ICT is expected to play an important role for innovations in Japanese SMEs. In this paper, how ICT use promotes innovation is clarified. In addition, what kind of business strategy SMEs should follow is attempted to achieve innovation by focusing on the behavior of the top management as well as...

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...

Large numbers of firms use social media for various business activities. Japanese firms, however, still less use it. This paper aims to clarify how social media is effective for business activities of Japanese firms. For this purpose, the followings are cleared: (i) whether social media use is...

In recent years, East Asian economies have been rapidly developing. The reason is that firms have been successfully achieving product and process innovation by introducing advanced technologies and know-how from MNCs. In order to enhance innovation, firms have to own technology, capability and...

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...

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...