IIS Collaborative Research Projects

• Institutional Interconnections, Inclusive Business and Cross-boundary Cooperation: Comparative Research among…

  Okada

  • • Institutional Interconnections, Inclusive Business and Cross-boundary Cooperation: Comparative Research among Japanese/European/North American/Local Companies in India and Africa
    • Principal Investigator:
      Yoshitaka Okada
    • Description:
      The goal of this project is to academically research ways to generate cross-boundary cooperation and create learning effects among diverse organizations involved in inclusive business activities. Inclusive business, which intricately mixes business sustainability and social contributions, is considered highly important for eradicating poverty in developing countries and achieving sustainable development. This research covers the inclusive business projects of European Union, North America, Japan, and local companies in India and Africa. Research findings are expected to facilitate collaboration among diverse partners, promote the development of inclusive business projects, and consequently contribute to achieving sustainable development in the world.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      April 2016
    • Sources of Funding:
      Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Government of Japan, KAKEN Grant Number 16H05707 with a grant period from April 2016 to March 2019
    • • Collaborating Partners::
        
      • (1) Sumire Stanislawski, Full-time Lecturer, Institute for International Strategy, Tokyo International University
      • (2) Samuel Amponsah, Full-time Lecturer, Institute for International Strategy, Tokyo International University
      • (3) Tomonaga Horiguchi, Associate Professor, Foreign Language Study, Kyoto Foreign Language University
      • (4) Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Coordinator, Management Center for Human Values, Professor, Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta
      • (5) Shekhar Chaudhuri, Professor, Former Director, Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta
      • (6) Partha Sarathi Roy, Assistant Professor, School of Management and Entrepreneurship, The Shiv Nadar University

• The Roles of Extracurricular Club Activities
  in Japanese High Schools

  Blackwood

  • • The Roles of Extracurricular Club Activities in Japanese High Schools
    • Principal Investigator:
      Thomas Blackwood, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      From 2009 to 2011, I conducted a survey asking high-school seniors across Japan about their participation in extracurricular club activities, career plans, self-assessment, values and beliefs. Almost 4,000 students responded, and I am currently analyzing this data using SPSS software. Preliminary findings confirm strong correlations between participation in certain types of extracurricular clubs and students’ career goals, as well as their self-assessment of character and values. Future publications will examine correlations between participation in clubs and positive or negative conceptions of self, as well as feelings of hope, with analyses done by type of club and other independent variables.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2009
    • • Source of Funding:
      • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
    • Collaborator:
      Douglas C. Friedman, Ph.D.
      East Stroudsburg University

• Enhancing Organizational Performance of International Small and Medium Enterprises through Inter-firm Marketing…

  Tajeddini

  • • Enhancing Organizational Performance of International Small and Medium Enterprises through Inter-firm Marketing Collaborations
    • Principal Investigator:
      Kayhan Tajeddini
    • Description:
      Competition between network constellations and marketing channels is being considered as an increasingly important support if a firm is to be able to develop a strong market position. We thus argue that linking inter-firm orientations and business performance to marketing activities is an important and timely issue, with immediate applications to the study of international marketing, strategic and marketing management and related fields. Most of the speculations are supported by data, suggesting that inter-firm market orientation and inter-firm entrepreneurial orientation have great influence on SMEs’ business performance when they operate internationally.
    • Collaborating Partners:
      Ulf Elg and Pervez N. Ghauri
    • Funding Source:
      A Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Ragnar Söderberg Foundation, Sweden (2012-2015)

• Mapping Global Insecurities – ‘Black Spots’

  Kfir

  • • Mapping Global Insecurities – ‘Black Spots’
    • Principal Investigator:
      Professor Margaret Hermann, Syracuse University, Director, Moynihan Institute for Global Affairs
    • Collaborating Partner:
      Isaac Kfir, Associate Professor, Tokyo International University (TIU)
    • Brief Explanation:
      The goal of this research is to use a social network analysis to understand and anticipate how transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) exploit areas that we describe as ‘Black Spots.’ These are areas that are (1) outside of effective governmental control, (2) controlled by alternative, mostly illicit, social structures, and (3) capable of breeding and exporting insecurity. The data set includes over 150 different case studies collected by graduate students who follow a coding manual.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2006(Kfir joined the program in 2014)
    • • Funding Sources:
      • Chancellor Grant of Syracuse University and private donations

• An International Comparative Study on Women’s Career Development

  Ishiguro

  • • An International Comparative Study on Women’s Career Development
    • Principal Investigator:
      Ishiguro, Kuniko, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      This research examines and investigates interrelationships among governmental policies (employment, gender, and social security and welfare), companies (management and unions) and households, and their roles in promoting women’s career development in the society and the economy. The research especially focuses on two countries the researcher has been investigating – Sweden and Denmark, in order to draw comprehensive understanding of women’s career development towards advancement in Japanese society.
    • • Source of Funding:
      • Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Government of Japan, KAKEN Grant Number 16K02045 with a grant period from April 2016 to March 2019

• Institutional Interconnections, Inclusive Business and Cross-boundary Cooperation: Comparative Research among…

  Amponsah

  • • Institutional Interconnections, Inclusive Business and Cross-boundary Cooperation: Comparative Research among Japanese/European/North American/Local Companies in India and Africa
    • Principal Investigator:
      Yoshitaka Okada
    • Brief Explanation:
      Inclusive business (IB) mixes business sustainability and social contributions to help eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development. Our research goal is to find ways to generate cross-sectoral collaboration and create learning effects among diverse organizations involved in IB projects by comparing Japanese, EU, North American, and local companies in India and Africa. Research findings are expected to facilitate collaboration among diverse partners and to promote development of IB projects.
    • Source of Funding:
      Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Government of Japan, KAKEN Grant Number 16H05707 with a grant period from April 2016 to March 2019
    • Collaborating Partners:
      
      • (1) Samuel Amponsah, Full-time Lecturer, Institute for International Strategy, Tokyo International University
      • (2) Tomonaga Horiguchi, Associate Professor, Foreign Language Study, Kyoto Foreign Language University
      • (3) Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Coordinator, Management Center for Human Values, Professor, Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta
      • (4) Shekhar Chaudhuri, Professor, Former Director, Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta
      • (5) Partha Sarathi Roy, Assistant Professor, School of Management and Entrepreneurship, The Shiv Nadar University

• Institutional Interconnections, Inclusive Business and Cross-boundary Cooperation: Comparative Research among…

  Stanislawski

  • • Institutional Interconnections, Inclusive Business and Cross-boundary Cooperation: Comparative Research among Japanese/European/North American/Local Companies in India and Africa
    • Principal Investigator:
      Yoshitaka Okada
    • Brief Explanation:
      Inclusive business (IB) mixes business sustainability and social contributions to help eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development. Our research goal is to find ways to generate cross-sectoral collaboration and create learning effects among diverse organizations involved in IB projects by comparing Japanese, EU, North American, and local companies in India and Africa. Research findings are expected to facilitate collaboration among diverse partners and to promote development of IB projects.
    • Source of Funding:
      Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Government of Japan, KAKEN Grant Number 16H05707 with a grant period from April 2016 to March 2019
    • Collaborating Partners:
      
      • (1) Samuel Amponsah, Full-time Lecturer, Institute for International Strategy, Tokyo International University
      • (2) Tomonaga Horiguchi, Associate Professor, Foreign Language Study, Kyoto Foreign Language University
      • (3) Bhaskar Chakrabarti, Coordinator, Management Center for Human Values, Professor, Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta
      • (4) Shekhar Chaudhuri, Professor, Former Director, Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta
      • (5) Partha Sarathi Roy, Assistant Professor, School of Management and Entrepreneurship, The Shiv Nadar University

• Democratic Breakdown and Party System in Interwar Japan

  Yamamoto

  • • Democratic Breakdown and Party System in Interwar Japan
    • Principal Investigator:
      Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      In this article, I focus on the last fourteen years of interwar democracy in Japan and demonstrate that the democratic collapse was a function of a two-party system dogged by profound political instability and labor alienation. The article demonstrates that the proximate causes of the regime’s downfall must be located in the specific patterns of labor incorporation and political contestation. Labor alienation and intense partisan competition devoid of ideological convergence between rural-based and urban-based political parties, both perpetuated by specific socioeconomic cleavages, worked in tandem to set in motion the democratic breakdown in the mid-1930s.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2013

• Risk Recognition of Entrepreneurs and Institutional Arrangements in Start-up Firms in Nano- and Bio-related …

  Okada

  • • Risk Recognition of Entrepreneurs and Institutional Arrangements in Start-up Firms in Nano- and Bio-related Industries
    • Principal Investigator:
      Yoshitaka Okada, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      Despite the stereotype of Japanese as risk aversive, some companies are well known for innovation. This may be because institutional mechanisms are complementing rigid institutional structures that stimulate innovation. If one type of institution is not invested in high-risk innovation, then other types of institutions do engage in risk-taking activities. By integrating theories of institutional economics, socio-economics and management, this project investigates mechanisms of risk-taking innovation among entrepreneurs and intrepreneurs and recognition of risk in nano- and bio-related industries in Japan. Germany will serve as a comparative reference point. Data has been collected from 108 Japanese and 40 German companies.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2005
    • • Sources of Funding:
      • (a) A Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education Science awarded by the Government of Japan to cover the survey of 108 Japanese firms (2005-2008),
      • (b) Germany-Japan comparative research funded by grants from the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, Cologne, Germany, and the Japan Center for Economic Research (2008-2009)
    • Collaborator:
      David T. Methe, Professor
      Kwansei Gakuin University

• The Effect of Organizational Structure and Hoteliers' Risk Proclivity on Innovativeness

  Tajeddini

  • • The Effect of Organizational Structure and Hoteliers' Risk Proclivity on Innovativeness
    • Principal Investigator:
      Kayhan Tajeddini
    • Description:
      This study addressed the impact of innovativeness on performance and the key antecedents to innovativeness in an empirical model. By validating the positive contribution of innovativeness to the performance of Japanese hotels, the study further extends the literature on innovativeness that has been focused on manufacturing industries. Also, the study shows a positive relationship of innovativeness with the flexibility of organizational structure and risk taking of top management. In this regard, the study implies that an innovative culture in the service sector can be developed by maintaining flexibility in the organizational structure and promoting risk taking of top management.
    • Sources of Funding:
      A Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Asia Pacific University (APU), Japan (2009-2011)

• Syria Accountability Project

  Kfir

  • • Syria Accountability Project
    • Principal Investigator:
      Professor of Practice David Crane, Syracuse University Law School
    • Collaborating Partner:
      Isaac Kfir, Associate Professor, TIU
    • Brief Explanation:
      The Syrian Accountability Project (SAP) is a cooperative effort among activists, non-governmental organizations, students, and other interested parties to document war crimes and crimes against humanity in the context of the Syrian Crisis. The project has produced impartial, high quality analysis of open source materials, and has catalogued information relative to applicable bodies of law, including the Geneva Conventions, the Rome Statute, and Syrian Penal Law.
    • Project Period:
      2012-2016
    • Sources of Funding:
    • Chancellor Grant of Syracuse University and donations.

• An International Comparative Study on Changes in Human Resource Management and Women’s Career Formation

  Ishiguro

  • • An International Comparative Study on Changes in Human Resource Management and Women’s Career Formation
    • Principal Investigator:
      Ishiguro, Kuniko, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      This research compares cases from Japan and European countries including Denmark, England and Sweden, on changes in companies’ management practices and women’s career development. The research investigates promoting and prohibiting factors in women’s career development in the formal economy in each country, in order to add in depth insight on gender and management studies. The analysis also looks into government policies and historical trajectories on gender and society in each country, and their effects on companies’ and women’s choices and behaviors.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2013
    • • Source of Funding:
      • 2013-2016, JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, research no. 25360046

• Comparative Study of Health Shocks, Formal Health Insurance,and Informal Coping Mechanisms

  Amponsah

  • • Comparative Study of Health Shocks, Formal Health Insurance, and Informal Coping Mechanisms
    • Principal Investigator:
      Samuel Amponsah, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      This project aims to: (1) provide comparative analysis of the effects of national health insurance on catastrophic medical expenditure in present and historical context; (2) advance and support identification of the effects of health insurance on households’ informal coping mechanisms; (3) determine whether or not the introduction of formal health insurance can protect low-income households from borrowing or depleting assets in the event of health shock; and (4) demonstrate whether or not the social insurance approach to financing medical expenditure can help to reduce the loss of welfare associated with having a sick family member.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2014
    
    Read more

• Understanding Ouen Consumption

  Stanislawski

  • • Understanding Ouen Consumption
    • Principal Investigator:
      Sumire Stanislawski
    • Description:
      Since the March 11, 2011 disaster, there has been consumer confusion regarding consumption of products originating from the Tohoku-area. Preliminary interviews have found that consumers in Japan feel moral obligation to help support reconstruction efforts through ouen (aid) consumption of Tohoku-area products, but that they also have reservations about the safety of these products. This project aims to clarify how consumers are navigating their conflicting feelings of moral obligation to help support their fellow citizens and their need for safe consumption.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2014

• Bringing Japan Back In: A Macrohistorical Perspective on the Origins of Democratic Breakdown

  Yamamoto

  • • Bringing Japan Back In: A Macrohistorical Perspective on the Origins of Democratic Breakdown
    • Principal Investigator:
      Hiroyuki Yamamoto, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      This article reinserts Japan into the debate of democratic breakdown by establishing that the idiosyncrasies of interwar Japan have often been exaggerated in existing studies, and that its political and socioeconomic contexts, if properly identified, are reasonably comparable to those of other cases of democratic collapse in other regions. The paper then turns to the existing literature on European and Latin American cases and argues that the failure of party politics to preserve democratic institutions needs to be located in factors other than the repressive mode of agricultural production, multiple preindustrial cleavages, and dual-state institutions that these authors propose.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2015

• BOP Business in Developing Countries and Global Institutional Transformation

  Okada

  • • BOP Business in Developing Countries and Global Institutional Transformation
    • Principal Investigator:
      Yoshitaka Okada, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      Aggravated poverty in developing countries under conditions of globalization has been recognized as a serious threat to sustainable development, which in turn contributed to change in global institutions. Market-based value creation, called "base of the pyramid" (BOP), came to be considered as a viable solution to the problem. Companies aggregate dispersed local knowledge, develop BOP business models and institutionally include the poor as both customers and business partners in hopes of improving their standard of living. However, BOP business requires collaboration across boundaries with development-related actors, which is a new experience for most multinational corporations. This project investigates the intersection of institutional transformation, development-related issues and new business models and practices.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2007
    • • Source of Funding:
      • Foundation for Advanced Studies on International Development (FASID, 2007-2011) to cover the cost of conducting fieldwork and seminars in India.

• Customer Orientation, Learning Orientation, and New Service Development

  Tajeddini

  • • Customer Orientation, Learning Orientation, and New Service Development
    • Principal Investigator:
      Kayhan Tajeddini
    • Description:
      This work investigated the influence of these variables on new service development and their subsequent effect on performance (financial and perceptual). Also, we examined the impact of participating managers’ positive attitudes toward change on new service development. Using data from hotel managers and owners located in Switzerland, several hypotheses have been formulated and tested. The findings not only verify aspects of prior research but also provide a new insight by exploring customer orientation, learning orientation, and new service development simultaneously, revealing how these factors affect the performance of the Swiss hotel industry. Although support for some hypotheses was found, these results need to be evaluated in light of the limitations, which moderate the contribution and also provide areas for further research.
    • Sources of Funding:
      A Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Les Roches International School of Hospitality Management, Switzerland (2008-2010)

• Post-conflict Research Database & Analysis Project

  Kfir

  • • Post-conflict Research Database & Analysis Project
    • Principal Investigator:
      Dr. Nicholas Armstrong, Senior Director, Research & Policy, Institute for Veterans and Military Families, Syracuse, N.Y.
    • Collaborating Partner:
      Isaac Kfir, Associate Professor, TIU
    • Brief Explanation:
      The Project stores cross-indexed bibliographic information on hundreds of journal articles, books, book chapters, and case reports that address the broad, interdisciplinary fields of post-conflict stabilization, reconstruction, and peacebuilding. The project is meant to assist scholars, practitioners, and educators to quickly retrieve bibliographic information and abstracts on key topics of interest. Users are encouraged to explore this site using the search functions provided, which are broken down by a range of categories (i.e., country, topic, date, etc.).
    • Project Period:
      2012-2013
    • Sources of Funding:
      Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT) Grant of Syracuse University

• A Comparative Study on Female Managers’ Career Development

  Ishiguro

  • • A Comparative Study on Female Managers’ Career Development
    • Principal Investigator:
      Ishiguro, Kuniko, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      This study investigates women’s career development and gender differences in promotions by comparing Japan and France, mainly using qualitative life history data and company cases. Although evidence indicates past gender differences in advancement to managerial positions in both countries, recently the French government has introduced advantageous policies for women, companies have focused more on utilizing women, and women’s consciousness of autonomous career development seems to have increased. Consequently, women's advancement to management levels in companies has accelerated in France. The research suggests the need for broader perspectives and targeted measures to promote women’s success in the business world in Japan.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2010
    • Sources of Funding:
      2010-12 JSPS Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, research no. 22510283

• The Economic Analysis of Retrenchment in Mining Communities and its Effects on Local Area Economies and …

  Amponsah

  • • The Economic Analysis of Retrenchment in Mining Communities and its Effects on Local Area Economies and Poverty
    • Principal Investigator:
      Samuel Amponsah, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      The goal of this project is to advance research on the impact of retrenchment in gold mining communities in Ghana and other African countries. AngloGold Ashanti’s Obuasi operation has been a major employer and source of income for decades, with much money spent within the Obuasi municipality and its environs. Mining activities have created wealth that has had “ripple” effects on the economic vitality and wellbeing of the entire community. This project is an empirical study exploring the effects of the planned rightsizing program of AngloGold, which is expected to result in the retrenchment of about 6,000 employees.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2014
    
    Read more

• Bridge for Tohoku Redevelopment: Revitalizing a Disaster-stricken Economy

  Okada

  • • Bridge for Tohoku Redevelopment: Revitalizing a Disaster-stricken Economy
    • Principal Investigator:
      Yoshitaka Okada, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      This action-oriented research aims to, first of all, assist disaster-stricken people in the Tohoku area of northern Japan, and second to examine how "risk-hedging-and-transaction-cost-reduction-business-models "(RTBMs) work in an actual disaster situation. RTBMs have been identified in an earlier project to be highly useful for resource-disadvantaged people as they enter into business activities. The key activities in this earlier project were to link disaster-stricken people to diverse disaster relief funds and professional experts around the world. Building on earlier findings, this project is expected to identify detailed business models and valuable insight into management to both prove the effectiveness of RTBMs and assist people in Tohoku area.
    • Starting Year of the Project:
      2011
    • • Sources of Funding:
      • (a) Grant from NPO Global Giving to cover administratively sustaining support operations.
      • (b) Grant from NPO Refugee International Japan to build a large shop tent for the Isatomae Community in Minami-sanriku-cho.
      • (c) Grant from the Japan Disaster Relief Fund Boston for the capability building of “Kirarin Kids” volunteer childcare group in Rikuzen Takata City.
      • (d) Two large grants from NPO Give2Asia to purchase three kitchen cars, build a wooden deck as the kitchen car station and rebuild the deck to attract customers.
    • Collaborator:
      NPO Durable Social Innovation Alliance(DSIA)

• Customer Orientation, Learning Orientation, and New Service Development

  Tajeddini

  • • Customer Orientation, Learning Orientation, and New Service Development
    • Principal Investigator:
      Kayhan Tajeddini
    • Description:
      This work investigated the influence of these variables on new service development and their subsequent effect on performance (financial and perceptual). Also, we examined the impact of participating managers’ positive attitudes toward change on new service development. Using data from hotel managers and owners located in Switzerland, several hypotheses have been formulated and tested. The findings not only verify aspects of prior research but also provide a new insight by exploring customer orientation, learning orientation, and new service development simultaneously, revealing how these factors affect the performance of the Swiss hotel industry. Although support for some hypotheses was found, these results need to be evaluated in light of the limitations, which moderate the contribution and also provide areas for further research.
    • Sources of Funding:
      A Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Les Roches International School of Hospitality Management, Switzerland (2008-2010)

• Formation of Division of Labor in Housework: Analysis of Qualitative Research

  Ishiguro

  • • Formation of Division of Labor in Housework: Analysis of Qualitative Research
    • Principal Investigator:
      Ishiguro, Kuniko, Ph.D.
    • Description:
      With women’s advancement in the economy, dual income households now outnumber single earner households. However, women still take on a considerable proportion of the housework and childrearing. The research investigates the process of formation of preferences and choices of division of housework in relation to the gendered social structure and culture by analyzing data derived from interviews with women and couples in Japan. The research found that although flexible housework rules can decrease conflicts between their work and family responsibilities, women still follow the traditional gender perceptions and behaviors, regardless of their social status and income level.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2014
    • • Sources of Funding:
      • 2014-2015, Research Funding of the General Institute, Bunkyo Gakuin University,
    • Collaborating Researcher:
      Fuwa, Makiko (Associate Professor, Tokyo Metropolitan University)

• Perceptions of Innovativeness among Iranian Hotel Managers

  Tajeddini

  • • Perceptions of Innovativeness among Iranian Hotel Managers
    • Principal Investigator:
      Kayhan Tajeddini
    • Description:
      Despite the undisputed importance of organizational innovation and decades of academic research on the subject, there is surprisingly little agreement on what innovativeness is or how to achieve successful innovation in practice. Furthermore, the difference between theory and practice is often interpreted in an ad hoc manner, which limits the potential for innovation to provide a competitive advantage. This research explored perceptions of innovativeness from the perspective of senior managers in the hotel industry from a sample of 11 high-class hotels located in the developing country of Iran. The findings relate to themes such as Leavitt’s diamond of task, structure, people and technology, with technology featuring quite strongly in a number of responses. It reflects how top managers and owners perceive that innovativeness can gain a competitive advantage by differentiating one hotel from another; and the role of national culture in developing that advantage. There are implications that a strong relationship with government and local business stakeholders could underpin innovativeness at local and regional levels.
    • Sources of Funding:
      A Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from Les Roches International School of Hospitality Management, Switzerland (2008-2010)

• Career Formation in the Newspaper Industry

  Ishiguro

  • • Career Formation in the Newspaper Industry
    • Principal Investigator:
      Cho, Hiromi (Professor , Toyo University)
    • Description:
      This study analyzes the characteristic of the personnel management systems and promotion structures, as well as individuals’ career development in the newspaper industry, in order to find a source for guiding the strength of the organization in so far as because the newspaper industry has a significant impact on public opinion and society. Based on the data derived from two national newspaper companies, the analysis found that both companies maintain traditional Japanese-style management systems. However, there were some notable differences in corporate culture between the two companies. These organizational differences were considered to affect reporters/writers whose articles subsequently influence public opinions.
    • Project Beginning Year:
      2013

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