Collaborative structure between Japanese high‐tech manufacturers and consumers

Abstract

Purpose

This is a study that aims to explore a new conception of marketing management based on the analyses of the demand side in Japanese high‐tech industries. Currently, due to the rapid development of technologies, conventional marketing and management methodologies sometimes cannot explain why emerging technologies and new usage diffuse epidemically among consumers in a short time.

Design/methodology/approach

As a major example of successful technological development, this study focuses on a collaborative structure between Japanese high‐tech manufacturers and two types of consumer communities, “otaku” and “kogal.” The paper explores a hypothesis that each of the two consumer communities gives a different type of feedback to the manufacturers, and thus Japanese manufacturers can develop and improve their products very efficiently.

Findings

Japanese management has been understood as “kaizen,” – a management way to improve the efficiency of the supply side. However, today's Japanese high‐tech companies focus relatively on the demand side and have found interesting dynamics of consumer behaviors which can make one technology more valuable and useful in the daily lives. The paper also shows a comparative framework from the viewpoint of the user‐collaboration to contrast the basic difference of management styles among the USA, Europe, and Japan, and suggests that each company in each region can use other region's collaboration dynamics to develop its products, or build a technological standard more efficiently.

Originality/value

The hypothesis and framework in this paper can be expected to fill a vacuum in studies on Japanese management after the 1990s, as a successor to “kaizen” methodology.

Citation

Washida, Y. (2005), "Collaborative structure between Japanese high‐tech manufacturers and consumers", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 22 No. 1, pp. 25-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760510576527