JAPAN AND THE MANAGEMENT OF GLOBAL WIRELESS PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY

摘要

Japanese companies have entered the US market and subsequently retreated a number of times since the introduction of cellular telephony in the early 1980's. Oki Telecom, Sharp, Sony, Kyocera, and Panasonic, to name but a few, have all exited both the US as well as the world wireless markets. Researchers often cite market missteps such as the insular nature of the Japanese market. However, the problems associated with managing R&D and product development outside of Japan also played a highly significant role that was largely unseen outside of the company. The case study describes the internal decision-making within a specific Japanese company (name withheld) over a seven year period from 1999-2006 and beyond as it grappled with organizing and managing teams geographically distributed throughout the globe. It also outlines how the company dealt with problems such as the cultural divide, the integration of hardware and software, and the rapidly changing standards.