171 research outputs found

    How ICTs Raise Manufacturing Performance: Firm-level Evidence in Southeast Asia.

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    This paper examines the effects of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on business performance, using firm-level data obtained through a questionnaire survey in four ASEAN countries (Indonesia, The Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). Sources of information and new technologies exchanged via ICTs by firms are also explored to investigate the mechanism behind ICT adoption. Empirical results verify that the introduction of ICT to reorganize business processes is significantly correlated with business performance, in particular the development of export markets and improvement of production management. ICTs facilitate access to information and technologies accumulated in in-house departments and joint-venture (JV) affiliates of the respondent firms. There are considerable differences between multinational companies (MNCs)/JVs and local firms. MNCs/JVs make use of information and technologies obtainable via ICTs from their own R&D departments, JVs established with local partners and foreign-owned suppliers/customers to improve factory management, mostly for product quality improvement and production cost reduction. In contrast, local firms interconnect their own R&D departments via ICTs to enhance their business performance in broader areas than MNCs/JVs, including the development of export markets.

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    Identification of risk factors for elevated serum IgG4 levels in subjects in a large-scale health checkup cohort study

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    Nagasaki University (長崎大学)博士(医学)長崎大学学位論文 学位記番号:共博(医歯薬)甲第33号 学位授与年月日:令和5年6月7日Author: Yoshika Tsuji, Tomohiro Koga, Fumiaki Nonaka, Kenichi Nobusue, Shin-ya Kawashiri, Hirotomo Yamanashi, Takahiro Maeda, Kazuhiko Arima, Kiyoshi Aoyagi, Meiko Takahashi, Shuji Kawaguchi, Fumihiko Matsuda, Hiroshi Fujii, Mitsuhiro Kawano, Hiroyuki Nakamura, Atsushi Kawakami and Mami TamaiCitation: Frontiers in Immunology, 14, art. no. 1124417; 2023Nagasaki University (長崎大学), 博士(医学) (2023-06-07)doctoral thesi

    Strategies for Japanese developers in potential international markets

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    Thesis: S.M. in Real Estate Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Real Estate Development in conjunction with the Center for Real Estate, 2014.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (pages 75-80).Global development has currently become an important business for developers. Although the business involves complex economic, political, and cultural issues, international real estate has been more attractive. Economic and political analysis tells the timing of getting into the market. Demographic analysis indicates if the market would expand and which target developers should focus on. Also, we can find out competitiveness and how to differentiate from other companies. Japan has not showed dramatic economic improvement for 20 years. The mature country has several issues: aging, low birth rate, and natural disasters. On the other hand, Summer Olympics 2020 will be held in Tokyo and the government has decided to dramatically improve the infrastructure. Japan will change and I would like to find out the opportunities and challenges of Japanese real estate. Hawaii market has been influenced by tourism. The market is really unique; the resort area attracts house buyers and renters from all over the world. Most visitors come from the US main land and Japan. Glancing the US and Japanese economy, developers can find out the real estate business opportunities. Vietnam has developed the infrastructure and real estate legal systems. With the new infrastructure development and the assistance of private developers, the country provides more housing. Moreover, the legal system had not allowed foreigners to own properties but has been changed to invite more capital from other countries. I have worked for a Japanese developer and experienced a short period of economic growth but we did not significantly invest and the good economy was over by the financial crisis. Most Japanese developers experienced the bubble economy and were tremendously influenced by that time, becoming more cautious in their outlook. The timing for expanding business now is perhaps not optimal. However, the benefits and challenges in these regions can be well-balanced for global developers who are eager to gain a foothold into international real estate markets.by Mitsuhiro Nomura.S.M. in Real Estate Developmen

    Feeding habits of juvenile slime flounder Microstomus achne in the coastal area of southern Hokkaido

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    A total of 45 juvenile [30.0–57.4 mm total length (TL)] slime flounder Microstomus achne were collected in the coastal area of southern Hokkaido from April to July in 2001 and April to June in 2002. Their diets were analyzed. Slime flounder juveniles of 30.0–39.9 mm TL fed predominantly on small crustaceans (gammarid amphipods, harpacticoids and cumaceans) and those of 40.0–57.4 mm TL on gammarid amphipods, cumaceans and polychaetes. The major prey items changed with growth from small crustaceans (e.g., harpacticoids) to polychaetes, although gammarid amphipods were the major prey items throughout the juvenile period (30.0–57.4 mm TL)

    Reconstruction of the eruptive history of Usu volcano, Hokkaido, Japan, inferred from petrological correlation between tephras and dome lavas

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    Usu volcano has erupted nine times since 1663. Most eruptive events started with an explosive eruption, which was followed by the formation of lava domes. However, the ages of several summit lava domes and craters remain uncertain. The petrological features of tephra deposits erupted from 1663 to 1853 are known to change systematically. In this study, we correlated lavas with tephras under the assumption that lava and tephra samples from the same event would have similar petrological features. Although the initial explosive eruption in 1663 was not accompanied by lava effusion, lava dome or cryptodome formation was associated with subsequent explosive eruptions. We inferred the location of the vent associated with each event from the location of the associated lava dome and the pyroclastic flow deposit distribution and found that the position of the active vent within the summit caldera differed for each eruption from the late 17th through the 19th century. Moreover, we identified a previously unrecognized lava dome produced by a late 17th century eruption; this dome was largely destroyed by an explosive eruption in 1822 and was replaced by a new lava dome during a later stage of the 1822 event at nearly the same place as the destroyed dome. This new interpretation of the sequence of events is consistent with historical sketches and documents. Our results show that petrological correlation, together with geological evidence, is useful not only for reconstructing volcanic eruption sequences but also for gaining insight into future potential disasters
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