An Analysis of Key Success Factors in Developing Communities in the Framework of Strategic Management

Research Project

Project/Area Number	08630124
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Business administration
Research Institution	Kumamoto Gakuen University
Principal Investigator	FURUTA Ryusuke Kumamoto Gakuen Univ., Commerce, Professor, 商学部, 教授 (00190158)
Project Period (FY)	1996 – 1997
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1997)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,200,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000) Fiscal Year 1997: ¥500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000) Fiscal Year 1996: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000)
Keywords	Strategic Management / Under-populated Areas / Revitalization / Regional Development / Key Success Factors / 地域活性化 / 過疎地域活性化 / 九州地区
Research Abstract	The purpose of the present research is, by observing under-populated areas in Japan through conceptual and theoretical lenses of strategic management, to reveal key success factors that underlie feasible and effective means for revitalizing these areas under various geopolitical and social constraints. Research results are described in three articles. As the first step to attain the above-stated purpose, the first paper tries to derive a concept of strategy that can be used to evaluate to what extent an area's behavior as a whole has been strategic from the standpoint of improving its long-term social welfare. The second paper then tries at first to explore the essence of people's efforts to revitalize their regions. As a result, it was derived that revitalizing an area is exactly equivalent to craft a strategy with its residents' own brains and hands and to implement the strategy step by step. The paper proceeds to describing various geopolitical and social constraints of the revitalization process that have been deeply rooted in under-populated areas in Japan. Finally, the third paper will describe how pioneering and full-scale efforts in some Kyushu regions have been conducted to derive important lessons for all under-populated areas in Japan that have to survive under extremely severe financial conditions to come soon.