Conference

Records of Conference

◇A Conference Panel Discussion on Oct 27th, 2024

Organizing a panel discussion at the 55th Congress of the Business History Society of Japan. (See here) 

Panel Theme: International Comparison of Manager and Executive Education: Human Capital Formation in GE, Hitachi and Siemens

• Facilitator: Shinji Sugayama (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku Gakuin University)

• Presenters

Akitake, Taniguchi (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan): "The Aim and Background of the Session"

Kenichi Miyata (Associate Professor, Meiji University, Japan): "Developing the Manager in General Electric: Focusing on Baughman's Reform and Crotonville Management Development Institute"

Hiromichi Hasebe (Associate Professor, Nihon University, Japan): "Executive Education in Hitachi: Changing the Role of HITACHI General Management Institute" 

Fumiki Ishizuka (Professor, Meiji University, Japan):  "Executive Training and Education in Siemens: From the Perspective of Internal Labor Market and Inter-firm Network"

• Commentator: Hisayuki Oshima (Professor, Takachiho University)

• Commentator: Hideki Kakinuma (Professor, University of Marketing and Distribution Sciences)

◇The Tohoku Regional Workshop of the BHSJ on Apr 20th, 2024

• Facilitator: Takenobu Yuki (Tohoku University)

• Presenters

Akitake Taniguchi (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan)

Kenichi Miyata (Associate Professor, Meiji University, Japan)

Atsushi Hiramoto (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan)

Yongdo Kim (Professor, Hosei University, Japan)

Yoko Tanaka (Professor, the University of Tsukuba, Japan)

• Commentator: Osamu Uda (Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan)

• Commentator: Ken Sakai (Hitotsubashi University, Japan)

◇A Conference Panel Discussion on Oct 28th, 2023

Organizing a panel discussion at The AAOS 2024 Annual Convention. (See here) 

Session Theme: History and Organization

Panel Theme: Formation and Disintegration of 'General' Electrical Enterprises: The Theory of 'Strategy and Structure' from a Historical Perspective

• Facilitator: Shigehiro Nishimura (Kansai University)

• Presenters

Akitake Taniguchi (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan)

Kenichi Miyata (Associate Professor, Meiji University, Japan)

Atsushi Hiramoto (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan)

Yongdo Kim (Professor, Hosei University, Japan)

Yoko Tanaka (Professor, the University of Tsukuba, Japan)

• Commentator: Yasuhiro Ueno (Kansai University)

◇A Conference Panel Discussion on Oct 27th, 2019

Organizing a panel discussion at the 55th Congress of the Business History Society of Japan. (See here) 

Panel Theme: A Comparative Business History on the Dismantling of Giant Electrical and Electronic Enterprises: Economies of Scope, Decentralization and Centralization, and Refocusing

• Facilitator: Atsushi Hiramoto (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan)

• Presenters

Akitake Taniguchi (Professor Emeritus, Tohoku University, Japan): "General Electric Company: From Conglomerating to Break-up"

Kenichi Miyata (Assistant Professor, Meiji University, Japan): "Westinghouse Electric Corporation: The Path to the Demise"

Shin Hasegawa (Professor Emeritus, Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan): "Toshiba Corporation: 'Selection Strategy' and its Endpoint"

Yongdo Kim (Professor, Hosei University, Japan): "Hitachi: From an Electrical and Electronic Company to a Social Infrastructure Company"

Pierre-Yves Donzé (Professor, Osaka University, Japan): "Siemens: Refocusing Strategy toward Improving Profitability"

◇The 32nd International Conference on Business History at the 54th Congress of BHSJ on Sep 30th, 2018

Holding a international conference as the 32nd International Conference on Business History (known as "Fuji Conference") at the 54th Congress of the Business History Society of Japan. (See here)

Conference Theme: Toward Global Business History: A Focus on the Electrical and Electronic Equipment Industry

Session I : Human Capital: Japanese Experiences from Comparative Perspective

• Chair and discussant：Jürgen Kocka (Professor Emeritus of History, Free University of Berlin, Germany).

• Shinji Sugayama (Tohokugakuin University, Japan) "The Salaried Employee’s World and the Worker’s World：A Case of Hitachi Ltd., 1910-1936."

• Hiroshi Ichihara (Dokkyo University, Japan) "Job Behavior, Technological Capability Development and Job Carriers of Researchers and Engineers in Hitachi, Ltd. after the Second World War."

• Hiromichi Hasebe (Kyorin University, Japan) "From Works Manager Development to Global Leader Development: Historical Analysis of Hitachi’s Executive Education and its Overhaul from the 1960s through the 2000s."

Session II : Organizational Capabilities: Beyond Three-Pronged Investment

• Chair and discussant：Pierre-Yves Donzé (Osaka University, Japan)

• Fredrik Tell (Uppsala University, Sweden) "Organizational Capabilities in the Heavy Electrical Manufacturing Industry: A Comparative Study of European and American Firms, 1878-1990."

• Thomas Lassman (National Air & Space Museum, USA) "Building New Core Competencies in R&D: Academic Science and the Transformation of Industrial Research at the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company, 1935-1955."

• Yongdo Kim (Hosei University, Japan) "The Career Paths of Directors and Organizational Capability in Hitachi, Ltd., 1950-1999."

Session III : International Competition and Cooperation: Toward Global Business History

• Chair and discussant：Shigehiro Nishimura (Kansai University, Japan)

• Robert Fitzgerald (Royal Holloway University of London, UK) "Global Rivalry, Inter-Firm Networks and Capability Building in the Inter-War Electrical Industry."

• Osamu Uda (Nihon University, Japan) / Hikaru Kondo (Chiba Keizai University, Japan) "Myth of 'becoming general': The history of computer business in the U.S. and Japan electrical industries, 1950-1980."

• Hartmut Berghoff (University of Goettingen, Germany) "The Troublesome 1990s: Electrical Engineering in the Age of Deregulation and Globalization."

◇A Conference Panel Discussion on Oct 22nd, 2017

Organizing a panel discussion at the 53rd Congress of the Business History Society of Japan. (See here) 

Panel Theme: A Comparative Business History on Diversification Strategy and Multi-divisional Organization: With a Focus on the Japanese and American Electrical Enterprises

• Facilitator: Shigehiro Nishimura (Kansai University)

• Presenters

Akitake, Taniguchi (Chuo University): "General Electric Company"

Kenichi Miyata ( Meiji University,): "Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company"

Atsushi Hiramoto (Tohoku University): "Hitachi"

Shin Hasegawa (Aoyama Gakuin University): "Toshiba"

• Commentators: Pierre-Yves Donzé (Osaka University), Osamu Uda (Nihon University)

◇The plenary session at the 52nd congress of BHSJ on Oct 8th, 2016

Organizing a panel discussion at the 52nd Congress of the Business History Society of Japan. (See here) 

Panel Theme: Japanese, American, and German Companies: A Historical Comparative Studies on Giant Electrical and Electronic Enterprises

• Facilitator: Atsushi Hiramoto (Tohoku University), Shin Hasegawa (Aoyama Gakuin University)

1. "Introduction"

• Akitake Taniguchi

2. "Strategy and Structure" and Governance

• Akitake Taniguchi (Chuo University) "American Company: GE"

• Yongdo Kim (Hosei University) "Japanese Company: Hitachi"

• Pierre-Yves Donzé (Osaka University) "German Company: Siemens"

3. Corporate Education System for Managers

• Kenichi Miyata (Meiji University) "American Company: GE's Crotonville Management Development Institute"

• Yasuo Sekijima (Representative, 3D Learning Associates) "Japanese Company: Hitachi"

• Fumiki Ishizuka (Tohoku University) "German Company: Siemens"

• Commentators: Shinji Sugayama (Tohokugakuin University), Yoko Tanaka (the University of Tsukuba)