A New Model of Japanese Industrial Districts Combining Supplier-Side and Purchaser-Side Logic

2014

ABAS

In modern day Japan, an "organization" often comprises multiple, legally separate firms, although it appears as a single organization to customers and external users and may actually operate as one organization. The concept of an "organization" differs from that of a "firm." The organization is a network or system functioning in practice, whereas the institution of a firm defines the boundary or partitions off a part of the organization by nature. Acknowledging that firms and organizations are different concepts significantly enhances our understanding and conception of the everyday scene of multiple firms functioning as one organization. Theories based on such a way of viewing organizations and firms are called "transfirm organization theories." Theories on keiretsu corporate affiliation or supplier system, architecture-based interfirm specialization, value networks, Japanese industrial agglomeration, and transnational companies are a few examples. Transfirm organizations are created for economic reasons; however, transfirm organization theories are not concerned with the reasons to create transfirm organizations, but rather with the performance of the transfirm organization as a whole.

Section: Theories Of Transfirm Organizationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transfirm Organization View

2014

ABAS

“…Allen and Cohen (1969) and Allen (1977) are known for identifying the existence and effectiveness of the "gatekeeper" in research and development organizations. Even recently in Japan, this concept inspires a lot of research, for example, Harada (1999), Kuwashima, Takahashi, and Tamada (2005), Inamizu and Wakabayashi (2009).…”

Section: Allen's Research Projectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mysteries of NIH Syndrome

Inamizu

2012

ABAS

Self Cite

Many studies cite Katz and Allen (1982) as a validation of Not-Invented-Here (NIH) syndrome. However, their "validation" is misled by 1) easily adopting a smoothing method on a scatter diagram with no clear trends, and 2) arbitrarily choosing the intercept on the y-axis. The greatest mystery is that Katz and Allen (1982) used NIH syndrome to refer to a decline in project performance caused by the length of the project members' tenure. In spite of the fact that NIH syndrome is normally considered to refer to "self-sufficiency", Katz and Allen (1982) had used it to refer to the decline in performance brought about by the length of service of project members. However, the real mystery is that many researchers continue to cite this as a study advocating self-sufficiency.

“…Studies have identified the importance of company networks in an industry (Konno, 2003) and regions (Inamizu & Wakabayashi, 2009) in Japan; however, it is difficult to apply companies' concept of economies of size to the growth of the networks. However, it is possible to apply the concept of economies of growth to the growth of the networks, and such a case already exists.…”

Section: Concluding Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

An Essential Service in Penrose's Economies of Growth

2015

ABAS

The strategic theory of resource-based view (RBV) put Penrose (1959) in the spotlight. The key to understanding Penrose's assertion is the concept of economies of growth independent of economies of size. According to Penrose, even when economies of size are not working, economies of growth exist regardless of size. Further, the economies of growth are temporary in nature and disappear once expansion is completed. In which managerial services are the economies of growth embodied? This paper hypothesizes that the economies of growth occur where there are unused start-up expert managerial services. Regardless of size, where these services exist, paving the company's way by step-by-step growth should produce profits.