The Technological Competitiveness of Japanese Multinationals

As Japanese companies have become more globalized in their markets and production facilities, the basis of their competitiveness has also changed. Whereas the earlier growth of these companies was based on cost-effective production of standardized products, they now compete through market responsiveness, product quality, and innovation that embodies their own original technology. This book argues that Japanese MNEs (multinational enterprises) now approach the vital processes of technology generation and product development through a truly global approach, making increasingly extensive use of R & D facilities in major foreign market areas. Incorporating extensive new evidence from three separate surveys carried out by the authors, the book extensively documents the growth of Japanese R & D labs abroad, investigates their strategic roles, and evaluates the implications of their emergence for the technological competence of the countries in which they are located and for the competitiveness of the traditional MNEs that compete globally with the Japanese MNEs. Marina Papanastassiou is Lecturer and Robert Pearce is Reader in Economics at the University of Reading.