THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS MODEL IN JAPANESE MANNUFACTURING FIRMS

本研究以日本制造业企业如何利用世纪以来积累的技术能力来实现业务增长为中心。第一年，我访问了30家左右挑战新业务的制造业企业，收集了材料和数据。通过分析，我发现了三个关键因素，这是必不可少的，他们扩大业务：最大限度地利用先进的信息和通信技术（ICT），开发优秀的人类技能，如工匠，通过组织间联盟建立新的商业模式。今年我的研究重点是第三个因素，即通过企业间联盟开展新业务，特别是在管理问题上，中小型企业（SMEs）启动它与外部组织，包括大公司的合作。以下五个问题对于加速其业务增长非常重要。(1)联盟中的一个核心企业行使领导权，制定商业战略。(2)联盟的合作伙伴应选择拥有较高资源和能力的组织。(3)中小企业缺乏商业宣传和信誉的问题可以通过联盟得到弥补。(4)营销活动应与产品/服务开发同时进行联合收割机。(5)联盟不仅可以实现产品/服务质量的优势，而且还可以扩展业务流程，以加强竞争优势。

This research focuses on the way that Japanese manufacturing firms can succeed in growing their business by utilizing the technological capabilities they have accumulated since last century.First year I visited about thirty manufacturing firms which had been challenging new business and got the material and data from them. Through analyzing it, I found three key factors which were essential for them to enlarge the business : making most use of advanced information and communication technology (ICT), exploiting outstanding human skills like the craftsman, building new business model through inter-organizational alliance.This year I have concentrated my research attention on the third factor that is to work on new business through interfirm alliance, especially on the management issues that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) start it in cooperation with external organizations including large firms. The following five issues are very important to accelerate their business growth. (1) A core firm in the alliance exercises the leadership to make the business strategy. (2) The organization which holds higher levels of resources and capabilities should be selected to the partner of the alliance. (3) The lack of business publicity and credibility in SMEs could be compensated by the alliance. (4) Marketing activities should be done to combine with product/service development simultaneously. (5) The alliance could achieve not only the superiority of product/service quality, but also the expansion of business processes to strengthen the competitive edge.