition, this paper examines why even HR practices with recognized “delayed impact” have not been adopted by small and midsize companies. One interpretation is that there is a lack of long-term vision for HR practices. Another is that smaller firms understand their potential impact, but cannot afford to plan for the long run due to cost and limited human resources. Finally, the potential benefits to such companies from considering these improvements are proposed.

The contemporary era has been called the “age of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity)”. Sustainability is a collective concern, and companies are expected to create value through clear purpose.

This paper surveys Dentsu’s history and its founder Hoshio Mitsunaga’s entrepreneurship, focusing on purpose management. Founded in 1901, Dentsu served as both a news agency and advertising firm, facing instability and social disregard. With insights from Mitsunaga’s philosophy, company creed, and credo, Dentsu’s core mission is delivering accurate information globally via communication and advertising.

Purpose management is pivotal in modern corporate governance, requiring companies to reevaluate their significance and embed purpose within the societal context. To genuinely practice purpose management, companies must earn stakeholders’ support by aligning historical background, management principles and the sentiments of employees and other stakeholders.

The globalization trend became quite notable in the 1990s, driven primarily by the globalization of the American economy. It corresponded to the breakdown of the postwar “sustained growth” system, which had thrived in the post-World War II period, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, led by the United States. The late 1960s marked the decline of this system, leading to massive innovation and institutional transformation in corporate management and the financial system, coupled with the accelerating advance of IT innovation. Beyond the domestic sphere in the United States, globalization of corporations, finance and information, propelled by a neoliberal shift in government, subsumed the developed world of Western Europe and Japan, as well as the BRICs and “growing Asia.” As a result, a new global economic system emerged with the United States at its core, characterized by a “global growth nexus” involving the multifaceted development of “global cities” and their networks, along with a global capital circulation structure centered around the financial center of New York, forming a “new imperial circulation.” This can be generally understood as a transformation of the economic system driven by institutional and organizational innovation in corporations, finance, IT and government functions.

What are the organizational requirements for DX in Japanese companies? In this study, we use Simon’s artifact theory to test whether the informal aspects of an organization might be the key. It is known that in Japanese-style management, there are deep informal aspects that fall outside the formal structure of the organization. These include tasks not described in manuals or job descriptions, and horizontal coordination between departments.

However, in the changes triggered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it is possible that these characteristics are causing incompatibility. According to Simon’s artifact theory, the form of an organization and the form of the artifacts produced by that organization should be consistent, and the artifact of an IT system requires an organization with minimal informal aspects. This is why Japanese companies are finding it difficult to progress DX.

Analysis using data from the Organizational Survey 2020, an attempt to understand the current state of Japanese companies, revealed that the fewer informal aspects an organization has, the more smoothly DX can progress. This study underlines that Japanese companies must consider how to deal with the informal aspects of their organizations.

In the mechanical gear market, customers demand high-mix, low-volume production. This is a company that has dared to take on the inherently contradictory task of providing a wide variety of products with short delivery times at low cost. In this paper, we attempt to clarify how the company has created an original business system by transforming its business system and the kind of strategic decisions on which this was based, taking into account internal resources, external contexts and time horizons. By revisiting the decision making process of leadership from the perspective of the process tracing method, we identify the success factors and causal mechanisms of achieving sustainable growth and business system transformation.

Since the 2010s, research has been progressing to construct accounting fraud detection models not only using financial indicators but also textual features through text analysis. In this review, we focus on studies that have constructed accounting fraud detection models using the Form 10-K text, and survey the eight studies from 2010 to 2020, focusing on the process of feature extraction and the detection accuracy of the models.

Summarizing the results of previous studies through the review, the following five issues are: 1) Studies using the “bag of words” approach face challenges in interpreting and theorizing why features contribute to the detection of accounting fraud; 2) There is a complementary relationship between textual features and financial indicators in detecting accounting fraud. Future research should look at which financial indicators have a highly complementarity with textual features; 3) Prior research has not clarified whether features extracted from the whole Form 10-K are more accurate in detecting accounting fraud than features extracted from a specific section such as the MD&A section. 4) Few studies apply methods other than matched sampling in sampling of fraudulent and non-fraudulent cases; 5) More studies using time series data are needed.

This paper defines the food value chain as the distribution process that creates the value of agricultural and fisheries products, and forms a conceptual model of rural development with it. As leading actors in the food value chain, this research focuses on companies and organizations that purchase primary products directly from farmers/producers within the Territorio, process them and distribute the foodstuffs to domestic and foreign markets. They are the actors located in the agro-processing sector, having direct exchange relationships with producers. Although it is difficult to apply the Territorio strategy as seen in Italy directly to Japan, it is conceivable that local small and medium enterprises in the agro-processing sector play a central role in helping farmers to become autonomous and accomplish sustainable Territorio. The establishment of reciprocal exchange relationships between farmers and these secondary enterprises to secure economic benefits would ensure a stable distribution of valuable food products to consumers within and outside the area. These reciprocal relationships could be strengthened by reaffirming the value of territorial agricultural and fisheries resources against the backdrop of a stable continuation of the food value chain, leading to more valuable place branding and shared territorial identity.

In Southeast Asia the economy is booming and it is estimated that at least one-third of individuals with disabilities are employed in the fields of agriculture, forestry and fisheries. Since local investors and consumers are showing an increasing interest in businesses that are inclusive of individuals with disabilities, there is a need to understand the role of persons with disabilities in these industries beyond charity. Moreover, there is a belief that individuals with disabilities must have tacit knowledge based on their unique experience and lifestyle. However, it is challenging to locate comprehensive research that focuses on this unwritten and informal knowledge. Therefore, this study aims to demonstrate the tacit knowledge held by individuals with disabilities contributing to primary industries in Southeast Asia and assess its significance as a source of innovation. The study examines case studies involving individuals with disabilities, emphasizing the connection between their tacit knowledge, which is deeply rooted in their local engagement along the value chain, and the main challenges faced by businesses. Furthermore, a detailed analysis was carried out to showcase the power of knowledge of persons with disabilities. This research note offers an overview of the case studies, outlining the key points of the analysis and applying categorization. The tacit knowledge of individuals with disabilities, and its relevance to sustainable agriculture, forestry, and fisheries, is discussed and the groundwork for future research in this field is laid.

New drug development in recent years has shifted to new types of compounds, such as biopharmaceuticals and molecular-target drugs, but the market size for these types of drugs tends to be smaller. The transition to biopharmaceuticals and molecular-target drugs development is a high-risk choice, with high development and manufacturing costs, significantly higher switching costs, yet no less development uncertainty. Nonetheless, it seems to contradict the general concept of product innovation that the market size for new drugs should be smaller.

An examination of drug development cases in the field of lung cancer over the last 20 years reveals change in the drug development process whereby drug development proceeds in the interaction of the three trends: more precise therapeutic targets, the emergence of biopharmaceuticals and molecular-target drugs, and the limitation of patient indication, in line with the social shaping of technology, when the condition of increased clinical value is met. The downsizing of new drug markets can be viewed as one aspect of the drug development process.

This paper aims to find clues for licensed psychologists, a profession with only a short history since a national qualification was introduced in Japan, to expand their careers and contribution in the industrial and labor fields. An overview of the history of mental health support in the industrial and labor fields, the principle figures involved from a psychological perspective and their activities are obtained by literature review. The background and issues in the industrial field, where stress is increasing with the changing times, are considered. Drawing on an interview with a therapist deeply involved in this field for a long time, the future prospects for licensed psychologists in the industrial and labor field are examined.