Japanese Electronics Companies Research Articles

Protective abandonment: Risk, data, and surveillance of nuclear workers post Fukushima

During the coronavirus disease-19 pandemic, Fukushima marked the 10th anniversary of its nuclear disaster of 2011. And although pandemic scientists around the world used technological surveillance to predict risks, the experiences from the Fukushima health crisis call into question such technological solutionism. The Japanese government and electronic companies had placed nuclear workers under intensive health surveillance for decades, but the health data rarely helped workers to protect themselves. Rather, the government has often used the data to decline workers’ claims for medical compensation. I call this contradictory consequence of data Protective Abandonment, the systematic disposal of people through the promise of protection. Data are collected through surveillance, for the purpose of risk management, but the information ends up protecting only the existing political economic systems. Crucially, data collection disguises protection and hides the unequal distribution of care. I argue that protective abandonment may become a common experience in today’s data-driven societies.

Contested Japanese-ness: Examining the Meaning of Japanese Companies’ Country-of-Origin in China as a Product of Communication

This paper contributes to the research of consumer nationalism by examining the meaning of corporate country-of-origin as a product of communication, rather than individual perception. The paper focuses in particular on the Japanese electronic and auto companies in China. Using frame analysis to analyze data from the Chinese social media platform of Weibo, it identifies four overall frames from the interaction among the Chinese government, the companies, and the public. The coexisting frames of Foe, Friend, Power, and Reason simultaneously shape the meaning of Japanese-ness, which affords practical implications to corporations’ management of their perceived nationality.

中国市場における日系家電企業の販売戦略に関する一考察 : 日立数字映像(中国)有限公司の事例を中心に

中国市場における日系家電企業の販売戦略に関する一考察 : 日立数字映像(中国)有限公司の事例を中心に

Corporate diversification and board composition in Japanese electronics corporations

I consider the strategic implications of corporate governance by examining the relationship between diversification and board composition, considering both agency theory and the resource-based view of the firm. Many Japanese electronics companies have performed sluggishly and instituted major governance and management reforms. The strategic choice between focus and diversification is the foremost issue for Japanese firms aiming to improve their performance.?This study uses a multivariate regression model with data from 217 Japanese electronics corporations for the fiscal year 2013 to examine the impact of board composition on decisions regarding corporate diversification. I find that corporate boards encourage corporations to pursue value-generating activities. I also argue that corporate boards can evaluate the quality of resources and allocate rents inside companies, as boards encourage firms to make use of idiosyncratic resources.

Genba-Capabilities of Japanese Electric and Electronics Companies

Genba-Capabilities of Japanese Electric and Electronics Companies

An explanation of how a collectivist culture underpins the marketing strategy process in Japanese and South Korean electronics companies

This paper examines the link between organizational learning and the development of marketing strategy in the context of a collectivist organizational culture. The work is based on an extensive literature review and the development of a number of propositions and involved a limited number of in-depth, personal interviews with senior managers in a Japanese electronics company and a South Korean electronics company based in the UK. The research findings suggest that in a collectivist organizational culture, senior managers ensure that the organizational learning concept is understood and that trust-based relationships are developed that result in mutuality. The concept of organizational learning is underpinned by the relationship marketing concept and, as a consequence, marketing staff are committed to providing a high level of customer service. By understanding better the role that organizational learning plays, it is possible to incentivize marketing personnel and get them to devise unique marketing solutions to recurring marketing problems. An in-depth appreciation of the operational commonalities and the differences between a global Japanese electronics company and a global South Korean electronics company will provide insights that allow managers based in organizations with an individualistic organizational culture to establish beneficial partnership arrangements with such organizations.

The Change of Inter-organizational Relationships of Japanese Electronic Equipment Companies

The Change of Inter-organizational Relationships of Japanese Electronic Equipment Companies

Local advantage and the local supplier relationship of the subsidiary of MNC in the host country : A case study of Japanese electronic manufacturing companies in China

Local advantage and the local supplier relationship of the subsidiary of MNC in the host country : A case study of Japanese electronic manufacturing companies in China

Strategic Design Management Methods in Major Japanese Electronics Companies

Strategic Design Management Methods in Major Japanese Electronics Companies

Seru

The Toyota production system (TPS) or lean has long been regarded as a powerful approach for managing manufacturing factories. However, in the early 1990s, the TPS was found not to work when it was applied to Japanese electronics companies. TPS is fit for a stable, but not volatile, business environment such as that which the electronics industry belongs. This volatile environment can be described as one with short product life cycles, uncertain product types, and fluctuating production volumes (sometimes mass, sometimes batch, and sometimes very small volumes). Seru, a new production organization, was developed to cope with this environment. Many leading global companies such as Samsung, Sony, Canon, Panasonic, LG, and Fujitsu have adopted seru. Seru overcame a lot of disadvantages inherent in TPS and brought amazing benefits to seru users. For example: 1) Seru requires a much smaller workforce, 2) It can greatly reduce space requirements, and 3) It can reduce lead time, setup time, WIP inventories, finished-product inventories, and cost. This article introduces seru’s history and defines various seru types. A seru pyramid is constructed to compare seru with the TPS. A JIT organization system is introduced. The authors show why applying it can bring great productivity, efficiency, and flexibility to a production organization.

Japanese Retro-Modern Engines of Innovation

This paper highlights the important role played by central research institutes, also known as “corporate R&D,” in acquiring external knowledge and expanding the scope of the application of research outputs in Japanese electronics companies. To illustrate this, the paper uses six mini cases as examples to prove that Japanese retro-modern engines of innovation continue to work and contribute to business growth. While R&D in the U. S. can be categorized as market-oriented, that in Japan is organization-oriented. Further, this paper discusses the pros and cons of the open innovation model. It can be stated that the advantage of the market-oriented open innovation model is that it enables a search of various technologies, but it falls short in terms of its ability to integrate them. On the other hand, the organizationoriented model is advantageous because it enables the integration of various technologies, but it is deficient with respect to the promotion of conducting research to search various technologies.

Core scientists and innovation in Japanese electronics companies

In this paper we examine the role of what we call core scientists in innovation in Japanese electronics companies. Core scientists are those who have the top total scores as measured by the number of their publications and citations received. We find that even though they may not apply for a large number of patents themselves, the scientific knowledge of the core scientists may have a positive effect in stimulating patent applications by their collaborators.

Lead-free soldering in the Japanese electronics industry

Japan has witnessed prosperous industrial growth since the 1960s, and this growth has given rise to increased awareness by the government and the people regarding environmental responsibility. This responsibility includes the use of "green" materials and the recycling of important resources. Legislation, including the appliances law, requires the Japanese electronics industry to comply with more stringent environmental stipulations. However, Japanese electronics companies have captured international attention by preempting legislation with the introduction of lead-free products in the market with an ambitious target of eliminating the use of lead in electronic products. In this paper, we investigate corporate strategies regarding lead-free product development in light of legislative and environmental issues in Japan.

NEC unveils fully integrated fuel cell notebook PC

Japanese electronics companies are racing flat-out to bring the first fuel cell powered portable electronic devices to the market. Tokyo-based NEC Corporation is the latest to unveil a prototype notebook PC with an internal direct methanol fuel cell, at a press conference to introduce its subsidiary company, NEC Personal Products Ltd, which was formed on July 1. In March Toshiba revealed a prototype small-form-factor DMFC for portable PCs, which it aims to commercialize for laptops by early 2004 [ FCB, May 2003]. This is a short news story only. Visit www.re-focus.net for the latest renewable energy industry news.

The console market

The home-based video games market is one of the largest within the entertainment industry, and has recently begun to rival the music and film sectors in terms of audience, sales and revenue. This is partially due to the high profile mass marketing of games consoles and titles over the last decade, especially by a trio of Japanese electronics companies (Nintendo, Sega and Sony); however, it is also due to the increasing complexity, visual attractiveness and interactivity of contemporary video games.

Industrial research as a source of important patents

It has been recently observed that in the light of concepts like lean management, shortening of development times, business reengineering or shareholder value, companies have substantially cut down their expenditures for research. Since research is by definition primarily aimed at the broadening of technological knowledge rather than the development of products or processes which find immediate commercial applications, the benefits of research are not apparent and hence, the allocation of funds to research appears to be unjustified. Based on data from 25 European and Japanese electronics companies, we examined the relationship between corporate spending on research and patenting output. Since patent applications only measure the overall level of R&D activity, they were differentiated according to their quality in order to assess the technological and commercial impact of R&D activities. It is found that those companies, which spend a high share of their R&D expenditures on research, hold patents of relatively higher quality. Furthermore, differences between European and Japanese companies with respect to research spending and patent positions are identified. The results lead to the conclusion that research obviously serves as a base for those inventions, which are of higher technological and commercial importance. Thus, the investment in research appears to be of great value for the competitiveness and should therefore not be neglected.

The Relative Importance of Supplier Selection Criteria: The Case of Electronic Components Procurement in Japan

INTRODUCTION In academic articles, and even more so in the popular business press, Japanese industrial purchasing behavior has been painted with a single brush. The Japanese purchaser-supplier relationship is typically described as cooperative, interdependent, integrated, and, often, exclusive. Outside sellers, especially non-Japanese companies, are rarely able to penetrate this relationship. However, this characterization of Japanese industrial purchasing was always overstated. It may have accurately depicted purchaser-supplier relations in a small number of industries, most notably the automobile industry. But the portrayal failed to distinguish between different sectors of the Japanese economy, not to mention individual companies or products. Furthermore, although the pace has been painfully slow, many segments of the Japanese market have been opening up to foreign competition. This study examined purchasing behavior in the Japanese electronic (SIC 3600) and office equipment (SIC 3570) industries. The research objective was to asses and compare the relative importance of several vendor selection criteria used by Japanese electronic and office equipment companies when making purchases of two different types of components: standard switches and printed circuit boards. A switch was selected as representative of standard components. A printed circuit board, on the other hand, is often customized, and electronic firms generally rely on outside suppliers' technologies.[1] Two sets of hypotheses are presented. The first seeks to determine whether or not purchasers in the electronic and office equipment industries accord more weight to maintaining relationships with current suppliers than to so-called rational factors such as price, quality, and delivery. Furthermore, does the answer depend upon whether companies are purchasing standardized or customized components? The second group of hypotheses examines and compares the relative importance of several rational product and supplier attributes when companies purchase these two different types of components. LITERATURE REVIEW AND HYPOTHESES Supplier Relationship There have been several recent studies of purchaser-supplier alliances in the Japanese automotive industry.[2] Japanese manufacturers within each of the keiretsu have established close subcontracting relationships with some of their suppliers. In this partnership, the purchasing firm gives the supplier an exclusive or semi-exclusive contract. The supplier in turn invests in customized machinery or other facilities. The relationship is often enhanced by mutual shareholding. This emphasis upon maintaining the purchaser-supplier relationship gives rise to the following hypotheses: H1a: When purchasing standard switches, purchasers attach significantly greater importance to cross-shareholding, reciprocity, and the fact that the supplier is a subsidiary than to rational purchase decision-making factors (quality, price, and delivery). H1b: When purchasing printed circuit boards, purchasers attach significantly greater importance to cross-shareholding, reciprocity, and the fact that the supplier is a subsidiary than to rational purchase decision-making factors (quality, price, and delivery). H2a: When purchasing standard switches, purchasers attach significantly greater importance to cross-shareholding, reciprocity, and the fact that the supplier is a subsidiary than to a supplier's performance attributes (manufacturing, technical and design capabilities). H2b: When purchasing printed circuit boards, purchasers attach significantly greater importance to cross-shareholding, reciprocity, and the fact that the supplier is a subsidiary than to a supplier's performance attributes (manufacturing, technical, and design capabilities). Parallel Sourcing A number of studies[3] have concluded that single-source purchasing (a company purchases a component from only one supplier) is common in Japan. …

Platform Investments and Volatile Exchange Rates: Direct Investment in the U.S. by Japanese Electronic Companies

This study examines the effects of previous entry on the subsequent decisions of Japanese electronics companies to invest in the United States. By gathering data at the firm level, the empirical analysis provides a fine-grain sorting out of firm and industry effects on foreign direct investment decisions. The findings show that investment behavior is highly heterogeneous across firms and reflects their individual technological capabilities and their history of previous investments in the United States. Real exchange rate levels are also important. The results suggest that initial investments serve as platforms for subsequent entry, with the timing of entry triggered by movements in real exchange rates. Copyright 1996 by MIT Press.

Growth of Japan–U.S. Cross-Border Investments in the Electronics Industry

OVERVIEW:Most U.S. and Japanese firms have traditionally conducted all of their R&D in their home countries. However, an increasing number of U.S. and Japanese electronics companies are expanding their multinational involvement and increasing their cross-border direct investments in R&D. These companies have not only established new R&D facilities in the U.S. and Japan, but they are also increasingly conducting higher-value-added R&D in each other's markets. There are several reasons for this growth in cross-border R&D investments. Three major ones are: (1) To assist the parent company in meeting host country customer needs; (2) to monitor technological developments; and (3) to acquire new technology.

PCIF News

The biggest buyers of electronic components in the UK are the UK‐based manufacturing arms of Japanese electronics companies. Among them, these inward investors purchase over £1 billion worth of electronics components a year, but only 15% of this business is currently being placed with UK suppliers.