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"Park, Won Young"
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Diversification, Internationalization, and Performance: A Comparative Study of High- vs. Low-Diversified Japanese Manufacturing Industries
This study extends prior research on strategic resilience by examining how diversification and internationalization strategies influence performance in Japanese manufacturing firms, focusing on differences between industries with high vs. low diversification levels. Specifically, it identifies industry average diversification as a key condition that moderates these strategies' effectiveness, especially during crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Although previous work suggests that internationalization enhances performance while diversification undermines it, our findings show these effects vary significantly across industries with different profiles. Drawing on a panel dataset of 2,675 firm-year observations covering all manufacturing companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market over the period 2017-2023, we use entropy-based diversification metrics and foreign sales ratios (FSTS) to assess performance outcomes and the moderating effects of COVID-19. Results reveal that in highly diversified industries, internationalization significantly enhances performance, and this positive association strengthens during the pandemic. Diversification remains negatively associated with performance; the COVID-diversification interaction is not significant, providing no evidence of an additional buffering effect. By contrast, in less diversified industries, neither strategy significantly impacts performance. These insights underscore the importance of tailoring internationalization and diversification approaches to the industry's baseline diversification level. Through subgroup analysis and interaction tests, this research advances theoretical understanding of strategic resilience and provides managerial guidance for navigating global disruptions.
Journal Article
Factory Automation and Learning Capability in the Knowledge Transfer Process of Multi-National Corporations: A Case Study of Japanese Healthcare Company
In a volatile global environment;it is critical to respond to unpredictable variables in the global market. Multi-national corporations (MNCs) operating across national boundaries face complex risks and a high level of uncertainties. Therefore;MNCs need to sense changing market dynamics and prepare diverse responsive options with future scenario planning. In terms of global management with subsidiaries;MNCs that target the global market need to implement a balance of global business integration and local adaptation. Recent new technologies are one critical factor that contributes to this balance. The introduction of new automation machines to the production line is also an external force of change;requiring line workers to acquire new knowledge as well. Understandably;many Japanese domestic firms have enthusiastically introduced machines and robots to automate their factories. In response to this automation fever;we investigate under what conditions automation might be a barrier to effective knowledge transfer. We explore this question using an in-depth qualitative case study of a Japanese manufacturing firm with subsidiaries in Vietnam and China. Through analyzing two aspects of vertical and horizontal knowledge transfer;we find the recipient’s degree of prior knowledge affects knowledge transfer. Based on our findings;we provide propositions to explain two aspects of vertical and horizontal knowledge transfer.
Journal Article
Enabling access to household refrigeration services through cost reductions from energy efficiency improvements
Refrigerators are widely used by consumers with access to the electricity grid but rarely used in off-grid settings where households rely on a limited supply of electricity such as that by a stand-alone solar home system, because refrigerators’ power consumption requires a solar system size that is unaffordable for most consumers. Reducing the power consumption of refrigerators by improving their efficiency is one solution to this issue. In this paper, we assess the technical potential and costs of using commercially available technology to reduce the energy consumption of small (50- and 100-L) refrigerators. Our analysis shows that refrigerator electricity consumption can be reduced by about 50% and 70% using commercially available energy-efficient components at an incremental cost of about $45–$60 and $100–$120 per unit, respectively. Further, we find that highly efficient small refrigerators can be potentially available less than $300 if they sold at scale unlike much higher prices seen in the market today. We also find that the total annualized cost of an off-grid solar home system (including the cost of the refrigerator) can be decreased by about 50% if the most efficient refrigerator we analyzed is used, compared with the same energy system with a standard refrigerator because the additional cost of the efficient refrigerator is significantly lower than the cost savings due to smaller capacity requirements for panels and batteries. We recommend that policies such as awards, procurement, and standards be considered to facilitate the adoption of energy-efficient refrigerators in off-grid and microgrid settings.
Journal Article
Would Lipophilic Statin Therapy as a Prognostic Factor Improve Survival in Patients With Uterine Cervical Cancer?
ObjectivesIn vitro studies showed that lipophilic statins inhibit cell growth, adhesion, and invasion and induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines. In uterine cervical cancer, several important factors including age, stage, anemia, lymphovascular invasion, lymph node metastases, and parametrial spread were known to significantly predict survival. We investigated whether statin therapy as a prognostic factor would significantly predict survival in cervical cancer.MethodsPatients with stages IB to IV cervical cancer who received radical hysterectomy and/or para-aortic lymph node dissection were included. The statin-use group was identified as patients who were continuously prescribed with lipophilic statins from prediagnostic period of the cancer.ResultsThe baseline characteristics of both statin-use group and control group were comparable. During a median follow-up of 36.6 months, progression-free survival and overall survival of the statin-use group were significantly higher than the control group (P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively). In multivariate analysis, the statin-use group had an independent prognostic significance compared with other prognostic factors (progression-free survival: hazards ratio = 0.062, 95% confidence interval = 0.008–0.517, P = 0.010; overall survival: hazards ratio = 0.098, 95% confidence interval = 0.041–0.459, P = 0.032).ConclusionsIn the present study, continuous lipophilic statin therapy from the prediagnostic period of uterine cervical cancer could reflect favorable outcome, independently.
Journal Article
The role of hydrogen as long-duration energy storage and as an international energy carrier for electricity sector decarbonization
With countries and economies around the globe increasingly relying on non-dispatchable variable renewable energy (VRE), the need for effective energy storage and international carriers of low-carbon energy has intensified. This study delves into hydrogen’s prospective, multifaceted contribution to decarbonizing the electricity sector, with emphasis on its utilization as a scalable technology for long-duration energy storage and as an international energy carrier. Using Japan as a case study, based on its ambitious national hydrogen strategy and plans to import liquefied hydrogen as a low-carbon fuel source, we employ advanced models encompassing capacity expansion and hourly dispatch. We explore diverse policy scenarios to unravel the timing, quantity, and operational intricacies of hydrogen deployment within a power system. Our findings highlight the essential role of hydrogen in providing a reliable power supply by balancing mismatches in VRE generation and load over several weeks and months and reducing the costs of achieving a zero-emission power system. The study recommends prioritizing domestically produced hydrogen, leveraging renewables for cost reduction, and strategically employing imported hydrogen as a risk hedge against potential spikes in battery storage and renewable energy costs. Furthermore, the strategic incorporation of hydrogen mitigates system costs and enhances energy self-sufficiency, informing policy design and investment strategies aligned with the dynamic global energy landscape.
Journal Article
The cumulative incidence and risk factors of postoperative inguinal hernia in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy
BackgroundThe aim of this study is to investigate the cumulative incidence and risk factors of postoperative inguinal hernia (PIH) in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, i.e., laparoscopic prostatectomy (LRP) and robot-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RARP).MethodsThis study included 1124 patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy or transurethral resection of bladder tumor from 2011−2016. We compared the cumulative incidence of PIH in the radical prostatectomy groups (460; LRP 341, RARP 119) and the control group (664; transurethral resection of bladder tumor), and we then analyzed the risk factors (age, operative methods, previous abdominal operative history, thickness and width of external oblique muscle and rectus muscle, thickness of abdominal subcutaneous fat layer at Hesselbach’s triangle level, body mass index, prostate-specific antigen, operative time, specimen weight, Gleason score, and pathology T-stage) of PIH in the radical prostatectomy groups.ResultsThe median follow-up period in this study was 39.6 months. In Kaplan–Meier curve analysis, the cumulative incidence of PIH was 5.3, 4.2, and 0.5% for the LRP, RARP, and control groups, respectively (p < 0.001). Multiple logistic regressions showed that thickness of external oblique muscle and width of rectus muscle were significant risk factors (p < 0.001 and p = 0.027).ConclusionsPIH is considered to be one of the complications of LRP and RARP. Moreover, we suggest that if the thickness of the muscle is <7.3 mm, thoughtful surgical manipulation is needed for radical prostatectomy, and care should be taken to determine whether hernia occurs during follow-up.
Journal Article
Sustainable Human–Machine Collaborations in Digital Transformation Technologies Adoption: A Comparative Case Study of Japan and Germany
The Digital Transformation (DX) megatrend is fundamentally disrupting and changing the nature of work, business, and industry at a rapid pace. Although the notion of DX has garnered much research interest from practitioners, scholarship on this topic is somehow lagging behind, possibly because of the lack of theoretical frameworks on DX. Recently, most Japanese firms have begun to use diverse digital technologies to sustain their competitive advantages. However, the return of investment on digital technologies has not been as high as expected for some firms. Furthermore, as the visions of Industry 5.0 describe sustainable, resilient, and human-centered future factories that will require smart and resilient capabilities both from next-generation manufacturing systems and human operators, it is necessary to design resilient human–machine collaborations within factories. To this end, this paper presents a research model between DX technologies and scientific problem-solving in terms of deduction, induction, and abduction inference structures as an approach to resilient human–machine collaborations. The purpose of this research is to analyze the difference in the utilization pattern of the digital technology of American, German, and Japanese firms based on three types of decision-making methods. Next, we apply this framework in a comparative case study of two Japanese firms and one German firm, where we find that there is a difference in DX technologies utilization among the Japanese and German firms. We assert that the utilization of IoT technology in the United States and Germany is pursuing IoT with the aim of autonomous control, whereas Japanese firms prioritize robot–human collaboration. Finally, we discuss how our findings contribute to the burgeoning field of resilient human–machine collaborations by showing the distinct roles of deduction, induction, and abduction inference structures. Furthermore, our research contributes to international comparative studies to identify the difference in national IT utilization. Lessons and implications are discussed.
Journal Article
A Research Framework for Sustainable Digital Innovation: Case Studies of Japanese Firms
Today’s competitive and highly volatile environment calls for a new kind of flexibility and adaptability. Limited studies are available that examine how firms achieve both speed and creativity requirements in this digital era. In view of the rare empirical studies on real-world cases that apply rigorous research methods for sustainable digital innovation (SDI), this research investigates the key strategic requirements of organizational agility and flexibility for SDI. The research framework defines four types of innovators. This study used the benchmark tool to assess the status of their innovation effectiveness. This research framework is useful for firms to classify, assess, and evaluate their innovation type. The study’s findings also suggest the road map for future strategic goals. This theoretical framework illustrates the causal relationship between Japanese-style digital innovation and the firms’ sustainable competitive advantage. This model might be extended to other firms in different contexts (e.g., Korea, India, USA, Brazil, and a host of other countries). The theoretical and practical implications are discussed for future research.
Journal Article