Reorganization and Information Use in Indigeneous Industries : A Case Study of the Ceramic Ware Industry in Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture

Abstract

Indigenous industries in particular require information because most of their products are consumer goods that are sensitive to business fluctuations. Most of these goods are sold in small lots through widely scattered national and international markets.Particularly during a period of reorganization of indigenous industral districts, information plays an important role. Systems of information use are changed by reorganization of indigenous industrial districts.The purpose of this study is to clarify the characteristics of reorganization and information use in indigenous industries by looking at the ceramic ware industrial district in Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture. Since the late 1960s, the ceramic ware industry in Shigaraki has experienced reorganization of its industrial district.The data were obtained from November, 1987 to January, 1988 through questionaires given to and interviews with managers of ceramic ware industries and related organizations.The results of this study can be summarized in four points. First, according to the social division, the development process of the ceramic industrial district in Shigaraki is divided into three periods: before 1945, the vertical social division period; from 1945 to the early 1960s, the transitional social division period; and after the late 1960s, the horizontal social division period. Before 1945, few kinds of ceramic goods were produced. The relationship between producers and wholesale dealers in Shigaraki district was established vertically. From 1945 to the early 1960s, modern production techniques and equipments were introduced. Joint sales were established through an industrial cooperative association.Some producers manufactured ceramic wares and managed their own stores. The role of wholesale dealers declined in the ceramic industry. After the late 1960s, ceramic products and their flow systems have been diversified. A horizontal social division was established.Second, the information flow in the district is divided into two main channels, based on whether or not an intermediate organization of information transmission is present. One is the systematic information transmission channel (SITC). Information transmission in a SITC occurs when intermediate institutes collect information, discuss it at monthly industry promotion meetings, and then distribute information to concerned managers. The other is the non systematic information transmission channel (NSITC), which is again divided into a direct channel and an indirect channel. A direct channel is defined as information exchanged directly between a sender and a recipient, while an indirect channel is information exchanged indirectly between a sender and a recipient through publications. Managers of small scale ceramic ware industries in Shigaraki find it difficult to collect information because of limited time; thus, they consider NSITCs to be more important than SITCs although NSITCs have restricted contents and spatial limits in information collection.Third, in Shigaraki the reorganization of the ceramic industrial district has a close connection with information flow systems. With the change of a production system and a sales system, the information transmission channels and the role of transmission channels are changed. During the vertical social division period, producers mainly collect information through wholesale dealers; that is, NSITC is a major information flow system. In the horizontal social division period, SITC is established so that the range of collecting information is wider and the collected information becomes more diversified.Fourth, in the case of information use, the need for information is recognized clearly in the ceramic ware industry in Shigaraki. Managers are most interested in information concerning the development of new products and new markets.