アップル社は、iPhoneでスマホというビジネスモデルを創出した。iPhone発売後、アップルの売上は毎年30～50％増加した。しかし、iPhoneの売上が2018年末に前年同期より減少した。なぜiPhoneは売れなくなったのか？その原因を分析した。アップルは、「あこがれの高級ブランド」で「

Asai Nursery, Inc. has introduced a management development process based on constructing and optimizing a unique agricultural value chain that has lead to the strengthening of its competitive power in greenhouse vegetable management. Under the slogan “A research and development oriented agricultural company dedicated to improving field performance,” our firm researches and develops new varieties, develops new cultivation and management techniques, and implements a highly productive agricultural production process management system. In addition, vertical integration is used for the stable integration of agricultural product development through differentiation strategies. Various joint research and development projects are being carried out in order to actively promote partnerships with non-agricultural companies and to incorporate highly competitive technologies and know-how possessed by companies in different fields. Results are implemented by integrating these projects with the high production management technology of Asai Nursery to improve productivity and profitability.

In addition, by utilizing the capital strength and financial capabilities of partner companies, we have successfully expanded the scale of business as a group. Two major factors for the evolution and development of the cherry tomato business at Asai Nursery are : “Differentiation Strategy” and “Numerical Management.” An example of a concrete result of the “Differentiation Strategy” is the “cluster-type cherry tomato (Ureshino),” which conveys the product concept to the consumers and leads to its distinction from other products. We also use value chain analysis as an analysis method to build our differentiation strategies. Furthermore, in executing these differentiation strategies, we have set up a management concept for implementing a “Numerical Management” strategy for product quality control.

With respect to various management items in the production process, the idea that “digitization＝visualization” is implemented as much as possible. By working on production management based on common standards, all employees further standardize their work, improving productivity along the way. As a result, productivity of the whole organization is improved. We are promoting the introduction of ICT in cultivation management, labor management, business management, etc. as a tool to realize numerical management, giving many success stories and achievements in the standardization of work and improvement of productivity. Some examples of our use of ICT in “numerical management” include a complex environmental control system introduced for optimizing the cultivation environment in plant growth, and a labor management system that can efficiently and effectively carry out labor management and MBO. In this way, Asai Nursery, has developed a market centered around a “differentiation strategy” and established a reproducible production system by “numerical management” in order to respond to market demand. We are also working to maximize value in order to optimize the value chain, to realize rapid business scale expansion, and to enhance the competitiveness of the group as a whole through partnerships with companies. However, even if there is an excellent vision and management strategy, unless there is an organization capable of executing this vision reliably and promptly, it is impossible to enhance competitiveness and to sustain management development. At Asai Nursery, we focus on the executive ability of our management strategy, emphasizing the development of “human capital,” and are challenging ourselves to build a structure of human capital from employment to education and establishment. Therefore, as an assumed “agricultural personnel image,” it is “human capital” that combines the three elements of “farming,” “business,” and “science.”

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