Hamada Kazuki Hamada – författare

This book deals with the systems of cost reduction that originated in Japan. These are mostly new systems that did not exist in western practices before they were utilized in Japan. The book also presents the Japanese ways of carrying out the globally popular cost reduction practices.(1) It describes the strategic cost management conducted by top management through alliances between companies and/or between government and industry.(2) It shows the functional cost reduction systems along the various phases of the product life cycle, as follows: R&D → Product development → Manufacturing → Administration and indirect operations(3) It conducts some humanistic or behavioral aspects of Japanese cost reduction systems.

Traditionally, innovation has been considered difficult to manage, as it occurs through contingent discoveries and inventions. For effective innovation management, it is necessary to determine what provides new value to customers and achieve this new value efficiently, while solving the technical problems. This book explores how innovation management for industrial revitalization and activation are conducted in Japanese companies. ''Innovation'' has diverse definitions, but the editors of this book have adopted the one proposed by J A Schumpeter. The features of innovation management in Japanese companies are considered systematically in the book. Positive analyses using questionnaires and innovation management strategy in individual industries and companies is also explored in detail.

With increased competition among business groups, companies need to enhance the value of their business and effectively manage individual firms. This book explores and elucidates business group and inter-firm management in Japanese environments, both theoretically and practically through case studies, survey research and other methodologies. In considering the concept of the “Keiretsu” in Japan, as well as other management methods employed by Japanese companies, this book provides extensive coverage on uniquely Japanese management methods. Examples are the application of evaluation system, execution of M&A, utilization of segment information, management of inter-firm relations, and organizational learning. The analyses, hypotheses and conclusions presented in this book will be useful for business practitioners and scholars.