2006 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Location and Service Transactions of Business Service Firms in Provincial Cities
| Project/Area Number |
16520489
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Human geography
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| Research Institution | Fukuoka University of Education |
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Principal Investigator |
ISHIMARU Tetsuji Fukuoka University of Education, Department of Education, Professor (50223029)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2004 – 2006
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| Keywords | service industries / provincial region / business servic / management consultant |
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| Research Abstract |
This paper is a preliminary attempt to explore the veracity of the observation that Japanese producer services have lagged behind its manufacturing sector using comparative evidence from secondary data on producer services in the UK and Japan and to explore the differences of performance of management consultants and their market characteristics between metropolitan area and provincial cities as well as between Japan and Canada. This procedure leads to establish a specific character of service flows between supplier and client in provincial city in Japan. Major findings are as follows:
1. The difference between UK and Japan;
There are some significant structural differences in the sectoral composition of employment between Japan and the UK. The major source of these differences is producer services, whether measured by employment share or by share of total establishments.
2. Management consults in Canadian Provincial City;
A number of management consulting firms are located in metropolitan
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areas. This shows a marked tendency in Japan. More active than in Japan are the management consultants certified by Canadian Association of Management consultants (CAMC) not only in metropolitan areas but also in provincial cities. Generally in Japan, Small and Medium Enterprise Management Consultants, licensed tax accountants, and other business service suppliers play an important role as management consultant. There exists a secure market basis in Canadian provincial cities which may generate a continuous business-related demand and supply even services.
3. Management consulting services in Japanese Provincial City;
There is a 'needs-demand gap' in Japanese provincial cities. Small and medium sized enterprises in provincial city recognize that externalization of the their requirements for professional services is an option but the range and quality of these services available from the local market has been inferior to the equivalent in the metropolitan area such as Tokyo where, in activities such as computer services or advertising, the much larger number of firms relative to the size of the market suggests significant specialization and competition. Since services are regarded as an expense rather than a cost to firms in provincial city, managers are inclined to bundle the supply of producer services in-house (except for labour-intensive services), thus limiting the demand for externally-provided producer services. Less
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