Deployment of broadband for everyone has become a major policy objective in many countries, including Japan and the U.S. Recently, the U.S. announced a National Broadband Plan which is aimed at providing 100 million households with access to 100 Mbps broadband services by 2020. The purpose of...

One of the common features of innovative SMEs identified from our previous surveys and in-depth interviews is innovation capability accumulated inside the firm, which enables them to create new products which meet customer needs and to cooperate with the other firms. The factors that SMEs...

The mobile market has been transforming quickly all over the world particularly caused by the diffusion of smartphones, and this study attempts to examine the effect of smartphones to the Japanese mobile phone market. Japan has so far the well-developed 3G mobile phone in terms of not only the...

To achieve successful innovation, firms in ASEAN countries have to elevate their innovation capability including human resources, business structure of firms, technologies including ICT use by collaborating with outside organizations such as MNCs (Multi-national companies) and university/public...

Smartphones such as iPhones and Android was introduced to the market around 2007-9 in various OECD member countries. Since then, the transformation of the market was observed, which include (i) rapid growth of mobile broadband (3G+4G); (ii) severer market competition; and (iii) upheaval of...

This study focuses on the role of human factors in the innovation processes of firms in four member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), i.e., Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Firms are required first to obtain new information related to innovation and...

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) generate externalities. A firm adopted an ICT will encourage its partner firms to adopt the compatible ICT to benefit fully from its own ICT investment. Thus, the firm and its partner firms who are collaborative and willing to adopt ICTs are like...

It is necessary to grasp and utilize consumer's needs for firms to improve existing products and developing new products. Especially, collaboration with consumers for product innovation is indispensable. On the other hand, social media has been spreading all over the world. Network communities...

This paper attempts to analyze the relationship between ICT and R&D in the innovation process. R&D is categorized into two types: R&D and non-R&D. The former is R&D conducted by specific R&D sections or units, whereas the latter is implemented without explicit or formal units. ICT use in this...

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) plays an essential role in the provision of health care system, especially for the rapidly increasing ageing population all over the world. In line with this, eHealth helps a significant role in the overall management of this data in terms of...