118 research outputs found
Increasing Complexity and Limits of Organization in the Microlithography Industry: Implications for Japanese Science-based Industries
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to identify characteristics of the complexities and organizational limits that science-based industries in Japan are facing, to clarify the causes and effects of those characteristics and to show how they are related to the recent decline in global competitiveness in these industries. The microlithography industry is used for this purpose as a typical example of science-based industries. In this industry, Nikon and Canon were quite dominant until around the mid 1990s, while ASML of the Netherlands began to increase its competitive strength rapidly in the mid 1990s. The paper introduces the new concept of "interim modularity" vis-a-vis "ex ante modularity" a la Baldwin and Clark (2000) to explain how ASML tries to cope effectively with the drastically increasing complexity of such a technology. The concept of interim modularity is defined as the communication benefits induced by the modular architecture during trial-and-error development processes, no matter how incomplete such architecture may be. The paper emphasizes that extremely complex tools like microlithography require interim modularity to effectively orchestrate the dispersion of specialized knowledge and know-how over a wide range of professionals inside and outside of corporations and that interim modularity is more effectively pursued by ASML than by Nikon or Canon. The paper also indicates that the insufficient cognition of the importance of interim modularity has been widely weakening the competitiveness especially in Japanese science-based industries.
Moore's Law, Increasing Complexity, and the Limits of Organization: The Modern Significance of Japanese Chipmakers' DRAM Business
No full textThe purpose of this paper is to identify the organizational constraints on science innovations in the midst of the increasing complexity of technology and markets and to search for measures to overcome them. For this purpose, we scrutinize the rise and fall of Japanese chipmakers in their commodity DRAM business during the last three decades, during which time all of them have been deeply wounded. We take up this business case mainly because the Japanese semiconductor industry seems to be a forerunner of various science-based industries facing rapid globalization and could provide instructive examples for them in an age of speed-to-market. We think that the rise and fall of Japanese chipmakers in their commodity DRAM business has been deeply influenced by three kinds of ever-growing complexities: the growing market-complexity triggered by the collapse of commodity DRAM prices in 1996, the growing (manufacturing) system-complexity boosted by the advent of 200mm fabrication plants (fabs) in the early 1990s, and the growing process-complexity in fabrication technologies necessitated by 64Mb commodity DRAMs. We explain how and why, compared with U.S. and Korean competitors, Japanese chipmakers could not respond to these growing complexities in a systematic and well-organized manner.
The "Rabassa Morta" in Catalan viticulture: the rise and decline of a long-term sharecropping contract, 1670s-1920s
No full textFor long periods, and in line with recent theoretical literature, the rabassa morta sharecropping contract successfully reduced problems of moral hazard and opportunistic behavior, and provided incentives for sharecroppers to respond to market opportunities. However, from the late nineteenth century, technical change, rising wages, and weak wine prices all increased the incentives for postcontractual opportunistic behavior on the part of the sharecropper, leading to conflicts and loss of trust between the principal and agent. Under these conditions, contemporaries often considered the contract synonymous with "exploitation" and "impoverishment," terms frequently found in the more traditional literature on sharecropping.
What Japanese Workers Want: Evidence from the Japanese Worker Representation and Participation Survey
No full textUsing a unique new survey, the Japanese Worker Representation and Participation Survey (JWRPS), this paper presents the first evidence on the representation/participation gaps among Japanese workers and its links to the degree of their discontent with work and the efficacy of celebrated participatory employment practices. We find that: (i) contrary to the popular rhetoric of the end of "participatory Japanese management", Japanese workers still desire more involvement and greater voice in firm decisions; and (ii) in spite of their strong desire to have more influence, many Japanese workers consider their current level of say at work less than adequate, resulting in significant representation/participation gaps which are comparable to what has been found for U.S. workers. Furthermore, we find an alarming degree of discontent with work among Japanese workers, measured by diverse variables, and weak employee involvement and influence are found to be significantly linked to the degree of such discontent. Finally, our analysis of the survey data yields evidence in support of the hypotheses that: (i) working in firms with strong participatory programs will significantly enhance employee voice; (ii) among those working in participatory firms, actually participating in these programs will yield an additional boost for employee voice; and (iii) financial participation schemes will align the interest of employees with the interest of the firm and thus make employees wanting to have more influence in firm decisions. Our findings suggest that weakening participatory employment practices (as the popular rhetoric at times suggests) may result in exacerbating the already alarming degree of employee dissatisfaction in Japan.
Resistance and Regeneration in Ngozi Chuma-Udeh’s The Presidential Handshake
No full textThis research work focused on resistance and regeneration in Ngozi Chuma-Udeh’sThe Presidential Handshake. The Presidential Handshake by Ngozi Chuma-Udeh is shown as an effective means of re-orienting the people. It further demonstrates with adequate examples from the novel, how the author has done this, and to what extent she has succeeded. This study employs the content analysis approach to qualitative research. Marxism and Sociological Approach to Literature form the theoretical framework for exploring this novel. The main aim for using Marxism and sociological approach to literature is because of the author’s belief in literature serving the needs of society and the people. The Presidential handshake connotes the negative notion of the people for politics. This study reveals that NgoziChuma-Udeh raised social issues in her novel which are relevant to the contemporary Nigerian society. These include socio-political issues like greed, exploitation, looting, and unemployment. This study will definitely contribute to the evolving corpus of critical literary discourse on the literary works of the author and African literature
Developmental idealism and cultural extinction in the selected works of Chuma Nwokolo
No full textTo be developed, countries in Africa must comply with a development agenda,
adopting the beliefs and values that inform the ideals of development. With strong
links to modernization, the ideologies underpinning development as well as their
impact and adoption in Africa have undergone critical studies. The impact of
development is contingent on a people’s culture, and thus can potentially be a threat
that can trigger cultural extinction. The relationship between development and culture,
and its potential link to cultural extinction arising from conflict of values is largely
unexplored. Literary works produced within the African region have captured
processes of culture and social change, depicting development issues in ways that are
intellectually relatable. The struggle of minority people to sustain their culture in the
face of the pressures of development is also captured in literary works.
Notwithstanding, a sparsity of studies on literature that have substantively covered
these phenomena and the remedial measures for addressing it, is observed. My study
attempts to address these gaps by examining contemporary African literature for
insight. Through a synthesis of theories and concepts which includes Arland
Thornton’s theory of Developmental Idealism and the concept of Cultural Extinction
this study explores the intersections of development with the occurrence of cultural
extinction. Eric Yamamoto’s four-fold framework for inter-racial justice (recognition,
reconstruction, responsibility and reparation), is also adopted to explore redress and
remedial strategies adopted for eclipsing culture. The thematic relevance of works
produced by Nigerian author Chuma Nwokolo justifies the selection of four novels
from his body of work: Extinction of Menai (2018), One More Tale for the Road
(2003), Diaries of a Dead African (2003) and The Ghost of Sani Abacha (2012).
Textual analysis remains the central methodology of cultural studies. A systematic
analysis of texts from the selected works of Chuma Nwokolo in the light of the theories
and concepts employed reveal the representations of the values of developmental
idealism across the four works. While cultural extinction is evidenced across the
selected works of Chuma Nwokolo, rather than causality, the analysis establishes
mostly that the ideational force of developmental idealism has a relationship of
correlation to cultural extinction. Eric Yamatoto’s four component framework;
recognition, reconstruction, responsibility and reparation, are found to be most applicable to the cultural remedial and redress approaches adopted across the four
works only at the intra-cultural level. It is expected that the outcome of this study will
inform policies, programmes and interventions of institutions that focus on achieving
cultural sustainability across the world. Most importantly, it will inform remedial
approaches for cultural revitalization
High Performance Work Practices and Employee Voice: A Comparison of Japanese and Korean Workers
No full textUsing a unique new cross-national survey of Japanese and Korean workers, we report the first systematic evidence on the effects on employee voice of High Performance Work Practices (HPWPs) from the two economies which are noted for the wide use of HPWPs. We find for both nations that: (i) workers in firms with HPWPs aimed at creating opportunities for employees to get involved (such as shopfloor committees and small group activities) are indeed more likely to have stronger senses of influence and voice on shopfloor decision making than other workers; (ii) workers whose pay is tied to firm performance are more likely to have a stake in firm performance and hence demand such influence and voice; and (iii) consequently workers in firms with HPWPs are more likely to make frequent suggestions for productivity increase and quality improvement. As such, this paper contributes to a small yet growing new empirical literature which tries to understand the actual process and mechanism through which HPWPs lead to better enterprise performance.high performance work practices, employee voice, Japan, Korea
The "Rabassa Morta" in Catalan viticulture : the rise and decline of a long-term sharecropping contract, 1670s-1920s
No full textFor long periods, and in line with recent theoretical literature, the rabassa morta sharecropping contract successfully reduced problems of moral hazard and opportunistic behavior, and provided incentives for sharecroppers to respond to market opportunities. However, from the late nineteenth century, technical change, rising wages, and weak wine prices all increased the incentives for postcontractual opportunistic behavior on the part of the sharecropper, leading to conflicts and loss of trust between the principal and agent. Under these conditions, contemporaries often considered the contract synonymous with "exploitation" and "impoverishment," terms frequently found in the more traditional literature on sharecropping.Publicad
The reality of media freedom in Swaziland under the new constitutional dispensation
No full textThe study concludes that there is still lack of media freedom in Swaziland under the new constitutional dispensation. Its significant finding is that the lack of media freedom is a consequence of constitutional, legal and extra-legal constraints
- …
