RIETI - Organization and Performance: Understanding the Diversity of Firms

Announcement

Various contributions, using different methodologies (e.g., productivity analysis, institutional approaches, management analyses) have recently emphasized the increasing diversity of Japanese firms in terms of performance and organization. Moreover, this increasing heterogeneity concerns firms of similar size and operating in the same environment (e.g., sector).

Continued

Information on Open Session

In an environment characterized by globalization and rapid advances in IT, the Japanese business landscape has experienced an increase in both the creation of new firms and the destruction of established enterprises since the banking crisis of 1997-98 as companies have entered and withdrawn from the market in response to its changing demands. In addition, a series of organizational reforms such as M&As, the company system, and the establishment of holding companies have also had an affect on the changing corporate environment in Japan. As a result, Japanese firms that were formerly homogeneous now show a much greater amount of diversity. Recent research has emphasized that firms of similar size operating in the same environment (e.g., sector) have a tendency to choose different internal organization and corporate governance structures, and also revealed an increasing divergence in performance across firms.

How can we better understand the increasing diversity of firms and performance (e.g., the correlation between the diversity of organizations and the convergence or divergence of their performance, the role of strategic determinants such as management strategies and hiring policy)? In this open session, leading researchers from Japan and overseas will address this matter and provide a critical analysis of its effects.

The open session will begin with a keynote speech on the topic "Why Do Firms Differ and How Does it Matter" by Richard R. Nelson, a distinguished Columbia University professor who has published several books on the subject, most recently Technology, Institutions, and Economic Growth, Harvard University Press, 2005.

Following the keynote address, a panel discussion on the subject "Understanding the Diversity of Firms" will be conducted by six international researchers who will cover the following topics:

productivity trends and the current status of IT investments by Japanese firms;
productivity trends among EU nations based on EUKLEMS' analysis focusing on the EU;
changes in the economic environment (e.g., internationalization, deregulation) and their impact on firm performance;
the existence of convergence/divergence mechanisms and the degree to which they are affected by economic cycles and innovation;
policy differences between Japan and the EU, and how they affect organizations, management, investment activities, and firm performance.

Throughout the discussion on innovation, firm entry and withdrawal, and changes in organization and management; we hope to develop parameters for a future institutional model capable of improving firm productivity and performance.

Information

Time and Date: 9:10-17:35, November 14; 9:30-17:25, November 15, 2008 (Time: to be confirmed)
Please note that this symposium is divided into two parts.

OPEN SESSION (KEYNOTE SPEAKER SESSION & ROUNDTABLE)

Afternoon on Nov 14

For the general public

Language: Japanese/English (with simultaneous interpretation)

Charge: ¥2,000 (an official receipt will be issued)
(Students ¥1,000; please present your student ID at the reception desk.)

Seating capacity: approximately 150

Organized by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI) and Maison Franco-Japonaise (MFJ)

Supported by Waseda University (Global COE Program: Waseda Institute for Corporation Law and Society and Waseda Institute for Advanced Study [WIAS] ) and the French Embassy

SEMI-OPEN SESSION (INVITED SPEAKERS SESSION & RESEARCH SESSIONS)

*Due to limited seating, registration is closed for this session.

Morning on Nov 14; and Nov 15

For researchers only

Language: English (without simultaneous interpretation)

Charge: Free

Seating capacity: approximately 40

Organized by the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), Maison Franco-Japonaise (MFJ) and Waseda University (Global COE Program: Waseda Institute for Corporation Law and Society and Waseda Institute for Advanced Study [WIAS] )

Supported by the French Embassy
Venue: Maison Franco-Japonaise
3-9-25, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013, Japan
Tel: +81-3-5421-7641 Fax : +81-3-5421-7651
* The office is open from 9h30 to 18h, from Monday to Friday

MFJ Waseda University Embassy of France

Program Committee

Local Organizing Committee
Masahisa FUJITA, RIETI
Marc HUMBERT, MFJ
Sébastien LECHEVALIER, EHESS
Hideaki MIYAJIMA, Waseda University / RIETI
Masahiko OZAKI, RIETI

Scientific Committee
Eric J. BARTELSMAN, Vrije Universiteit
Giovanni DOSI, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, LEM
Kyoji FUKAO, Hitotsubashi University / RIETI
Sébastien LECHEVALIER, EHESS
Hideaki MIYAJIMA, Waseda University / RIETI
Kazuyuki MOTOHASHI, The University of Tokyo / RIETI
Richard NELSON, Columbia University, ISERP
John VAN REENEN, CEP - LSE

Location

Maison franco-japonaise
3-9-25, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0013
Webpage: http://www.mfj.gr.jp/ (in Japanese and French)
Tel : +81-(0)3-5421-7641 Fax : +81-(0)3-5421-7651
* The office is open from 9h20 to 18h, from Monday to Friday

Map

Access:
10-minute walk from the Ebisu JR station (East Exit)
15-minute walk from the Ebisu subway station (Hibiya Line)

From the Ebisu subway station: Exit the station, proceed up the escalator, and then follow the signs toward the east exit of Ebisu JR station.
From the Ebisu JR station (east exit): After leaving the east exit, proceed to the right and step onto the moving walkway (Yebisu Skywalk). At the end of the moving walkway, turn left and walk straight along the pavement; you will pass the Kakezuka Elementary School on your left. At the end of the pavement, cross the street and the Maison Franco-Japonaise will be directly in front of you.

Contacts

Conference venue and other general logistic matters
(Ms.) Maki MIKASA
Maison Franco-Japonaise (MFJ)
Tel: 81-3-5421-7641
Conference registration and this website
(Ms.) Tomoko KASE
Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI)
Tel: 81-3-3501-8398
Conference program
Sebastien LECHEVALIER
Local organizing Committee
Email: sebastien.lechevalier@ehess.fr
Hideaki MIYAJIMA
Local organizing Committee

Friday, 14 November, 2008
DAY1, MORNING: Room 601 (MFJ, 6F)
*Due to limited seating, registration is closed for this session.

9:10 - 9:20 Opening Remarks

Marc HUMBERT (Director of the French Institute of Research Abroad in Tokyo UMIFRE 19 CNRS-MAE)

9:20 - 9:30 Welcome Address

Louis-Michel MORRIS (Head, Economic Section, French Embassy in Japan)

9:30 - 12:40 INVITED SPEAKERS SESSION (SEMI OPEN SESSION)

Chairperson: MIYAJIMA Hideaki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Graduate School of Commerce, Waseda University / Vice Director, Waseda University Global COE Program: Waseda Institute for Corporation Law and Society / Associate Diretcor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Study [WIAS])

9:30 - 10:30 "The Organization of Firms across Countries"

John VAN REENEN (Director of Centre for Economic Performance and Professor of Economics, London School of Economics)

Discussant: MOTOHASHI Kazuyuki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor and Department Chair, Department of Technology Management for Innovation (TMI) School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo)

10:30 - 11:30 "On the Ubiquitous Heterogeneity in Corporate Characteristics and Performances: A Bird's Eye Assessment of the Evidence and Some Interpretative Conjecture"

Giovanni DOSI (Professor of Economics, Laboratory of Economics and Management, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies / Visiting Professor, University of Manchester)

Discussant: Sébastien LECHEVALIER (Associate Professor, l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales - Centre Japon)

11:30 - 11:40 Coffee break

11:40 - 12:40 "Searching for the Sources of Productivity: From Macro to Micro (and Back)"

Eric J. BARTELSMAN (Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Business Administration and Econometrics, Free University [Vrije Universiteit], Amsterdam)

Discussant: FUKAO Kyoji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University)

12:40 - 14:00 Lunch

DAY 1, AFTERNOON: HALL (MFJ, 1F)

14:00 - 14:10 Opening Remarks of the Afternoon Session

FUJITA Masahisa (President and Chief Research Officer, RIETI / Professor, Konan University / Adjunct Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Kyoto University)

14:10 - 15:20 KEYNOTE SPEAKER SESSION (OPEN SESSION)

Chairperson

ODAGIRI Hiroyuki (Professor, Department of Economics, Hitotsubashi University)

14:10 - 15:20 "Why Do Firms Differ and How Does it Matter: A Revisitation"

Richard R. NELSON (George Blumenthal Professor of International and Public Affairs, Business and Law, Emeritus, Columbia University / Director, Center for Science Technology and Global Development, The Earth Institute at Columbia University)

15:20 - 15:30 Coffee break

15:30 - 17:30 ROUNDTABLE: Organization and Performance: Understanding the Diversity of Firms (OPEN SESSION)

Chairpersons

Sébastien LECHEVALIER (Associate Professor, l'École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales - Centre Japon)

MIYAJIMA Hideaki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Graduate School of Commerce, Waseda University / Vice Director, Waseda University Global COE Program: Waseda Institute for Corporation Law and Society / Associate Diretcor, Waseda Institute for Advanced Study [WIAS])

Discussants

Eric J. BARTELSMAN (Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Business Administration and Econometrics, Free University [Vrije Universiteit], Amsterdam)

Giovanni DOSI (Professor of Economics, Laboratory of Economics and Management, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies / Visiting Professor, University of Manchester)

FUKAO Kyoji (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University)

MOTOHASHI Kazuyuki (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Professor and Department Chair, Department of Technology Management for Innovation (TMI) School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo)

John VAN REENEN (Director of Centre for Economic Performance and Professor of Economics, London School of Economics)

17:30 - 17:35 Closing Remarks of the First Day

Marc HUMBERT (Director of the French Institute of Research Abroad in Tokyo UMIFRE 19 CNRS-MAE)

Saturday, 15 November, 2008
DAY2: Room 601 (MFJ, 6F)
*In Research Sessions 1-4, the following eight papers were presented. These eight papers were selected in advance by the scientific committee of this conference, from a total of 95 submitted papers.

9:30 - 11:00 RESEARCH SESSION 1: Heterogeneous Firms' Dynamics (SEMI OPEN SESSION)

Chairperson: Giovanni DOSI (Professor of Economics, Laboratory of Economics and Management, Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies / Visiting Professor, University of Manchester)

9:30 - 10:15 "Catch Up, Convergence and the Business Cycle: Firm Level Evidence from Spain"

Speaker: Rodolfo STUCCHI (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid)

Discussant: KAWANISHI Takuya (RIETI / Waseda University)

10:15 - 11:00 "Productivity, Profitability and Growth: An Empirical Analysis of Firm Dynamics"

Speaker: Angelo SECCHI (LEM-Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna)

Discussant: MIYAGAWA Tsutomu (Faculty Fellow, RIETI / Gakushuin University)

11:00 - 11:20 Coffee break

11:20 - 12:50 RESEARCH SESSION 2: Firms' Performance and Liberalization (SEMI OPEN SESSION)

Chairperson: Hak K. PYO (Professor, Department of Economics, Seoul National University)

11:20 - 12:05 "The Better You Are The Stronger It Makes You: Evidence of the Asymmetric Impact of Liberalization"

Speaker: Leonardo IACOVONE (University of Sussex and The World Bank)

Discussant: NAGANO Mamoru (Professor, Nagoya City University)

12:05 - 12:50 "Endogenous Markups, Firm Productivity and International trade: A Test of the Melitz-Ottaviano Model"

Speaker: Frederic WARZYNSKI (Aarhus School of Business)

Discussant: ICHIDA Toshihiro (Waseda University)

12:50 - 14:00 Lunch

14:00 - 15:30 RESEARCH SESSION 3: Determinants of Firms' Performance (1): Strategy and Performance (SEMI OPEN SESSION)

Chairperson: John VAN REENEN (Director of Centre for Economic Performance and Professor of Economics, London School of Economics)

14:00 - 14:45 "Business Strategy and Firm Reorganization under Changing Market Conditions: An Observation-Based Analysis of Firms in the International Pulp and Paper Industry"

Speaker: Vivek GHOSAL (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Discussant: SAITO Takuji (Kyoto Sangyo University)

14:45 - 15:30 "The Evolution of Productivity Dispersion of Firms - A Reevaluation of its Determinants in the Case of Japan"

Speaker: ITO Keiko (Senshu University)

Discussant: Eric J. BARTELSMAN (Free University [Vrije Universiteit], Amsterdam)

15:30 - 15:50 Coffee break

15:50 - 17:20 RESEARCH SESSION 4: Determinants of Firms' Performance (2): Organization and Performance (SEMI OPEN SESSION)

Chairperson: Eric J. BARTELSMAN (Professor, Faculty of Economic Sciences, Business Administration and Econometrics, Free University [Vrije Universiteit], Amsterdam)

15:50 - 16:35 "The Diversity of Personnel Practices and Firm Performance"

Speaker: Pedro S. MARTINS (Queen Mary, University of London / CEG-IST / IZA)

Discussant: KUBO Katsuyuki (Waseda University)

16:35 - 17:20 "Long Term Evolution of the Costs and Benefits of Business Groups: Korean Chaebols Between Weak Premium, Strong Discount and Strong Premium"

Speaker: Keun LEE (Seoul National University)

Co-author: Jiyoun KIM (Seoul National University)

Discussant: John VAN REENEN (Director of Centre for Economic Performance and Professor of Economics, London School of Economics)

17:20 - 17:25 Closing Remarks