Japanese Management Research Articles

Генезис органов государственной власти и управления Японии

The Japanese state system of government remains one of the oldest and most continuous world monarchies, and the country itself is the largest world power. And to this day, domestic and foreign experts do not cease to worry about the problems associated with the birth and development of Japanese public authorities and management. Based on this, the study of the problem of the formation, functioning, and historical features of the Japanese state power becomes relevant. In this regard, the paper used a combination of different approaches used in describing the temporal evolution of Japanese public administration. In particular, in order to implement this task, the author used a comparative-historical method, which allowed us to study the genesis of the state authorities of Japan in chronological boundaries from the VII century to the present. In the course of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that initially the components of the Japanese system of public administration were formed on the traditions of Far Eastern values. After the end of the Second World War, the further development of Japan was influenced by the values of Western civilization. Currently, the world is presented with a unique original Japanese system of public administration. At the same time, it is important to emphasize that today the country not only particularly values the national traditions of state-building, but also has a fairly positive attitude to the accumulated world experience in this area.

Going Private Transactions and Firm Innovation: Evidence from Japanese Management Buy-outs

This paper empirically examines the impact of exiting the stock market on corporate innovation activities using Japanese going private type MBO data. Difference-in-differences analysis in regression framework is implemented on panel data consisting of firms that conducted public-to-private MBO and matched firms. Also, hypotheses regarding ex-post firm innovation activities are tested using difference-in-difference-in-differences analysis. The results do not show significant effects of going private transactions on firm innovation activities among the whole MBO firms. However, I find that firms with low ex-ante debt ratios are suppressed in their ex-post innovation activities, which suggests the existence of debt overhang, where the increased debt caused by MBO inhibits innovation activities.

A systematic literature review (SLR) comparing Japanese Lean philosophy and the South African Ubuntu philosophy

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of Japanese Lean management principles in South African contexts using Ubuntu, to improve buy-in during Lean implementation.Design/methodology/approachA scoping systematic literature review (SLR) was used to investigate the correlations and variations between Lean management principles and Ubuntu management principles.FindingsBoth similarities and differences were discovered between Ubuntu and Lean. It was noted that Lean adopts principles that do not have corresponding Ubuntu principles, such as levelling out workload, continuous process flow, stopping to fix the problem and visual management.Research limitations/implicationsWhile this research only used a South African concept (Ubuntu) to develop a novel Lean analogy, future research could be pursued in a similar vein for other countries outside of Japan.Practical implicationsThe similarities could assist in “translating” Lean concepts to a South African context, ergo improving the understanding of the Lean principles and possibly contributing to more successful Lean implementations.Originality/valueTo the researcher’s knowledge at time of publication, this study is the first comparison of these two management philosophies. Ergo, the Lean–Ubuntu analogy is a novel comparison of Lean.

Managerial optimism and corporate investment behavior

This study aims to analyze if managerial optimism affects corporate investment behavior. We measure managerial optimism by directly surveying CFOs and executives responsible for corporate investments of listed companies in Japan. We show that capital investment is higher when managers are optimistic. When we combine our survey data of Japanese managers with comparable cross-country data, we find that companies located in countries with highly optimistic managers invest more actively. This implies that managerial optimism not only partly explains differences of corporate behaviors in a country, but also those among countries.

Implementation of Japanese business management methods – the case study of a manufacturer of systems and installations for pneumatic, hydraulic, and electro-machinery controls

Japanese methods, concepts, and management tools enjoy rising popular in the world and in Poland, which is the consequence of the assumptions and practical results achieved thanks to the solutions applied by business entities and organizations. The aim of this study is a comprehensive assessment of conditions and internal determinants of competitiveness, enabling effective implementation of Japanese methods and techniques of production management, in the enterprise under consideration. The hypothesis to verify is the statement that the implementation of Japanese management methods in the examined enterprise increased the economic efficiency of individual production processes and improved its organizational culture. The triangulation method in the form of direct observation analysis of information taken from primary and secondary sources was applied. Also, there was conducted a questionnaire survey, completed with an individual in-depth interview with the company employees (leaders and coordinators) in the field of Japanese production management methods. The possibilities of using Japanese management methods in enterprises are huge. The effectiveness of the implementation of Japanese management methods, concepts, and tools in the studied organization is manifested, among others, in such results as improvement of employees’ working conditions, organized production, increased safety on the premises, organizational culture focused on respect for others, the possibility of personal development, increased efficiency of individual production processes, and reduced waste. Achieving the best production and economic results is possible thanks to experienced and knowledgeable employee teams. Japanese concepts are very strongly oriented towards cooperation between management and employees. Unfortunately, not every employee has a chance to develop, as it is limited to selected senior units. Employees’ knowledge of management methods, concepts, and tools is assessed as low by leaders and coordinators. The lack of participation in training and the lack of knowledge of some employees is the main reason for this claim. In the opinion of managers, young people are more open to change, see knowledge as an essential element in life, strive to learn and get the most out of work. The production plant under investigation should train employees in the methodology they apply. The training should be more practical, thought-provoking, voluntary, and offered with a specific frequency and with certain stages of difficulty. Instead of defining Japanese management methods, concepts, and tools, their effects and their practical meaning should be shown.

Artificial Intelligent Application in Discovering the Japanese Manufacturing Market for Indonesia’s Policy.

Japan is one of the biggest Indonesian market destinations. But in 2018 the World Bank reporting Indonesia is at the 11th position of exporting food to Japan left behind Thailand, Brazil, and Vietnam. The biggest obstacle for the Indonesian manufacturing industry arrived in Japan market is dealing with the food safety and health standards. PT. Bellfood became the first Indonesian producer of processed food entering the Japanese market in 2018. This paper aimed to identify Japanese food safety policy implementation that affected Indonesia’s food industry to access Japan market. This paper used the VosViewer application to find the research gap. Data collection used the library research method. The authors selected 23 publications by Mendeley that concerned with Japan Food Safety as the keyword. The liberal perspective of IPE examines the Japanese food safety management system under the Food Sanitation Act has internalized international trade standards. The national provisions concerning safety and quality assurance refers to HACCP and ISO 20200. Import processed food products entering the Japanese market should own certification of ISO 9001 quality management system, ISO 22000 Food Safety Management System, and Halal Assurance System 23000 as good practice implemented by PT. Bellfood.

Guidelines for Promoting the Implementation of Pharmaceutical Quality Systems at EAEU Enterprises Through the Management of the Engagement of Production Personnel

Introduction. The publication is devoted to the topical organizational and personnel issues of the implementation of the pharmaceutical quality system (PQS). The relevance of the study is due to the high importance of quality assurance in the development, production and release of drugs into circulation.Aim. The aim: to develop guidelines for organizational and personnel assistance in the implementation of pharmaceutical quality systems at enterprises of the Eurasian Union (EAEU) for the production of medicines (drugs) through the toolkit for engaging production personnel in the development of PQS.Materials and methods. Personnel engagement was assessed based on the engagement index; the benchmarking method was used when studying the impact of the engagement of production personnel on the economic indicators of corporate development (indicators of engagement and related economic indicators of “Akrikhin”, “Ozon” were compared with a panel of similar indicators for 12 pharmaceutical enterprises of the EAEU).Results and discussion. The important role of ensuring an increase in the engagement of production personnel in the development of PQS as a tool for sustainable provision of the effectiveness of the implementation of PQS and standards of good manufacturing practice (GMP) at drug production enterprises is stated. Taking into account the experience of forming quality circles in classical Japanese management, an innovative toolkit for managing the engagement of production personnel is proposed, based on the formation of employee communities, coordination and management of their engagement and development through the corporate portal of a pharmaceutical enterprise, as well as membership in closed clubs of ‘quality leaders’.Conclusion. Management of communities (small groups) of production workers is considered as a tool for improving the organizational and personnel support for the implementation and improvement of PQS / GMP at the EAEU pharmaceutical manufacturers. Through the communities, it is proposed to simultaneously manage the engagement, loyalty and job satisfaction of production personnel; community members, through the exchange of best manufacturing practices, ideas and opinions on the development of PQS and the improvement of nuclear quality assurance practices, will stimulate themselves and other production workers to consistently ensure the quality of manufactured drugs. The expected result is a steady increase in the quality of manufactured drugs, adherence of production personnel to the quality philosophy, creation of conditions for the growth of labour productivity of production personnel of pharmaceutical enterprises.

Japanese CEOs cross-cultural management of customer value orientation in India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop understanding of cross-cultural issues relating to the experience and implications of an elite grouping of Japanese CEOs customer value orientations (CVOs) within Japanese firms operating in India. The paper underlines that there is a propensity for East-West comparisons and in contrast the argument contributes to the under-examined area of research on East Asian/South Asian comparative studies.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were employed to generate narratives that provided rich and novel insights into the lived experience of Japanese CEOs working in Indian contexts and in relation to CVO. An inductive framework was employed in order to develop a more in-depth understanding of Japanese CEO CVO in Indo-Japanese empirical settings.FindingsThe data analysis identified a number of shared themes that influence CVO practice in the Indo-Japanese context. The findings develop an awareness of cross-cultural management's (CCM) in relation to the under-explored area of the Indo-Japanese dyad.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper develops CCM perspectives towards a more in-depth conceptualization of Japanese CEO perceptions on CVO practice in India. This is also of potential relevance to wider foreign investors not only Japanese businesses. The sample respondents – Japanese CEOS working in India – constitute a small and elite group. The lead author, having experience as a CEO of a Japanese firm was able to use convenience sampling to access this difficult to access group. In addition, also stemming from the convenience aspect, all the respondents were in the manufacturing sector. The study was deliberately targeted and narrowly focussed for this reason and does not claim automatic wide generalizability to other employee strata or industry; however, other sectors and employees may recognize resonance. This identified gap provides space for future studies in varying regional, national and sector contexts.Practical implicationsThe paper identifies implications for CCM training and Indo-Japanese business organization design.Social implicationsUse and acceptance of the enhanced research paradigm could support diversity in research and knowledge production with implications for research, teaching and future policymakers.Originality/valueThe cross-cultural study is original in that it contributes to CCM literature by providing a rare Indo-Japanese (sic East Asian: South Asian) comparative study. It provides an uncommon granular appreciation of the interaction of these cultures in relation to CVO. In addition, it secures rare data from an elite Japanese CEOs of manufacturing sector businesses.

Japanese managers' perspectives on project risks in the energy industry

Japanese managers' perspectives on project risks in the energy industry

Japanese managers' perspectives on project risks in the energy industry

Japan needs to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from viewpoints of climate change. To reduce GHG emissions, the Japanese Government has adopted a nuclear power development plan. However, when the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake occurred, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was hit by a tsunami. Since then, renewable energy (RE) has drawn more attention. The Japanese Government adopted feed-in-tariff (FIT) in 2011 which has accelerated RE penetrations into Japan. The number of RE projects is likely to increase. Project management is the key to project success. There are some project risks that can cause delays. This paper focuses on RE projects in Japan to clarify the characteristics of the project and identify the project risks. Three hypotheses are finally proposed, that is: degree of rigidity/flexibility of project scope; understanding procurement and contract forms; and the influence of natural disasters and metrological aspects.

Confucius - a Chinese thinker still present in Japan's business practices

Regarding the impact of Confucius on Japanese management, we consider that it is important to distinguish between the 'economic' factors and the 'psychological' factors in Japanese-style management. The latter, despite their eroding economic relevance, seem to be more strongly connected to Confucianism. Based on the literature we identify the main Confucian values and empirically test for their presence by using a panel of 353 full-time Japanese employees. We find that the main components of Japanese-style management such as the 'Parent-like responsibility of managers' and 'Loyalty' are strongly related to Confucian values. On the other hand, practices based on economic rationality are not significantly affected by the latter.

The Future Direction of Foreign Human Resource Acceptance by Japanese Companies:A Study on the Gaps Between Foreign Human Resources and Japanese Managers

The Future Direction of Foreign Human Resource Acceptance by Japanese Companies:A Study on the Gaps Between Foreign Human Resources and Japanese Managers

Japanese 5S principles and knowledge management practice in the context of small industries in the islands of Indonesia

Japanese 5S principles and knowledge management practice in the context of small industries in the islands of Indonesia

Classifying Familial Hypercholesterolaemia: A Tree-based Machine Learning Approach

Familial hypercholesterolaemia is the most common and serious form of inherited hyperlipidaemia. It has an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, and is characterised by severely elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Familial hypercholesterolaemia is an important cause of premature coronary heart disease, but is potentially treatable. However, the majority of familial hypercholesterolaemia individuals are under-diagnosed and under-treated, resulting in lost opportunities for premature coronary heart disease prevention. This study aims to assess performance of machine learning algorithms for enhancing familial hypercholesterolaemia detection within the Malaysian population. We applied three machine learning algorithms (random forest, gradient boosting and decision tree) to classify familial hypercholesterolaemia among Malaysian patients and to identify relevant features from four well-known diagnostic instruments: Simon Broome, Dutch Lipid Clinic Criteria, US Make Early Diagnosis to Prevent Early Deaths and Japanese FH Management Criteria. The performance of these classifiers was compared using various measurements for accuracy, precision, sensitivity and specificity. Our results indicated that the decision tree classifier had the best performance, with an accuracy of 99.72%, followed by the gradient boosting and random forest classifiers, with accuracies of 99.54% and 99.52%, respectively. The three classifiers with Recursive Feature Elimination method selected six common features of familial hypercholesterolaemia diagnostic criteria (family history of coronary heart disease, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, presence of tendon xanthomata and/or corneal arcus, family hypercholesterolaemia, and family history of familial hypercholesterolaemia) that generate the highest accuracy in predicting familial hypercholesterolaemia. We anticipate machine learning algorithms will enhance rapid diagnosis of familial hypercholesterolaemia by providing the tools to develop a virtual screening test for familial hypercholesterolaemia.

The Emergence and Development of Lean Thinking in Transport Services

The purpose of this work is to study the evolution of lean thinking and optimize the value stream in the transport provision of enterprises. An overview of the creation and development of lean thinking is presented, a historical and genetic research method, methods of comparison, analysis and synthesis are implemented, and a mathematical model of the optimization criterion for implementing lean transportation is proposed. It is established that the creation of lean thinking should be associated with the development of scientific management methods, which were implemented in Ford Motor Company. Adapting the principles of the American automobile industry to the specifics of enterprises in Japan in the late 1940s allowed Toyota to create a production system. It was significantly different from the American experience, although it was based on it. The peculiarity of technological processes of Japanese enterprises provided high efficiency. When describing the Japanese experience, American researchers in the late 1980s used the term lean. Under this name, experts from the United States have studied and popularized the achievements of Japanese managers. Analysis of the value stream has shown the difference between this concept and the concepts of the value chain and use value. The analysis of the value stream has a separate specificity when considering the transport support of the company’s activities. For these purposes, an optimization criterion is proposed that requires coordinated management of cargo flows and reserves.

ЯПОНСКАЯ МОДЕЛЬ МЕНЕДЖМЕНТА СЕГОДНЯ: ПРОБЛЕМЫ И ПЕРСПЕКТИВЫ

The article examines the transformations of the Japanese management model after the collapse of the "bubble economy" in order to demonstrate the key changes in this model. The question of the expediency of its further application in Japanese business practice is raised.

A Study on Segment Disclosure Stance and Subject Following Introduction of Japanese Management Approach

A Study on Segment Disclosure Stance and Subject Following Introduction of Japanese Management Approach

Predisposed opportunities: incentives for earnings forecasts revision by management under the Japanese Timely Disclosure Rules

This study investigates the incentives on revisions of management earnings forecasts in Japan, where the disclosure of forecasts is effectively mandatory in quarterly financial reporting, but their revisions are required only when a certain threshold is exceeded. Under this unique Japanese system, which is different from the US-style voluntary disclosure, we hypothesise that predisposed opportunities provided in each quarterly financial reporting will encourage management to make voluntary disclosures. Our analysis shows that earnings forecasts revisions by management are lower on the earnings announcement date than during the course of a quarterly period. Our results also suggest that slight revisions made on the earnings announcement date contribute to increasing the frequency of revisions. In addition, our evidence shows relatively small errors when forecasts have been revised by narrow margins. These findings imply that the Japanese 'Timely Disclosure Rule' promotes the disclosure of timely revisions of forecasts and has the effect of disciplining management to monitor profit prospects more accurately. Our findings are also consistent with the Japanese management belief that forecast information is important, and timely disclosures should be voluntary rather than required by regulation.

GENERAL ORGANIZATIONAL ASPECTS OF KNOWLEDGE MANGEMENT IN THE AREA OF COMPANY’S LOGISTICS

Participation in the supply chain by an enterprise increases the demand not only for information and competences of employees in relation to logistics activities but also in a broader management context. The aim of the study is therefore to determine, in the opinion of the respondents, the degree of care taken by their companies for the general organizational aspects of knowledge management in the sphere of logistics. For this purpose, two research questions were formulated. The first question is about how these opinions are presented in the perspective of individual aspects of knowledge management, and the second is about the possible relationship between them and the control variables, which are the size of the enterprise and the annual value of turnover. Appropriate hypotheses were formulated to answer the second question by the use of statistical analysis tool. The above-mentioned general-organizational aspects of knowledge management are formulated in the context of the processes of internalization and combinations originating from the Japanese knowledge management model. This allows the use of a well-established conceptual framework for knowledge management in the new cognitive perspective. The survey was conducted in the PSAQ formula. Respondents were purposely acquired by the use of convenient sampling. They were the so-called logistics professionals (n = 197), each time coming from a different company. At the same time, these companies remained part of the supply chains. The obtained result show, first of all, that the size of the enterprise and the annual turnover value significantly differentiate the opinions of respondents related to the variables expressing aspects of knowledge combination process.

An all-in-one tool for multipurpose ecological risk assessment and management (MeRAM) of chemical substances in aquatic environment

A quality-assured ecological risk assessment (ERA) requires enormous resources (time and labor) in collection/assessment of hazard data, as well as considerable expertise to interpret the risk. The ERA of chemicals is thereby considered difficult or impossible for those with little assessment experience and cumbersome or complicated for practitioners. To meet the concerns regarding ERA and accelerate the risk assessment and management of chemicals, we developed an all-in-one free tool for multi-purpose ecological risk assessment management (MeRAM) of chemical substances in aquatic environment called the AIST-MeRAM Ver. 2.0.0 (Copyright No: H28PRO-2007). It allows users from beginners to experts to conduct ERA without any preparation because all the necessary ecotoxicity test data and methodologies are available in the system. Approximately 270,000 ecotoxicity test data points for 3900 chemical substances together with the scientific methodologies from traditional simple hazard quotient (HQ) to more ecologically relevant complicated assessments such as species sensitivity distribution (SSD) and population-level assessment are embedded in the AIST-MeRAM. In addition, users can easily understand the Japanese regulatory RA and management of chemical substances due to a special function based on the Japanese Chemical Substance Control Law (CSCL). Here, we demonstrate a tiered ERA using the embedded sample data to evaluate and ensure the functions of AIST-MERAM. We show that the AIST-MeRAM can provide a comprehensive and accurate ERA, suggesting that it is a powerful IT solution for cumbersome ERA.