Japanese Manufacturing Companies Research Articles

The Determinants of Human Resource Information System Success in Japanese Manufacturing Companies

Purpose - The study sought to examine the relationship between individual characteristics and system features and Human Resource Information System (HRIS) success in Japanese manufacturing companies in Malaysia.Research Design, Data, and Methodology – This study adopt quantitative approach to investigate the relationship between individual characteristics and system features and HRIS.Toward this objective, a total of 700 questionnaires were mailed to a representative of the organization.A total of 187 questionnaires were returned, and only 145 were usable for further analysis, representing a response rate of 20.71%.Result - Results indicated that individual characteristics and two dimensions of system characteristics (ease of use and training) were significantly related to HRIS success.Unexpectedly, the results showed that the third dimension of system features (documentation) was unrelated to HRIS success.Conclusions - The results partially support the underlying arguments that individual characteristics and system characteristics have significant influences on HRIS success.The finding suggests that HRIS success in the organization can be generated as a result of good implementation of system support and employees’ readiness to apply HRIS in their jobs.

Establishment of reference costs for occupational health services and implementation of cost management in Japanese manufacturing companies.

We developed a standardized cost estimation method for occupational health (OH) services. The purpose of this study was to set reference OH services costs and to conduct OH services cost management assessments in two workplaces by comparing actual OH services costs with the reference costs. Data were obtained from retrospective analyses of OH services costs regarding 15 OH activities over a 1-year period in three manufacturing workplaces. We set the reference OH services costs in one of the three locations and compared OH services costs of each of the two other workplaces with the reference costs. The total reference OH services cost was 176,654 Japanese yen (JPY) per employee. The personnel cost for OH staff to conduct OH services was JPY 47,993, and the personnel cost for non-OH staff was JPY 38,699. The personnel cost for receipt of OH services-opportunity cost-was JPY 19,747, expense was JPY 25,512, depreciation expense was 34,849, and outsourcing cost was JPY 9,854. We compared actual OH services costs from two workplaces (the total OH services costs were JPY 182,151 and JPY 238,023) with the reference costs according to OH activity. The actual costs were different from the reference costs, especially in the case of personnel cost for non-OH staff, expense, and depreciation expense. Using our cost estimation tool, it is helpful to compare actual OH services cost data with reference cost data. The outcomes help employers make informed decisions regarding investment in OH services.

Validation of the Japanese version of the job crafting scale.

The aim of this study was to validate the Japanese version of the job crafting scale (JCS-J). JCS measures four independent job crafting dimensions, namely increasing structural job resources, decreasing hindering job demands, increasing social job resources, and increasing challenging job demands. The translated and back-translated JCS-J questionnaires were administered online to 972 employees of a Japanese manufacturing company. The data were then divided into independent explorative and confirmative samples. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to evaluate the factorial validity of JCS-J. The relationship with potential consequences of job crafting (e.g., job demands, job resources, and psychological well-being) was investigated to evaluate construct validity. Internal consistency was examined to evaluate the reliability of the four JCSs. An exploratory factor analysis extracted a five-factor solution. Decreasing hindering job demands was further split into two separate dimensions supporting a five- rather than four-factor structure. A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the modified five-factor model that allows covariance between items fits the data best. Construct validity was generally supported by the expected correlations of each job crafting dimension with each corresponding job resource (+), job demand (+), and psychological well-being (+). Cronbach's α coefficient was sufficient for each of the four dimensions of job crafting (α ranged between 0.76 and 0.90). This study confirmed that JCS-J is an adequate measure of job crafting that can be used in the Japanese context.

Foreign Exchange Risk and Profit Improvement in the Comprehensive Profit Opportunity and Lost Opportunity Control Model

The aim of this paper is to examine the influence of foreign exchange risks on manufacturing activities (<em>monozukuri</em> in Japanese) and the function of derivatives as a countermeasure against such risk from the viewpoint of management accounting. From this perspective, we examine the Comprehensive Profit Opportunity and Lost Opportunity Control (COLC) model, discussed previously in this journal, and further its practical development and application. To this end, this paper first clarifies the actual situations of major Japanese manufacturing companies in terms of foreign exchange fluctuation earnings and derivative instruments (including hedge accounting). Then, after investigation of the prior research on the interrelation between risk management and management accounting, we theoretically analyze the relations between risks, derivatives, and hedge accounting from the synthetic viewpoint of profit opportunity, risk, and opportunity cost. As a result, this analysis can play an important role in outlining the landscape in which business strategy and enterprise risk management align, both proactively and reflectively, with contemporary management accounting.

Effect of Management Maturity Levels on Inter-organizational Management in Value Chain Relations

This paper explains the current state of management control problems in inter-organizational relationships. There is a growing consensus that having cooperative relations with other organizations, building strategic supply chain relations, and establishing appropriate subsidiary-parent company relations are major components of a competitive strategy to increase organizational productivity and profitability. In this regard, we present samples collected from 60 Japanese companies, and provide a case study on the use of inter-organizational management control systems (MCSs) by a large Japanese manufacturing company. The findings show how a company can design its organizational structure in order to realize its strategies and achieve its goals. Further, the case study shows the importance of management control factors that are associated with activities in inter-organizational value chain relations. In particular, high management maturity in information management, cultural management, and structural management are identified as key factors for the integration of strategy with sustainable inter-organizational management.

Cyclical Patterns in Japanese Manufacturing Firms: Analyzing Three Post- Keynesian Models

This paper examines cyclical patterns of employment, capacity utilization, and profit share in Japanese manufacturing companies during 1978–2007. It evaluates significant behavioral equations to determine whether year-specific and trend data confirm three notable post-Keynesian macroeconomic models: the Kaldorian, the Robinsonian, and the Kaleckian. Some stylized facts about relationships among bivariate variables are presented. Results of the output growth equation on employment and profit share are statistically significant, and the signs are consistent with the Kaldorian model. Conversely, the Robinsonian and Kaleckian price adjustment models are not supported, while results of the investment function do not support the Kaleckian model.

メーカーによる高専への期待感と日本の教育制度における課題

The skill of engineers has been essential to the economic growth of Japan. Many engineers are educated in a department of engineering, and the existence of Technical Colleges is important. Japanese manufacturing companies think more highly of Technical College graduates than university students, but Technical College graduates do not have a degree. This paper describes the expectations to Technical Colleges from Japanese manufacturers, and the contradiction of the Japanese educational system. The present author proposes a method for growth of Japanese economy, where Technical Colleges are authorized formally as a university.

The prevalence and characteristics of low back pain among sitting workers in a Japanese manufacturing company.

Low back pain (LBP) is a major public health problem and the most common cause of workers' disability, resulting in substantial economic burden in terms of workers' compensation and medical costs. Sitting is a recognized potential risk factor for developing LBP. Therefore, eliminating risk factors associated with working conditions and individual work capacity may be beneficial in preventing LBP in sitting workers. The purpose of this prospective cross-sectional study is to investigate the prevalence of LBP and examine risk factors that contribute to the development of LBP in sitting workers at an electronics manufacturing company. A cross-sectional survey was administered to all subjects to assess the prevalence of LBP persisting for at least 48 h during the recent week. Data on demographic characteristics and potential risk factors for LBP were collected at routine annual check-ups. Patients with LBP completed the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RDQ), which provided information on the attributes of LBP. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses examined the association between LBP and potential risk factors. Of the 1,329 sitting workers, 201 (15.1 %) acknowledged experiencing LBP during the recent week. In female workers, weight and body mass index were significantly correlated with the RDQ score. Univariate analyses identified male sex, prior history of LBP, height ≥170 cm, and weight ≥70 kg as significant risk factors of LBP. Multivariate logistic regression analyses identified prior history of LBP and past history of lumbar spine surgery as significant risk factors of LBP. This study characterized the prevalence and attributes of LBP in Japanese sitting workers and provided information about potential risk factors contributing to occurrence of LBP in the workplace.

Transactive Memory System Coordination Mechanisms in Organizations

This article integrates the organizational coordination and transactive memory system (TMS) literatures and provides an empirical study on organizational TMS coordination mechanisms. The study findings, based on 60 interviews in a Japanese manufacturing company, show that organization design (team-based structure, small unit size), human resource management (HRM) practices (recruitment and selection, training, promotion, and reward systems and performance evaluations), and relational interactions (roles, routines) coordinate organizational TMSs. Organization design and HRM practices as more formal coordination mechanisms also support and provide continuity to relational interactions. Contributing to the organizational TMS literature in which employees are described to form TMSs through informal, face-to-face interactions, the findings provide evidence of formal and informal coordination mechanisms and suggest that team-based structures without reinforcing vertical mechanisms are insufficient to coordinate organizational TMSs.

The development of accounting calculations as chronological network effects

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the processes through which accounting calculations are formed and developed in a Japanese manufacturing company. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an in-depth longitudinal case study. Actor network theory is used to analyze the empirics and to trace the historical translation process where the calculations were formed and developed as inscriptions. Findings – The empirics show that an accounting calculation (called PPH) was formed and developed as a flag to rally around to involve different interests at different times. It translated changing external social and economic contexts as well as internal managerial and shop-floor interests into its calculations at different stages of the company's development. The processes were inscribed in the form of an accounting calculation and these inscriptions were accumulated, rather than replaced or abandoned, to create growth rings of accounting calculations as chronological network effects. Originality/value – The case in this paper demonstrates that keiei-rinen (management philosophy) control can be more bottom-up than implied in the extant literature. Shop-floor workers and non-accounting experts participate in (re)shaping processes of accounting calculations. In these processes, “stability” is the key for the calculations to remain at the centre of translation attracting various interests and linking different demands over time.

Transition of buyer-supplier relationships in Japan

Purpose – The paper aims to describe the changes in buyer-supplier relationships among Japanese companies at the early 2000s, focusing on two critical features; long-term relationships and information sharing. In particular, the paper investigates the relationship between benefits from information-sharing activities within buyer-supplier relationships and the stability of these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – The paper develops a questionnaire based on prior research related to Japanese companies and undertakes a questionnaire survey of 353 Japanese manufacturing companies (which belong to the machinery, electrical/electronics, transportation equipment, and precision industries) in 2002. Findings – Although Japanese companies have been considered to have close relationships with their partners, the paper finds only a small proportion of buyers were willing to share sensitive information with their suppliers and/or expected to continue long-term relationships with them. In addition, an examination of factors relating to buyers' performance shows that receiving benefits from inter-organizational information-sharing activities (attending suppliers' meetings, sending engineers to suppliers, and proposing cost saving ideas) could affect buyers' incentives to sustain long-term relationships with their suppliers. Originality/value – The paper provides empirical evidence of the changing nature of the buyer-supplier relationship in Japanese manufacturing companies. Specifically, the main contribution of this research is to provide empirical evidence indicating that the benefit from buyer-supplier relationships has an effect on the governance structure of these relationships.

Using profit information for production management: evidence from Japanese factories

Purpose – This study aims to investigate the relative weight of financial and non-financial performance measures used to evaluate production managers (such as shop floor managers or foremen) in a modern manufacturing setting. Design/methodology/approach – Using survey data from Japanese factories, the paper examines the association between the choice of profit, cost, and non-financial performance measures with two characteristics of manufacturing systems: interdependence and multi-tasking. Findings – The results indicate that interdependence has a significant and positive association with the importance of profit information, while multi-tasking is associated negatively with the importance of profit information, and positively with non-financial information for performance evaluation. Originality/value – In recent years, a significant shift has been observed in Japanese production management with many companies now focusing on profit information instead of cost information. For example, the past studies show that large Japanese manufacturing companies are now using micro-profit centres and include profit information when evaluating factories. However, little empirical evidence is available on performance measurement at the shop floor foreman level, and even less is known about the importance of profit information in the evaluation of these lower level managers.

‘Language is only a tool’: Japanese expatriates working in China and implications for language teaching

Drawing on a qualitative case study, this article questions two prevailing assumptions: that English is a universal lingua franca and that English proficiency is indispensable for transcultural work. The study involved Japanese manufacturing companies with subsidiaries in China and investigated the language use of Japanese expatriates and Chinese office workers as well as the views of participants (including managers in Japan) about competencies deemed important for overseas work. Interview data revealed that the major languages used were Japanese and to a lesser extent Mandarin. Although English proficiency was deemed useful, the primary importance was placed on the “ability to communicate’’ supported by communicative and foundational dispositions along with cultural knowledge. These findings pose a challenge for critiquing neoliberal underpinnings.

Japanese innovation processes

PurposeThe aim of this study is to propose and test a model of innovation process management and to clarify the managerial strategies required to achieve it in Japanese enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted empirical tests of the model using the data from the questionnaire surveys of Japanese companies, and an illustrative case study.FindingsIt was found that there was a high likelihood that the IP of Japanese companies thought to have had success with innovation matched the proposed model. The support for the model from the Japanese data is sufficiently strong so as to suggest that certain managerial factors should generally be implemented in order to succeed with innovation. The authors then conducted a case study on a notably prominent Japanese company, Toyota, interviewing senior executives both in Japan and Australia. This was done in order to further verify and enrich the findings of the model development and the empirical survey study. The authors found specific practices and capabilities that were statistically significant in Japan's manufacturing companies in general, which were also deeply engrained within Toyota in particular. The importance of structured process in Toyota in particular and generally in the Japanese manufacturing sector was confirmed, comprising scanning, idea occurrence, strategy formulation, resource procurement, implementation and value creation.Originality/valueThis study is one of few that shows the particular approach used in Japanese manufacturing companies. That systematic approach led Japanese manufacturing companies to be at the forefront of innovation for three decades from 1975, and able to successfully expand internationally.

A cross-sectional study of workplace social capital and blood pressure: a multilevel analysis at Japanese manufacturing companies

ObjectivesWe examined the contextual effect of workplace social capital on systolic blood pressure (SBP).DesignCross-sectional.SettingA conglomerate from 58 workplaces in Japan.ParticipantsOf the 5844 workers at a Japanese conglomerate from 58 workplaces,...

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

Correlations between Corporate Climate Change Management and Financial Performance: A Case Study of Japanese Automobile Manufacturers

Using data from a survey, we examined actions taken by large corporations based in three countries to combat climate change and related these actions to the corporations’ financial performance. We analyzed the correlation between financial performance and climate change management performance to determine the extent that climate change management activities are a net cost or a net benefit to companies. We found that corporate climate change management performance is generally positively correlated with financial performance, but that the relationship differs among countries due to national-level external factors. A case study of Japanese automobile manufacturing companies showed that sales of a company’s fuel-efficient cars, reflecting consumers’ awareness of climate change, are associated with higher valuation by financial markets.

New Perspective in Corporate Environmental Targets Reporting

Nowadays it is increasingly important for companies to stay credible in terms of their commitment to address global warming and reduce their environmental impact. One way to do this is to consistently and transparently disclose environmental data. This research aims to investigate environmental data disclosed by companies, with a particular focus on corporate environmental targets. We analyze the historical timelines of corporate environmental targets for a sample of major Japanese manufacturing companies in order to understand patterns of target-setting behavior. In a number of cases, we identify a significant level of inconsistency. We examine the implications of this phenomenon by conducting a questionnaire among a stakeholder group that deals with the issue of corporate environmental disclosure on a daily basis – sustainability-rating agencies. The output of this study consists of a proposed Environmental Target Model (ETM) based on the target-setting best-practice experience of rating agencies and our findings.

The impact of an intermediate stage between the research stage and the development stage on the performance of integral architecture products

We found through a questionnaire survey of Japanese manufacturing companies, the ‘Technology Development (TD) stage’ as an intermediate stage (hereinafter called the ‘TD stage’) between the research and the product development stages. In the TD stage, project leaders try to tie an innovative technological result to a new product. We examined 33 projects during the TD stage in a company that produces industrial control equipments. By means of a chi-square test and in-depth interview survey, we found that both the involvement of a business division and the management skills of project leaders during the TD stage are key factors for success.

2.4.1 Combining Lean and Sustainable Concepts with Systems Engineering for Manufacturing Enterprises

AbstractThe field of lean systems engineering (LSE) has recently emerged in systems engineering (SE). This concept applies the lean concept, which originally comes from the Toyota production system (TPS), to one‐off applications, such as large complex development projects for aerospace and the military. Some lean principles are generally used in Japanese manufacturing companies and are not unique to Toyota Motor Co.; the concept referred to as the Japanese production system (JPS), is an important factor in making an enterprise sustainable through continuous and endless improvement activities for marketing and quality management. TPS has been extended from production systems to product system development and enterprise management for repetitive manufacturing industries, and is called enterprise TPS (E‐TPS) in this paper.This paper decomposes the E‐TPS concept into three components from the original TPS, JPS, and SE, and proposes the idea of a lean and sustainable enterprise. This is yet another interpretation of LSE based not on lean concepts, but TPS.